anti freeze

Different colour antifreeze is typed by years so a blue is good for 2 years other colours lasts for more years.
So it's really in your interest to buy the correct spec,
there's other considerations as well,
and they really are chemistry related,;
the wrong type can "eat" through seals!!!
Oil is a similar situation,
Wrong type?
Engine damage.
All you have to do is go to your local motor factors and state make/model/engine size and fuel type and year then ask them for whatever you need,
They put your details in the database and it tells them exactly what the manufacturer has stated for use.
And as to brake fluid,
Dot 3 is for calliper drum combinations,
Dot 4 for is disks all round,
which system is your car?
and what have "You" been putting in?

dot 4 ,but you missed the point with best part of 30 letters in the alphabet and endless numbers available why cant anti freeze be just listed as type1,2,3 or type A or B or similar,as for the comment about motor factors selling the right stuff ,a large European car parts seller sold me fully synthetic oil of the correct grade/viscosity for a family Polo sadly it was not low saps low ash which I later discovered was the specified type,two oil changes later we were in the market for a new catalytic converter due to very short local journeys and non low saps low ash oil clogging up the catalyst, most of the motor factors around here will sell you what they've got if its near enough with possible exception of Halfords.

Most of my customers wouldn't know the difference in oils from 5/30 to "Mazola",
and back to anti freeze I can't keep the difference straight in my head either,
And don't even get me started on organic acids!
One would hope that if it were the main dealer the right product for the right vehicle would be the thing but in most of the dealers round my way they're staffed by non mechanics,
Sales staff,
Same with my local European big store.
Best guess is that the big manufactures engine design people are the same kind of people that make chargers for mobile phones,
I have a large box full of the dam things and not one is remotely compatible with another.
Whitworth must be spinning around in his grave.
I agree with your complaint but all I can suggest is follow manufacturers specs,
And that probably requires manufacturers workshop manuals.
Which is what I use,
Rather than the industry standard book/reference which I find occasionally useful.
often inaccurate.
And as a business I keep all my paperwork so in the event of say cat failure from incorrect supply of oil I know exactly where my first call is going!