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Thread: Whats so special about BMW coolant??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Dayton, Ohio
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    313

    Default Whats so special about BMW coolant??

    Other than its blue, and normal stuff is usually green...

    I'm just about to replace the thermostat, thermostat housing (and thermo gasket)... and I'm not too thrilled with my bentley telling me that the entire system hold 12.5 liters of coolant! I'm going to have to go to the stealer and buy 3 jugs of bmw coolant at 15 bones a jug... which will double the cost of this fix.....

    any alternative to BMW coolant?
    Former: 95-530iM

    Current: 99 GMC Seirra 1500

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Wellington,New Zealand
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    Default it may seem steep

    but the school of thought here is that it is cheap compared to a head gasket job.It is formulated to bmw specifications which means that its chemical make up is compatible to all the materials found in your cooling system.I beleive there is a vavoline? alternative but it is hard to find......personally i beleive any NEW coolant is better than any OLD coolant....but for the ammount you will save why not?????Next time mine is due for a change i will go for the blue stuff,which hopefully will tone in with some blue powder coating work on my vave cover.......
    Gone but not forgotten

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Benneton (United Colors of)
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    Default

    the only coolant that comes anywhere in equivalency is the mercedes/g-05, and that isn't EXACTLY the same. pentosin makes an equivalent, but it is likely MORE expensive than buying a jug of bmw at 15 a pop (at my orlando ger. auto parts store it is). anyway....3.78*2=7.xx, multiplied by two is 15 something litres, more than enough to service your system at a generous 50% mix....i'm not sure why you mention three bottles. it is highly unlikely that you will get ALL of the flush water out.....its likely that some water will remain in the system and dilute any solution you put in. You likely WON't be able to fit 12.x litres of anything into your cooling system.
    "..Torchinski v. Peterson that it is legal to carry a concealed weapon, so long the weapon is totally slick like a huge ass machine gun that you carry under a trench coat, like in the Matrix."


  4. #4
    Unregistered Guest

    Default

    YOU DON'T NEED THREE JUGS. REMEMBER, YOU NEED TO MIX 50/50 (COOLANT/WATER). BMW COOLANT IS CONCENTRATE. YOU NEED TO ADD DISTILLED WATER TO COOLANT. SO, IT'S NOT TOO BAD!


    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipJCaputo
    Other than its blue, and normal stuff is usually green...

    I'm just about to replace the thermostat, thermostat housing (and thermo gasket)... and I'm not too thrilled with my bentley telling me that the entire system hold 12.5 liters of coolant! I'm going to have to go to the stealer and buy 3 jugs of bmw coolant at 15 bones a jug... which will double the cost of this fix.....

    any alternative to BMW coolant?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    4,894

    Default

    Actualy... do 70 water/ 30 coolant

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Dayton, Ohio
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    Default

    OK, the BMW stuff I bought isn't a its not a 50/50 mix like I thought (its the concentrate)... and I've got about 3 quarts of it left.. :-) This isn't going to be as bad as I thought.

    I was thinking the 13 quarts because thats that the bentley manual says the capacity is.

    but I think I'll be ok.... and if everyone says BMW... what I can I do... I'll stick with the BMW coolant, it was this initial idea i had where I was going to spend another 45 bucks on coolant which wasn't making me too thrilled.


    On a side note, I just fixed my twisted passenger seat issue
    Last edited by PhilipJCaputo; 06-25-2004 at 09:31 PM.
    Former: 95-530iM

    Current: 99 GMC Seirra 1500

  7. #7
    Unregistered Guest

    Default

    Hey Tiger,

    Are you sure about 70 water / 30 coolant? I always thought you put 50/50 or 70 coolant / 30 water (for very cold winters / very hot summers). Never heard of 30 coolant / 70 water...


    Quote Originally Posted by Tiger
    Actualy... do 70 water/ 30 coolant

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Default

    the water is the important cooling fluid.you only need more "anti freeze" where the temperatures get really low.In NZ where i live you dont need anti freeze at all but it has important anti corrosion and some lubricant properties......I guess there are instruction on the mix related to the temperature but i always go 70 h20 30 "anti freeze"
    Gone but not forgotten

  9. #9
    Unregistered Guest

    Default

    Well, if you look at any coolant jug, it says otherwise... You will notice that if you put more antifreeze, antifreeze/coolant would withstand higher temp. It says on the jug. If very cold or very hot, use 70 coolant / 30 water for optimal performance. Cars operate in a wide variety of temperatures, from well below freezing to well over 100 F (38 C). So whatever fluid is used to cool the engine has to have a very low freezing point, a high boiling point, and it has to have the capacity to hold a lot of heat. The fluid that most cars use is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol (C2H6O2), also known as antifreeze. By adding ethylene glycol to water, the boiling and freezing points are IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY! The temperature of the coolant can sometimes reach 250 to 275 F (121 to 135 C). Even with ethylene glycol added, these temperatures would boil the coolant, so something additional must be done to raise its boiling point. The cooling system uses pressure to further raise the boiling point of the coolant. Just as the boiling temperature of water is higher in a pressure cooker, the boiling temperature of coolant is higher if you pressurize the system. Most cars have a pressure limit of 14 to 15 pounds per square inch (psi), which raises the boiling point another 45 F (25 C) so the coolant can withstand the high temperatures. Don't you think 70 coolant / 30 water is a better way to go? I would NEVER run straight water. Also, you need to use only distilled water and not tap water. Tap water containes too much minerals and bad for the system.


    Quote Originally Posted by Paul in NZ
    the water is the important cooling fluid.you only need more "anti freeze" where the temperatures get really low.In NZ where i live you dont need anti freeze at all but it has important anti corrosion and some lubricant properties......I guess there are instruction on the mix related to the temperature but i always go 70 h20 30 "anti freeze"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Wellington,New Zealand
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    Default wow

    thanks for the info...i thought water was unbeatable in its ability to absorb heat....
    Gone but not forgotten

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