REAL QUICK! what brand of coolant do you guys prefer?

[LuisGT]

BMW coolant is for special people

I fixed the mistake

[Tec Nine]

OEM bmw coolant is what i use besides its blue so its extra cool haha

[RJLupin]

blue coolant .. i aint smart as many and dont put on my thinking cap often

[BMRSEB]

Prestone here, never had an issue..

[tptrsn]

you should use only bmw coolant. Nothing else with distilled water, and I add some red line water wetter.

Uh oh! ! ! Violating your own rules FTL!

Hah hah. . .

[Philboski]

OK, why is BMW coolant so special? What is the difference. I have seen all sorts of people say one should use it, but never why. I am sure that all phosphate free coolants would work. I bet even some of the red coolant for Japanese cars would work.

FWIW, I use a premixed, phosphate free coolant that I get at Canadian tire that is labelled as being suitable for all makes and models, regardless of where it was made.

It's orange, but I suspect it is the result of a dye added to it.

[Cyrix2k]

Prestone green in both of mine. 148,4xx miles in the 540i and 133,xxx miles in the 318iC and counting.

[allamer35]

OK, why is BMW coolant so special? What is the difference. I have seen all sorts of people say one should use it, but never why. I am sure that all phosphate free coolants would work. I bet even some of the red coolant for Japanese cars would work.

FWIW, I use a premixed, phosphate free coolant that I get at Canadian tire that is labelled as being suitable for all makes and models, regardless of where it was made.

It's orange, but I suspect it is the result of a dye added to it.

I did a little reading up on coolant differences a while ago. To me, it was reminiscent of the dino vs synthetic debate. The higher priced coolant like peak's lifetime (150,000) and valvoline zerex g-05 fluid are for extended intervals. They dont claim to cool better or offer any performance gains. The things that make them a little different are that they are low ph, low silicate, and phophate free. They also contain an anti corrosive additive package. I would say its better for higher change intervals, but not really necessary. I would refrain from mixing though; theres a possbility of the mixture becoming gummy/sludgy/coagulating.

[Jim530i]

I use BMW coolant with distilled water. I like it because....well, because, you know, I like it. I don't worry about what it contains that might do my cooling system wrong or something in the line like that.

There is one time I used Mercedes coolant just because it was lying in my storeage from my W140. I don't care, my indy says it the same thing, no harm will be done.

BTW, does Redline Water Wetter really work? I have been wanting to buy a bottle and pour the whole thing in.......that is mixed with my BMW coolant and distilled water.....

[Jason5driver]

I use BMW coolant with distilled water. I like it because....well, because, you know, I like it. I don't worry about what it contains that might do my cooling system wrong or something in the line like that.

There is one time I used Mercedes coolant just because it was lying in my storeage from my W140. I don't care, my indy says it the same thing, no harm will be done.

BTW, does Redline Water Wetter really work? I have been wanting to buy a bottle and pour the whole thing in.......that is mixed with my BMW coolant and distilled water.....

Water Wetter is fine to use.

[mattmartindrift]

isn't the non-premixed "green" coolant like $20/gallon and has a limited life time?


why is this even an issue if the BMW coolant is long-life rated and only costs $30/gallon. I don't understand even chancing it.

[Cyrix2k]

isn't the non-premixed "green" coolant like $20/gallon and has a limited life time?


why is this even an issue if the BMW coolant is long-life rated and only costs $30/gallon. I don't understand even chancing it.

availability. I have a bunch of it laying around the house. There's no problem running it. Heck, if I went by the threads in this forum, it seems the green stuff seems to help prevent the radiators from dying.

[mattmartindrift]

I've seen mixing different coolants cause weird gelling/sludging and discolorations.

[Cyrix2k]

I've seen mixing different coolants cause weird gelling/sludging and discolorations.

yes, that is true. I don't think anyone is suggesting mixing coolant. The system should probably be flushed of all the old blue coolant before making the switch. I know orange and green don't get along.

[Philboski]

Now that I think of it, the stuff I am using isn't orange -- more yellow than anything else.

No doubt that the mix of ethylene glycol and "DexCool" could be problematic, but then the DexCool apparently causes problems on its own.

But I still don't see why the BMW coolant is any better. It's more expensive, harder to get (the dealers around here don't have their parts departments open on Saturday, and they are hard to get to during the week), and blue, until I see a real reason not to use other compatible coolants, I won't be buying any. Besides, with the durability of BMW cooling system parts, the extra money could add up