Is it critical to change coolant at 100K?

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by tmontague

Do it yourself in the parking lot - here's how:

close the pet cock and re fill with fresh Toyota coolant (50/50 mix) from the rad cap.

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Thanks tmontague for the detailed instructions and the encouragement. I plan to do it myself. It's not just the money, it's --- it's ---- it's, well it's being human.

ONE QUESTION: you say re fill with fresh Toyota coolant. Does that mean I should use a special Toyota brand coolant?

I added to my last post that the car is almost 11 years (131 months), whereas the maintenance schedule recommends a change at 120 months (10 years). But I checked the coolant and it appears pink and clear without particulates. And the level is about 1 inch above the "LOW" line on the plastic overflow container. So I think I am OK to wait until I get back from the trip.

Any more comments will be appreciated.

Thanks,

R.