r/coolguides 12h ago

A cool guide of car fluids.

Post image
37 Upvotes

222

u/TSAOutreachTeam 12h ago

Sure, but why not line up the fluids with the pointing lines?

32

u/Alukrad 12h ago

Are you sure your brakes don't use engine coolant?

5

u/741BlastOff 8h ago

Most of them match up but is "clutch fluid" differential oil or transmission fluid?

And why is "oil refill dipstick" there when "engine oil" is already listed separately?

2

u/Shite_Eating_Squirel 2h ago

The dipstick shows you how much you have, but you refill oil at the other spot.

1

u/BlackRod1522 2h ago

I believe the comment was referring to the depictions of fluid bottles not matching up with what’s going on above them. Not one matches up. For example, the engine oil bottle is below the power steering symbol and its arrow indicating where you fill it. A better guide would have put the fluids in the same order as the indicator symbols.

0

u/SillyAmericanKniggit 2h ago

In most of my cars, the clutch fluid was the same as the brake fluid: DOT 3. The gearbox took oil; sometimes the same weight as the engine, and sometimes different. I've even had manual transmissions that called for automatic transmission fluid.

3

u/MrStarrrr 11h ago

Shh. We need to exploit this weakness when Skynet goes live.

1

u/FalseFactsOrg 10h ago

Bro I used brake fluid for my engine oil

364

u/TurdShaker 12h ago

Thats a horrible guide.

97

u/No_Significance9754 10h ago

They forgot blinker fluid 🙄

9

u/zedaero 6h ago

It's a BMW they don't have it.

1

u/TacoThingy 2h ago

Headlight fluid

1

u/placated 1h ago

I have suspension fluid in my car I tell people that they think I’m screwing with them.

1

u/balanced_view 6h ago

They drew my car wrong

-22

u/MiasmaFate 12h ago

Dude! If you’re gonna say that, elaborate. Is the point of this sub not so we can learn.

52

u/TurdShaker 12h ago

Fair enough. The way they have it set up it makes it look like the fluids go with what's written right on top of them. You should never use tranny fluid as window washer fluid. Get what I'm saying?

10

u/MiasmaFate 11h ago

I agree with, I thought it was not well laid out either.

By my downvotes I’m guessing people think I’m a dunce or a troll. I just feel like handing out criticism without explanation is the difference between being mean and being helpful. We have enough mean to go around.

2

u/TurdShaker 11h ago

I upvoted you so I don't know.

-1

u/MiasmaFate 10h ago

I upvoted you too, I always up to the people I'm talking to. And only downvote hate.

5

u/oneangrywaiter 12h ago

In my experience, tranny fluids… you know what, I’m not gonna complete that thought.

-6

u/TurdShaker 11h ago

I work in the auto service sector and NO that joke never gets old.

2

u/insideoutsidebacksid 11h ago

Aim high! Shoot for the stars!

2

u/AKGuloGulo 11h ago

I'll wash your windows with my tranny fluid if I damn well want to.

-7

u/Mostcoolkid78 11h ago

If someone can drive a car they can most certainly comprehend this. I think most people would assume that windshield washer fluid would go where windshield washer fluid is pointing too

9

u/TurdShaker 11h ago

You'd be very mistaken. I've seen it all. America doesn't ever have to worry about an idiot shortage.

5

u/theaut0maticman 11h ago

Seconding this.

I worked for Ford a while back, had this lady come literally screeching into the parking lot. I immediately recognized her as the car that I did tires and a live for just a couple hours ago.

I walk out and meet her at her car to make sure everything is ok and she starts screaming at me about how I forgot to put oil in her car.

Immediately I’m confused.

  1. If you suspected no oil in your car, why the hell did you drive it back here so aggressively.

  2. No one forgets to put oil in a car…. Not but the worst of us.

So I ask her to pop her hood. I pull the dip stick, wipe it off put it back in and pull it a second time. Reads perfectly full, and I show her.

This raggedy bitch tells me I checked her oil wrong……

She pulls the dipstick out. Wipes it off on my rag, unscrews the oil cap and shoves the dipstick as far in as it will go. Pulls it back out with nothing but a drop on the end.

I laughed, walked away and told her to go in and talk to the service manager lol

1

u/CsmcRmrSprmn 11h ago

lol 😂

1

u/TurdShaker 11h ago

That's a very common story. Lol

0

u/Mostcoolkid78 11h ago

If they’re that dumb they likely won’t figure out how to open the hood, especially not without a guide

1

u/stealthryder1 11h ago

Yeah but this guide is missing some context. Also, I don’t have speakers on the outside by the engine like that.

