Coolant, difference between brands?
- Thread starter mrk
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
What an utterly meaningless statement.
Ignore these people and use the correct blend of distilled water and coolant. If you cant be bothered with the hassle I'm pretty sure a 1 litre pack of the coolant from your local dealer is less than a fiver and is prediluted for your convenience.
I phoned up a local dealer and a 1.5litre bottle of coolant is just over £7 so will pick up a bottle in the morning if the coolant level stays as it is !
I'm not confident topping up with tap water alone, I've see what limescale does to the household iron !
I'm not confident topping up with tap water alone, I've see what limescale does to the household iron !
Same here,and ive used that in 'modern' cars aswell.
That said the correct antifreeze and mixture should be used.
Whenever ive rebuilt old wrecks or needed to top up old cars ive always used tap water and its been totally fine. I genuinely dont think ive ever had to top up a decent car, i'd be worried as to why its low in the first place, its a closed system :/
Ive just phoned my mate who's an Audi mechanic (currently doing his master tech training) and he said hes never ever used anything but tap water at work. I don't doubt the manual states it should use distilled water but ive never ever known anyone to actually use it.[TW]Fox;12475746 said:
100% tap water would be a different story but topping up a little bit to bring the level up when there's already a load of coolant/antifreeze in the system won't hurt it. It's all I've ever done on cars that have needed it, too. In this case I would be more worried about where it's going, however.
You should all move up north where our tap water is purer than your distilled water 
Must say that I have never used distilled water in any car iv had to top up. Do the coolants not contain cleaners etc in them?
As for the mix im sure that it can change, say 70water/30antifreeze in summer then 50/50 in the winter, maybe more antifreeze if its a hard winter. - this is just my understanding and may change for each car etc.
Must say that I have never used distilled water in any car iv had to top up. Do the coolants not contain cleaners etc in them? As for the mix im sure that it can change, say 70water/30antifreeze in summer then 50/50 in the winter, maybe more antifreeze if its a hard winter. - this is just my understanding and may change for each car etc.
OMG.. Just top it up with tap water.
I think if you look at the big picture, the engine overheating and failing is a slighty bigger issue than being fussy about what 'special' water to put in your magnificent BMW.
If it was me I would drain/flush the system at a later date and give it fresh coolent.. But first I think you need to find out if coolent is dissapearing in your system!
I think if you look at the big picture, the engine overheating and failing is a slighty bigger issue than being fussy about what 'special' water to put in your magnificent BMW.
If it was me I would drain/flush the system at a later date and give it fresh coolent.. But first I think you need to find out if coolent is dissapearing in your system!
Nobody has said he needs special water becuase he has a 'magnificent bmw'. He doesn't even have a magnificient BMW, its a 318i. It's good practice to use distilled water in a cooling system irrespective of what the car is. Just becuase everyone here can't be bothered doesn't stop it being good practice. Different cars have different requirements, just because you once topped up an XYZ with tap water and it was fine doesn't mean its the same for all cars - on a Ford for example you must use the correct Ford coolant in order to preserve the 'Lifetime' longevity of the coolant - introducing tap water into that isn't clever. Luckily thats not the case with the BMW system (Its changed every 4 years).
All the published documentation says use distilled water - and for the sake of 99p, why go against it? Whats the point? It's not even hard to get, every single garage sells it for a quid a bottle! Why bother with anything else when the right stuff is so damn cheap?
You consider using 'distilled water' as OTT yet you'd advocate draining and flushing the entire system on a car which isn't due a coolant change and we don't even know whether it has a problem?
What?! There is probably nothing wrong with his car - the level is low. This might be a problem, or it might have been changed by a monkey the last time it was done. Whatever, he should top the coolant up in accordance with the manufacturers specification, and keep an eye on the level.
Then, and only then, can he start considernig whether he needs to rebuild the engine, drain the coolant or fill the boot with tap water.
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Personally i've always used deionised water & manuf's coolant or premixed manuf's coolant on anything I cared about and i'm so far north i'm the Scottish consider us honorary jocks! That said on anything I couldn't care less about i've used tap water and the correct mix of coolant. I do remember reading about Halfrauds coolant having some issues with pinhole corrosion on alloy some years back but I don't know how factual that is as i've never used the stuff.
For those keeping track I think I just agreed with Fox.... I'll get my coat
I'd not use deionised water from a dehumidifier though as it tends to pick up crap in the tank on the unit I have but others may get better results.
For those keeping track I think I just agreed with Fox.... I'll get my coat
I'd not use deionised water from a dehumidifier though as it tends to pick up crap in the tank on the unit I have but others may get better results.
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Beleive what? The Recent Ford vehicles have NO coolant change specified in the service schedule - the coolant used is there for the life of vehicle. Why wouldnt I believe it? Ford are doing themselves out of service revenue for scheduled coolant changes so it's not as if they've got an ulterior motive, if you follow their instructions they get LESS money off you!
Not every coolant system operates in the same way as that in your MR2, especially 'newer' ones (I use 'newer' in inverted commas as Fords from as early as 1998 have used that system!).