Hi all! I’m a long time lurker, but new forum member.

I may or may not have posted a photo or two of my car before in a thread somewhere but it’s most likely under a different username that I forget, so onward with the post!

After some time of owning my 2nd gen, I’ve become a bit of an OE snob as far as replacement parts are concerned, and I also do my own work, since I’ve had some not so good interactions with multiple different mechanics.

So my coolant is slightly low, after countless times of temporarily relocating the overflow reservoir to do oil changes and such - lost a few drops a few times from the hose clamp underneath. Im curious of people’s opinions and experiences with different brands of coolant for our Prince engines - OE (MINI), Peak, dare I say -gulp- Autozone branded, and so forth… my local MINI dealership isn’t far from my house, but the chain stores are a good bit closer 🤷🏻‍♂️. What have people used? What is recommended? What are the major differences in the formulas of each brand? Of course I’ll buy the blue stuff. Preferably concentrate since it’s just a couple $ more expensive but you essentially get double the product.

what are people’s thoughts?

 

I use Pentosin Pentofrost NF in my 2011 N18. Blue stuff. And distilled water, 50/50 mix. Now at 127k miles, no coolant-related issues. I think I have changed it 4 times now.

 

Excellent! I’m ecstatic that the first reply is for Pentosin and it’s good to know they make coolant - I didn’t know this and it’s great news!

My little red fireball LOVES their Super II oil, and I’ve noticed a significant reduction in consumption between changes since switching from MINI’s recommended Castrol. The Castrol was ok, but I’d have to always buy an extra two quarts just to stay in the markings on the dipstick. Ran LiquiMoly for two changes, which was better, but needed the extra liter between as well. So far 2,000 miles into my second Pentosin change and I think I could push another 2,000 without topping off, but I don’t like having the low oil light pop on during a hard corner.

So far I’m at a coin toss between MINI branded coolant and Pentosin - leaning towards Pento. Someone would have to almost convince me into why the MINI coolant is the better choice at this point.

EDIT: Mine is also N18. I may or may not reveal at some point in time, due to two different people somehow finding my phone number and harassing me for three months about trying to buy my car right after I bought her in 2019. 🤷🏻‍♂️