Is coolant testing necessary on modern vehicles?

Question

My father in law continually reminds me to check my antifreeze when it starts getting cold. I get the squeeze tester out and it always shows everything is fine. We drive cars that are always less than 10 years old. Is this testing necessary or a hold over from days gone by? One other thing that may be worth noting is that we live in Tennessee so it gets cold, but seldom below zero.

Answer 1

Typical engine coolant not only contains antifreeze but also corrosion inhibitors that deteriorate with age. It will always be better to know that something is OK rather than quess it is. We still check our engine oil level even though cars today use very little oil-don't we!