Non-Bmw coolant? Harmful?

[Pofke13LT]

Im replacing my radiator, but the closest BMW Stealer is far from home... Is it really harmful to use non-BMW coolant, or is that just talk?

[spddmn713]

i forget what coolant is acceptable and what will tear up the system. But i always play it on the safe side and use bmw coolant. You can order it from bav auto for about $17 a gallon, but remember that you dilute it 50/50 with water so every gallon of coolant equals two gallons in the car. It is really not too expensive. Not near as expensive as it would be to replace parts that could get damaged from using the wrong coolant. I am sure that someone else know what coolants are acceptable for the system and which are not. Search the forum and i am sure you will find your answer.

[shogun]

bmw coolant does contain silicates, evidently they feel that the silicates are necessary to preven erosion of the aluminum surfaces and I would imagine head gaskets as well.
Here a comment from George about this subject:
the BMW blue is theoretically spec'ed.. by BMW to be compatible with cylinder head and/or block aluminum alloys and chosen composite gasket material in terms of silicates,
phosphate content etc. For the best insurance, use the BMW coolant...maximizes head gasket life..no pitting or corrosion to the
cylinder head etc. Me..though not precisely the same chemistry as
BMW blue.which is Zerex G-48 coolant only available in bulk outside BMW dealerships, I use Zerex G-05 which is close in specification to G-48 and approved for Mercedes..but not for BMW.
The critical issue is dump your coolant every two years and replenish with fresh fluid to liberate acidity/contaminants.
I strongly advise against using Dexcool in a BMW.
George
90 735iL/145k

[Pofke13LT]

allright thanks guys, i guess a trip to the stealer in order...

[Anton CH.]

Since the price on coolant just doubled I went with pentosol (sp?), it's blue stuff made in Germany. Goes for about $10 from BMA. The way I see it, if it's made in Germany, it should do OK on German cars.

[bfd]

allright thanks guys, i guess a trip to the stealer in order...

ONe possible alternative is to get either Saab coolant. In the US, BMW "blue" coolant is Zerex G-48, made by Valvoline. Saab blue coolant is supposedly the same stuff.

In the SF bay area, BMW coolant has risen to about $22-30 PER GALLON. I found one Saab dealer who will sell his blue stuff for a little over $12 per gallon. Guess what I'm getting next.....

[632 Regal]

cool blue....

[DanDombrowski]

I use Zerex G-05, and for the 8 years the car was driven before I owned it, it had green stuff in it, and my headgasket is still fine, and there's no scale in the head.

[uscharalph]

I think the main main thing is not to mix different coolants and change the coolant regularly. I prefer to use BMW Cool Blue.

[Pofke13LT]

Well I just finished replacing my radiator, and it was disgustingly simple, glad I didnt pay the mechanic to do it like my pops suggested... The hardest part was the agonizingly slow emptying/filling process.. Ended up getting the BMW Blue stuff.

[uscharalph]

Well Done! It feels good to be able to work on your on car.

[Qube]

So... you're saying that I shouldn't top off a bit with say... Prestone?

[uscharalph]

You're better off topping it off with distilled water.

[Rick L]

I have always used Prestone green stuff in all of my cars. I have NEVER had coolant related problem. I just change the coolant every two year (sometimes, every year). The blue stuff? I'll go with what works for me and never let me down. And that is the Prestone green stuff. :)

[632 Regal]

cool blue not algae green

[Rick L]

I have owned my 1984 Maserati since 1988. That is almost 17 years!!! My Jaguar since 1998. That's 7 years!!! I have always used Prestone green stuff. I know Maserati is NOT BMW. But the Maserati does have all aluminum engine. I have never, YES, NEVER had a coolant related problem in 17 years of ownership. In fact, non of my cars... How long have you owned any of your cars? I hear from people from this forum stating that if you don't use the blue stuff, you will damage your car... Do they know by experience??? Or story handed down by another person who hear it from another??? How long have you owned the car? How do you know that previous owner had every changed the coolant before you purchased it??? I'm just telling you from my own experience with coolant.


cool blue not algae green

[Qube]

I bought a little bottle just to 'top' off when needed (Prestone green). I believe our cautions related more to what's better rather than what will harm the cooling system. The green stuff might not be the best but it's more than sufficient?

[Gayle]

[QUOTE=Rick L][B]I have owned my 1984 Maserati since 1988. That is almost 17 years!!! My Jaguar since 1998. That's 7 years!!!

This is off topic for this thread, but Rick how do you decide which of those cars to drive? We have had a fleet of 4 but they were all really different vehicles for different purposes.

