A mild winter is not a reason to ignore coolant
In places with severe winters, coolant gets attention because freezing is an obvious threat. A milder climate removes the fear and leaves the actual problem untouched.
Coolant's other job is corrosion protection, and the additives doing that work are consumed over time whether the vehicle is driven or parked. Depleted coolant looks exactly like fresh coolant. What it does is allow the radiator, the heater core and the water pump to corrode internally.
A fluid change deferred long enough becomes a radiator, and a heater core if you are unlucky, which costs many times what the fluid would have. That is the case for changing coolant on schedule in a climate where nothing is going to freeze.
Towing and grades are what find a weak system
The hard work for a cooling system in this part of the state is not winter. It is a loaded vehicle on a long climb in summer.
An engine pulling weight uphill produces heat continuously, and that is the condition where a marginal system stops being marginal. A radiator partially blocked, a thermostat not opening fully, a worn water pump, or coolant that has lost its heat transfer properties will all cope in town and fail on a grade.
If your vehicle tows, have the system checked before the season rather than during it.
The whole system, not only the fluid
A service covers the radiator, pressure cap, thermostat, hoses, water pump and fan alongside the coolant itself.
Hoses are the item most often left until failure. They degrade from the inside, so a hose that looks fine can be soft or brittle where it matters, and the failure mode is sudden and roadside.
A thermostat stuck open is the opposite problem and is widely missed: the vehicle never overheats, so nothing seems wrong, while the engine runs below its design temperature with worse economy and weak cabin heat.
About this store
The Monroe store is the only Purcell location in Washington offering cooling system work, managed by JR Webster, open Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. See also scheduled maintenance and engine repair.
See the national cooling system page for all 33 locations.