Could Be a Pricey Winter: The makers...

Could Be a Pricey Winter: The makers of automobile antifreeze say there’s a shortage of its main ingredient and that antifreeze might double in price this winter. The shortage of ethylene--the basis for antifreeze’s main ingredient, ethylene glycol--results partly from last year’s harsh winter, which increased demand for antifreeze and left supplies lower than usual this year, according to Prestone Products Corp. of Danbury, Conn. Prices for antifreeze vary widely but average about $4 a gallon, a Prestone spokesman said. A similar shortage of ethylene in 1988 caused antifreeze prices to more than double, to about $10 a gallon.