Who is right about the compatibility of long-life anti-freeze?

Long-life antifreeze is specifically formulated to provide extended protection and performance in cooling systems, which often use different materials than regular antifreeze. Technician B's focus on compatibility with cooling materials highlights an essential aspect of long-life antifreeze. This type of antifreeze utilizes organic acid technology (OAT) or hybrid organic acid technology (HOAT), which is designed to work well with materials commonly found in modern engine cooling systems, such as aluminum and various other alloys.

Long-life antifreeze helps prevent corrosion and degradation of these materials, thus ensuring optimal performance and longevity of the engine components. Proper compatibility is key to ensuring that the antifreeze forms an appropriate protective layer over metallic surfaces and does not react negatively with seals, hoses, and other components. This concern makes Technician B's answer particularly relevant and accurate in understanding the critical attributes of long-life antifreeze.

As for Technician A's emphasis on silicate drop-out problems, while silicates can indeed cause issues in certain coolant formulations, the current long-life antifreeze options have largely moved towards formulations that minimize, if not eliminate, this specific concern, making this point less pertinent in the context of long-life antifreeze compatibility with modern cooling system materials.