BMW Blue Coolant

[John B.]

I use the Zerex G-05 in all my vehicles, $8-$9 a gallon at Autozone. As for the BMW LSD synth the parts guy at the dealer I bought it from even dug up a plastic jug as I didn't realize it was only sold in drums.

[tim s]

tim s.

[Ross]

Eric, as usual you are a font of valuable information. I will consider this a definative answer and will in the future tell the Bavarins to stuff their blue coolant in their brown holes.
Thanks for saving me some money!

[Spasso]

I'm using the Zerex G-05 in my 530 and my Acura. I read somewhere on this forum ( a link?) that it specs out VERY close to the G-48. Good enough for me.

The only drawback is the color. Being light yellow it is difficult to spot coolant leaks in the engine bay.

I read in the same article that if you are running a car with an old style brass radiator it is recommended to run the traditional green with plenty of anti-corrosive compounds to protect the all aluminum engine. They mentioned something about the non-green weakening the solder joints in the radiator?

I run the green my Italian car. It's 28 years old and the engine seems no worse for wear living on green all these years.

[bfd]

Just to open up the discussion, if you don't want to pay $20-30 per gallon for BMW "blue" coolant, one other CHEAPER alternative is SAAB *BLUE* coolant.

Yes, it is Valvoline Zerex G-48, which happens to be the SAME stuff as BMW.
Yes, it is blue color (note, SAAB does have an orange or yellow coolant too)
Yes, it comes in the same white container, but with a SAAB sticker.

At $12-15 per gallon, its a good, cheaper alternative to consider!

[Spasso]

Thanks for the heads up!

[attack eagle]

I wish you Yanks would stop bitchin' about prices over there.
You have the cheapest prices of anywhere on the planet.

Would you rather pay $40.00 USD for a U.S. gallon of BMW blue coolant?... We do!

How about gas prices? What about paying $7.00 per gallon like the Brits do!
Get a life before Global warming kills ya all!!

It's not our fault we chose not to pay taxes out the wazoo on everything to socialize everything.

[Ferret]

So go find your own middle eastern country to invade. Hell, I hear Canada has a lot of unexploited oil reserves.

Lmao - unfortunately the US has a bad habit of getting there first - then getting humiliated over the next few months by that ape-in-a-suit commander in chief.

Though to be quite honest Teflon Tony aint much better - with his constant prattling on about WMD that were never there in the first place.

Go incompetant leaders!

[Bill R.]

their coolant in the early nineties. The problem that bmw was having was silicate gel precipitation with coolants with high silicates levels. The silicates are present in the older green coolants to help form a coating on the insides of the engine and cooling system to protect them from corrosion. Excess or high levels of silicates in coolant were causing silicate sludging problems or Whats called "Green Goo", this is a thick layer that looks like green snot in the cooling system.

The coolant depends on the closest contact with the metal surfaces of the engine to transfer heat away from the motor, this green goo was forming a thick insulating layer causing the engines to run hotter and the cooling system to no operate as efficiently. It also builds up on water pump seals causing them to start leaking prematurely.

Bmw came out with their coolant , which is a no phophate, no nitrites but it does have low levels of silicates to protect against corrosion, Its not silicate free. This is the zerex g48, thats just about unobtainable here except from the dealer.

Most modern long life coolants would probably work fine including prestone.
I choose to stick with the bmw recommended for my own use and my customers use unless they specify otherwise.

I use the prestone longlife green that they have replaced the orange with in most of my customers cars who don't have a preference

John B. , There's not much price advantage anymore. I buy the blue from Patrick at BMA for 18, Last week when i went to autozone and checkers to get some coolant for a customers car they had both raised their prestone extended life green to 12 bucks a gallon now and the peak and others had raised accordingly. The toyota longlife red which i use in my previa,(250k miles, original waterpump, original hoses) has gone down in price at the dealers, last time i bought some it was 12 a gallon.

So at 12 a gallon for the prestone green and 18 for the bmw blue from Patrick, 6 bucks a gallon difference for something i'm going to replace every couple of years doesn't seem like too high a price to pay.

As far as prestone products making sludge,i'd say no and i use them every day in customers cars. In a pinch if i didn't have any bmw coolant i wouldn't hesitate to use the current prestone longlife green

Blue is just dyed by BMW respect. their OEM supplier to make it different looking from other stuff.
In the '80's there was a problem with some brands of green coolant so BMW 'created' their own. At that time most of the engines were still cast iron.
And in the U.S. even in later years.

ZEREX Anti-freeze G-05 or G-48 or pre-mixed 50/50, which is silicate and phosphate free and friendly with aluminum. ZEREX G-48 is BMW approved; ZEREX G-05, which is Mercedes Benz approved and other aluminum engine manufacturers. The orange 50/50, clear G-05 and blue G-48 are aluminum engine approved and basically same product other than color. WARNING: none of the Prestone products are aluminum friendly in spite of ads nor silicate and phophate free and both chemicals make sludge, which may clogged the cooling system of any car


http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/121555/

[Fetch]

their coolant in the early nineties. The problem that bmw was having was silicate gel precipitation with coolants with high silicates levels. The silicates are present in the older green coolants to help form a coating on the insides of the engine and cooling system to protect them from corrosion. Excess or high levels of silicates in coolant were causing silicate sludging problems or Whats called "Green Goo", this is a thick layer that looks like green snot in the cooling system.

The coolant depends on the closest contact with the metal surfaces of the engine to transfer heat away from the motor, this green goo was forming a thick insulating layer causing the engines to run hotter and the cooling system to no operate as efficiently. It also builds up on water pump seals causing them to start leaking prematurely.

Bmw came out with their coolant , which is a no phophate, no nitrites but it does have low levels of silicates to protect against corrosion, Its not silicate free. This is the zerex g48, thats just about unobtainable here except from the dealer.

Most modern long life coolants would probably work fine including prestone.
I choose to stick with the bmw recommended for my own use and my customers use unless they specify otherwise.

I use the prestone longlife green that they have replaced the orange with in most of my customers cars who don't have a preference

John B. , There's not much price advantage anymore. I buy the blue from Patrick at BMA for 18, Last week when i went to autozone and checkers to get some coolant for a customers car they had both raised their prestone extended life green to 12 bucks a gallon now and the peak and others had raised accordingly. The toyota longlife red which i use in my previa,(250k miles, original waterpump, original hoses) has gone down in price at the dealers, last time i bought some it was 12 a gallon.

So at 12 a gallon for the prestone green and 18 for the bmw blue from Patrick, 6 bucks a gallon difference for something i'm going to replace every couple of years doesn't seem like too high a price to pay.

As far as prestone products making sludge,i'd say no and i use them every day in customers cars. In a pinch if i didn't have any bmw coolant i wouldn't hesitate to use the current prestone longlife green

amen brother....blue all the way!

The cost difference is so small per year, it doesn't make sense to try and save money in this area.