[Mobius]

I hear from people from this forum stating that if you don't use the blue stuff, you will damage your car...I've never heard that. I've only ever heard "the only truly safe choice is the BMW coolant". There's not really any argument to that.

I'm cheap with a lot of things, but $20 or $40 for a coolant change just isn't significant enough for me to care. To me, it's not worth even bothering with.

[632 Regal]

if you were a poor folk you would use standard practices as you wouldnt want to waste money on a bad choice... same with standard practices of replacing maintenance items before they go bad...which you might, just trying to lead new commers to the correct maintenance plan....and if you do have so much disposible income why would you use prestone VS the stuff recommended by the manufacturer, to save a couple bucks? I dont get it man.

no disrespect but can you send me some disposable income?


I have owned my 1984 Maserati since 1988. That is almost 17 years!!! My Jaguar since 1998. That's 7 years!!! I have always used Prestone green stuff. I know Maserati is NOT BMW. But the Maserati does have all aluminum engine. I have never, YES, NEVER had a coolant related problem in 17 years of ownership. In fact, non of my cars... How long have you owned any of your cars? I hear from people from this forum stating that if you don't use the blue stuff, you will damage your car... Do they know by experience??? Or story handed down by another person who hear it from another??? How long have you owned the car? How do you know that previous owner had every changed the coolant before you purchased it??? I'm just telling you from my own experience with coolant.

[wengenstein]

Have you ever had to snake out a huge glob of snot from your radiator? With an aluminum block/rad and your average green shite chances are you will develop some nasty buildup in the cooling system. The first time I changed the coolant in my 540i (not long after I purchased it thankfully) I pulled the rad plug and nothing came out. After clearing out the gunk, some good ol' Autozone green came trickling out. The previous owner aparently thought the green stuff was good too...

Stick with BMW blue. Sure, the green stuff isn't guaranteed to cause problems, but it's a chance I'd rather not take. (plus we're only talking a couple bucks anyway...)

Also, check out one of my favorite threads.. :) it describes the gunk and why most of the green stuff is bad.
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=8081


I have owned my 1984 Maserati since 1988. That is almost 17 years!!! My Jaguar since 1998. That's 7 years!!! I have always used Prestone green stuff. I know Maserati is NOT BMW. But the Maserati does have all aluminum engine. I have never, YES, NEVER had a coolant related problem in 17 years of ownership. In fact, non of my cars... How long have you owned any of your cars? I hear from people from this forum stating that if you don't use the blue stuff, you will damage your car... Do they know by experience??? Or story handed down by another person who hear it from another??? How long have you owned the car? How do you know that previous owner had every changed the coolant before you purchased it??? I'm just telling you from my own experience with coolant.

[Rick L]

Hey Gayle, they are very different breeds and I do drive them differently.

The Jaguar is very classy and elegant. It is NOT the most sporty or "fun to drive" type of a car. However, it is a cruiser with a very comfortable ride. I take it out when I go out to nice restaurants and night out in the city.

The Maserati is temperamental rocket. It is rough and not the most comfortable car but it is sure fun to drive fast! I love the hear that engine scream at full boost. This is my Sunday driver.

The BMW is my daily driver. It is a solid German built car. I have to say, I feel most confident driving this car. It seems like I could push the car to the limit at ease. I can't really say that about the Maserati where it get a bit squirmy. BMW is a driver's car! I have to say, I enjoy driving the BIMMER the best! :D





[QUOTE=Rick L][B]I have owned my 1984 Maserati since 1988. That is almost 17 years!!! My Jaguar since 1998. That's 7 years!!!

This is off topic for this thread, but Rick how do you decide which of those cars to drive? We have had a fleet of 4 but they were all really different vehicles for different purposes.

[Gayle]

Hey Gayle, they are very different breeds and I do drive them differently.

The Jaguar is very classy and elegant. It is NOT the most sporty or "fun to drive" type of a car. However, it is a cruiser with a very comfortable ride. I take it out when I go out to nice restaurants and night out in the city.

The Maserati is temperamental rocket. It is rough and not the most comfortable car but it is sure fun to drive fast! I love the hear that engine scream at full boost. This is my Sunday driver.

The BMW is my daily driver. It is a solid German built car. I have to say, I feel most confident driving this car. It seems like I could push the car to the limit at ease. I can't really say that about the Maserati where it get a bit squirmy. BMW is a driver's car! I have to say, I enjoy driving the BIMMER the best! :D


Thanks for the explanation. I had wondered other times seeing the picture.

[Jean@MtMiguel]

Blue,Orange or Green so many choices so many arguments, mixed 'hem all ,a full spectrum of colors, NOW I'M CONFUSED.