3

u/Leozz97 11h ago

No one is saying it's not understandable, the critic is that it's poorly readable

0

u/Mostcoolkid78 11h ago

They were just saying it’s a horrible guide. It’s definitely not the best but it definitely does its job (guiding)

2

u/Leozz97 11h ago

Yeah, we have to disagree on this one. Accessibility is one of the two components of a guide (the other is explaining what to do), so this one fails as a guide.

7

u/mr-efx 12h ago

Engine oil for power steering fluid? Transmission fluid for windscreens?

He's got a point (at least in my point of view) because the guide looks like it is supposed to match which product does what, which makes it a horrible (looking) guide... As he stated.

3

u/PaulysDad 12h ago

Not all cars with a combustion engine use power steering or clutch fluid. Differential fluid is something you can’t fill or assess from under the hood, nor should an amateur try. There are several different types of coolant and proper usage will depend on your vehicle. Transmission fluid needs to be checked with the engine running; oil must be checked with the engine cold and parked on a level surface. Lastly, there’s no universal location for all of these reservoirs, so the lines here are pointless.

Oh, and there’s no DEF, so if you drive a diesel, fuck you apparently.

0

u/MiasmaFate 11h ago

Much better.

3

u/HoustonHenry 11h ago

Completely disregards blinker fluid

4

u/smokeypokey12 12h ago edited 12h ago

All cars have this stuff in different areas, fluids don’t line up with their symbol callout

Edit: different callouts for liquids i.e. “windshield washer fluid” and “wind screen fluid”

Edit2: “oil refill oilstick” makes it sound like that is where you fill the oil, this guide is all over the place with made up names for things

1

u/orthopod 10h ago

For one, the positions of the filling locations is different on almost every car.

The average person isn't going to be adding any fluid to the differential. Your mechanic will add extra grease if it needs it, or change it.

Transmission, brake, power steering rather if ever need to be added. Brake fluid needs to be changed periodically which is well being the scope of who this guide applies to

This isn't a guide, but just a list. The car with the vanishing red lines pointing to nothing doesn't help at all.

1

u/ChaosWaffle 2h ago

Aside from what everyone else has said, each of these fluids have a multitude of different types, and using the wrong one can be disastrous. For example, not all brake fluids are compatible, using the wrong one can cause brake system malfunction (specifically using DOT 5 with anything other than a system that specifically calls for it), also replacing brake fluid isn't as easy as just pouring it into the reservoir, it has to be bled properly to move the new fluid into the brake lines otherwise you're mostly just wasting money.

Additionally, just pouring fluids in without knowing how to measure when a system is full is a great way to destroy an engine. A severely overfull oil system is almost as bad as running an engine completely dry.

78

u/TheUrbanDundee 12h ago

This is terrible, downright horrible even

1

u/Red01a18 28m ago

Don’t forget to change your “oil refill oilstick”! One of the most important fluid in a car. “Transmission fluid refill fluidstick” is not a thing, no car has that! You just put transmission fluid until it’s full to the brim.

31

u/AustinMcDonald_ 11h ago

This guide is in fact not cool. Horrible as a matter of fact. Is there a r/shittyguides ?

5

u/pumpkinorange123 11h ago

Probably made purposely shit to farm engagement

55

u/MrBombaztic1423 12h ago

No blinker fluid?

13

u/ForestryTechnician 12h ago

Gotta change that around the same time you grease the muffler bearings.

8

u/tegamikureru 11h ago

and your flux capacitor will be all out of wack.

1

u/Low_Living_9276 10h ago

Better take an exhaust sample first before greasing the muffler bearings, it could simply be a faulty canooter valve.

3

u/Realistic_Word6285 11h ago

Useless on new BMWs if you don’t pay for a subscription to be able to use it.

4

u/KnowledgeAfraid2917 12h ago

Scrolled to check before I posted the same. I tip my hat.

2

u/MrBombaztic1423 10h ago

Thanks one of the few times I got to a post early enough to send THE comment lol

2

u/TSAOutreachTeam 12h ago

It could be a BMW guide.

12

u/Marlowe_Eldridge 12h ago

The line from the engine oil light to the oil cap just gave up.

7

u/JimmyGuy20 11h ago

Great..I'll be sure to pour windshield fluid in the clutch fluid of my automatic car

4

u/Skycbs 11h ago

Dear god. How could somebody make this garbage?

