Your car’s cooling system plays a key role in maintaining the ideal operating temperature in your engine. When maintenance on the cooling system is neglected, it can eventually lead to the engine overheating and failing. To prevent this from happening, you need to routinely have your vehicle’s cooling system flushed at an auto maintenance shop.

Flushing the cooling system involves disposing of the old engine coolant that’s been flowing through the system and then replacing it with brand new fluid. To prevent issues with your cooling system, you should have it flushed at least every two years. Alternatively, it’s recommended to flush your cooling system after every 30,000 miles on the road. The average driver will hit this mile mark every two years. However, if you drive your vehicle very frequently and over long distances, you may need to flush your cooling system even more often.

Unless you’re overdue for a cooling system flush, it’s wisest to schedule this routine maintenance for early summer, before your engine will be running the hottest. If you’re unsure how long it’s been since your last coolant flush, here are a few signs that you should schedule an appointment to have your cooling system flushed at a reliable auto maintenance shop in Minnesota:

• You’ve experienced engine overheating.
• Your engine temperature gauge begins reading higher than normally.
• You smell a strange, sweet odor while driving; that’s the smell of coolant burning.
• You discover coolant leaking from your engine.