[632 Regal]

cool blue in the Bimmers.

[Dan in NZ]

When I got my car two years ago, it had generic green. In the first year, replaced the aux water pump, heater valves, water pump and radiator. All parts were replaced only when they failed (limited buget), and all had some brown crusty stuff inside, the radiator was almost completely blocked with crud. As you can imagine, I changed to bmw blue pretty quick!

Since the cost difference is negligable, why bother taking a risk? Just put bmw blue in, have some peice of mind, and be proud of the fact your car is 100% bmw.

[Rick L]

Are you sure it was caused by the green stuff? Or maybe, the previous owner NEVER changed the coolant since new? I use green stuff on my 1995 525i and everything is running great. Only thing I have changed is the plastic water pump (known problem with 1995 models) since they tend to fail so I upgraded to a metal unit. I believe many of the parts failed on your car do to neglect by the previous owner. I know many people that has NEVER changed the coolant since NEW. That’s alarming since I live in Chicago and the coolant does more than to protect from corrosion. Effective antifreeze is a must here from the extreme cold weather we face during winter! They think they need to just change the engine oil and it is all good but there are many different fluids that should be changed at a regular bases. If you use blue stuff, that's great. Whatever works for you. I'm just saying that I have always used the Prestone green stuff and never encountered a problem. So unless you are absolutely sure it was caused by the green stuff and NOT by neglect by the previous owner, you statement is valid testimonial. Besides, you have 1990 with 205,000. Even you use the blue stuff, parts will fail at that age.


When I got my car two years ago, it had generic green. In the first year, replaced the aux water pump, heater valves, water pump and radiator. All parts were replaced only when they failed (limited buget), and all had some brown crusty stuff inside, the radiator was almost completely blocked with crud. As you can imagine, I changed to bmw blue pretty quick!

Since the cost difference is negligable, why bother taking a risk? Just put bmw blue in, have some peice of mind, and be proud of the fact your car is 100% bmw.

[Hector]

coolant products. Here is a crack of the head gasket from my m30 when using aftermarket coolant and tap water. Also notice scoring around holes of water passages.

http://www.geocities.com/frothlikn/classic_tan20.html


Im replacing my radiator, but the closest BMW Stealer is far from home... Is it really harmful to use non-BMW coolant, or is that just talk?

[Bellicose Right Winger]

Jeff,
Perhaps you'd have MORE disposable income if you didn't waste it on over-priced, unnecessary cool-blue antifreeze :D .

I'll testify to ZERO cooling system corrosion problems since 1981 in my '79 320i, '80 528i, '83 533i, '86 325, '90 535i, and '93 525i using ONLY Prestone or Sierra. I don't change it regularly either, usually when system is drained for water pump or some other repair. Trick is to change it every 3 years as recommended, use distilled water, fix leaks, keep air out of system and there'll be no problems.

Paul Shovestul


.........no disrespect but can you send me some disposable income?

[JonE]

A proper study of this would've been with a sampling of say, 60 brand new E34's of the same model, features, existing in the same environments, driven in similar conditions and manners and all on the exact same maintenance schedules. 30 of them would've used Prestone green only and 30 would've used "cool Blue BMW juice". After, say 150,000 to 200,000 miles would there be any significant difference in rate/type of coolant system failures/repairs and analyzed "wear" to the system.
Since this study is now impossible it will all be speculation and personal choice. I prefer the choice of regular coolant changes as top priority along with repairs done as soon as a problem arises, then coolant choice (I'll hedge and go with the blue). Like others have noticed the cost is not as important as the sense that the job was done properly. I would like to confirm that that Saab blue is identical though. Always interested in getting the same thing for bit less!

[motuman]

I can't afford Prestone, so I have found a mixture of 40% water and 60% Mountain Dew gives me a coolant with just about the right color... ;)

Do the Dew!!

[DanDombrowski]

I would think that a mixture like that would cause unsafe caffiene levels and make the car prone to staying up all night (dieseling) watching infomercials and overall jitteriness. Whatever works for you though :)

[shragon]

bmw blue...

bma carries the stuff. give them a call.

[Zeuk in Oz]

I don't understand the angst this thread is creating - as does this topic every time it is raised !
Given that BMW subsidises the price of its coolant (here in Oz at least, so I am led to believe, and their prices would seem to confirm this), why not just use it as it is comparably priced to anything else ?
Similarly I use Mercedes coolant in my Mercedes.
Logical ?

[rbeaud]

I don't understand the angst this thread is creating - as does this topic every time it is raised !
Given that BMW subsidises the price of its coolant (here in Oz at least, so I am led to believe, and their prices would seem to confirm this), why not just use it as it is comparably priced to anything else ?
Similarly I use Mercedes coolant in my Mercedes.
Logical ?