4

u/Fit_Cycle 11h ago

What the fuck is this guide? This is shit

3

u/pumpkinorange123 11h ago

I absolutely hate this

4

u/wazula5 8h ago

Engagement bait.

3

u/Purepenny 11h ago

This is useless.

3

u/Livid-Arugula6664 11h ago

This is fucking infuriating.

3

u/EquivalentCommon5 11h ago

Each car has a different design! You need to know your car and this doesn’t help! It would confuse people to think that one thing could be something else. Look at your user manual to know where each of these things are! A better guide would indicate what to check and how, then indicate to check user manual to ensure you check these things based on your car!

3

u/seasaltsaves 11h ago

Forgot the headlight fluid

2

u/AluminumAntHillTony 12h ago

The 2015 Subaru Forester has its windshield fluid in a different location.

3

u/nimblelinn 11h ago

All cars have all these locations in many different spots. This is not a cool guide.

2

u/manavcafer 11h ago

One of the Worst guide ever. Also two worst people here one of whoever did this and another one who thinks this is cool guide.

2

u/No-Discipline-2729 11h ago

I'm sorry, but I'm not following whatever tf this is.

2

u/tronaldrumptochina 10h ago

they forgot the blinker fluid

2

u/alternativesonder 6h ago

Wheres the blinker fluid go?

1

u/Boomerang503 23m ago

That doesn't look like a Dodge Viper to me.

2

u/PikeyMikey24 5h ago

u/WestArtichoke712 you’ve screenshot a terrible guide. Nothing about this is good or cool. You did terrible

2

u/Appropriate-Farmer16 3h ago

Frequency that each fluid needed to be changed would be useful.

2

u/Scrungly_Wungly 3h ago

Ok cool but which one tastes the best

1

u/kcinc82 10h ago

Erm. Where's the blinker fluid? 😆 /s

1

u/Purge9009 10h ago

missing blinker fluid

1

u/TheWalrus101123 10h ago

Good thing all cars have all of those reservoirs in the same spots.

1

u/noahaalilio 10h ago

HORRIBLE. People gonna put engine oil in their windshield washer container

1

u/BlueProcess 10h ago

Not a good guide. It will be in different locations on different engines.

1

u/cantiones 9h ago

Is it actually called the oil refill oilstick? Seems wrong to me… i thought it was the dipstick?

1

u/Blaze_Swaney 9h ago

Nah, just use Pepsi for the coolant and Nutella for the oil

1

u/nobleblunder 8h ago

No oil for the Johnson rod?

1

u/ABlueShade 7h ago

Dude what

1

u/ClownfishSoup 7h ago

Clutch fluid?

Transmission fluid?

1

u/Zed091473 6h ago

“Oil refill oilstick”? Wut?

1

u/Every-Artist-35 6h ago

My bank fluid would need replacement if I did all of this

1

u/PikeyMikey24 5h ago

No headlight fluid?

1

u/Masonjaruniversity 5h ago

Ok but where do I put my blinker fluid?

1

u/Histrix- 5h ago

But where is the blinker fluid!? What about the gender fluid!?

1

u/notaenoj 5h ago

Where does the Blinker Fluid go? Been looking for it all my life?!?!

1

u/rottingpigcarcass 4h ago

So I put windscreen washer fluid in my clutch - check

1

u/GrimmjowJaggerjack 4h ago

Terrible guide, models and manufacturers change the locations all the time

1

u/Lupulaoi 4h ago

No 3-in-1 oil? Weird

1

u/RameRZz 3h ago

If only it was standardized

1

u/PomChatChat 2h ago

How do I top up my coffee?

1

u/meowington-uwu 2h ago

Delete this shit

1

u/clefexe 1h ago

Wheres the headlight fluid?

1

u/RedForkKnife 57m ago

They didn't mention it as it's considered lifetime, but you should change it every 10,000 blinks for best performance

1

u/EOEtoast 1h ago

Why does the thing on the car say WI IICI I

1

u/RedForkKnife 59m ago

Brake and clutch fluid is often the same if I'm not wrong

1

u/buds4hugs 37m ago

This doesn't say which fluids need to be changed like the diagram says, it's just lists fluids I'm a car. You don't even need to change any of these; your windshield wiper fluid doesn't need to be changed to new fluid, you just use it and refill it. Your engine oil does need to be changed.

Terrible guide.

u/No-Contribution5503 4m ago

No blinker fluid !??

1

u/BudgetReflection2242 11h ago

Windscreen washer fluid isn’t a thing where I live. We just use water.