At more than twice the price of the cheap stuff, I would say that BMW is not subsidizing their coolant. Although the recent changes in the dollar to euro may disguise that.

Nonethelesss, Brett Anderson (don't know him? He's pretty prolific in print and the 'net as a BMW expert) recommends the blue stuff. He will see more radiators than just about anyone here (excepting you techs). One or 10 cars is not sufficient evidence.

Moreover, for $10-$15 every two to three years, it doesn't seem to be worth the argument. If you are that frugal, maybe you can't afford to maintain a car (any car).

Most people could save more money by filling with the correct grade of gas...

[Bill R.]

go pick up some coolant for a couple of cars, i went to toyota since i only put toyota coolant in them. 15.99 a gallon for toyota, then i went to autozone to pick up some prestone antifreeze 9.99 a gallon for it. Last time i ordered some from Patrick at bma I think it came to about 12.99 a gallon for the bmw brand shipped in 1.5 liter bottles.







At more than twice the price of the cheap stuff, I would say that BMW is not subsidizing their coolant. Although the recent changes in the dollar to euro may disguise that.

Nonethelesss, Brett Anderson (don't know him? He's pretty prolific in print and the 'net as a BMW expert) recommends the blue stuff. He will see more radiators than just about anyone here (excepting you techs). One or 10 cars is not sufficient evidence.

Moreover, for $10-$15 every two to three years, it doesn't seem to be worth the argument. If you are that frugal, maybe you can't afford to maintain a car (any car).

Most people could save more money by filling with the correct grade of gas...

[632 Regal]

cool blue

[dacoyote]

cool blue

My car has Green in it... it's on my list of stuff to fix...

So how hard should I flush the car...

is drain... water... run for 5... drain.. water.. run for 5... drain... fill with needed blue.. then fill with water enough?

-Charles

[632 Regal]

your supposed to use distilled water so you dont add minerals from tap water.
Your flushing tecnique sounds good.


My car has Green in it... it's on my list of stuff to fix...

So how hard should I flush the car...

is drain... water... run for 5... drain.. water.. run for 5... drain... fill with needed blue.. then fill with water enough?

-Charles

[dacoyote]

your supposed to use distilled water so you dont add minerals from tap water.
Your flushing tecnique sounds good.

Distilled water was a given.... I didn't know if blue and green was like red (dexacool) and anything else in the world (water.. green... more dexacool... air).

-Charles

[Jeff N.]

thud thud thud.

[uscharalph]

My car has Green in it... it's on my list of stuff to fix...

So how hard should I flush the car...

is drain... water... run for 5... drain.. water.. run for 5... drain... fill with needed blue.. then fill with water enough?

-Charles
Distilled water with BMW Cool Blue is best.

[Rick L]

The Logic? It 's simple! I use what works for me. I use Prestone because I think they make excellent coolant. Prestone has been around a long time and produce quality products. If Prestone cost twice the price of BMW than I would still use the Prestone because it never let me down. THE ISSUE IS NOT THE PRICE. THE ISSUE IS THE BRAND THAT WORKS FOR ME. I just don't understand why members keep telling me to use only the blue stuff if the Prestone green never let me down? So, would it be logical to change to something different if what I use works great?


I don't understand the angst this thread is creating - as does this topic every time it is raised !
Given that BMW subsidises the price of its coolant (here in Oz at least, so I am led to believe, and their prices would seem to confirm this), why not just use it as it is comparably priced to anything else ?
Similarly I use Mercedes coolant in my Mercedes.
Logical ?

[winfred]

regular prestone and tap water 50/50 changed every 2-3 years hasn't hurt my e30 in almost 80k miles and the e34 in almost 50k miles and i've yet to see any crust like the cars i work on for customers

[Zeuk in Oz]

:)
The Logic? It 's simple! I use what works for me. I use Prestone because I think they make excellent coolant. Prestone has been around a long time and produce quality products. If Prestone cost twice the price of BMW than I would still use the Prestone because it never let me down. THE ISSUE IS NOT THE PRICE. THE ISSUE IS THE BRAND THAT WORKS FOR ME. I just don't understand why members keep telling me to use only the blue stuff if the Prestone green never let me down? So, would it be logical to change to something different if what I use works great?
Rick L, I think you misunderstood my post.
I was not telling you what to use. I was simply suggesting that for those of us not in a position to scientifically assess the benefits, or otherwise, of a particular coolant, why not use what the manufacturer recommends. Given very little price penalty I find that approach logical. :D