My 06 MCS started to overheat yesterday. Granted it was 105 degrees and I was stuck in traffic. As soon as I got going again, the temp went back down to normal levels. This morning on way to work, it was just fine, never got hot. Still, I just checked the coolant level, and its way low. Bentley Manual says use a coolant that is 50/50 mixture of distilled water and ethylene glycol based antifreeze and that it was to be phosphate free...Where can I pick some of this stuff up besides the dealer since my nearest dealer is about 85 miles away???

 

the bmw coolant is pink or red or whatever, and places i checked wanted an arm and leg for them. you can just use prestone. despite what they or many people say, we don't really need phosphate-free coolant/antifreeze here. phosphate-free stuff is specified in europe because of their water, in which its mineral content would lead to some kind of solid build up or precipitate with non-phosphate-free coolant. get a good prestone from the auto parts store and it should be fine. make sure to mix using distilled water. also, i heard some bad stuff w/ dexcool or that gm whatever

also, it's normal to use up coolant over long periods of time. but if the level is going down quickly, check for leak, maybe at the thermostat

 

Valvoline Zerex G-05® Antifreeze/ Coolant
OEM safe alternative: http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ...asp?product=10

 

Whoa, not so fast...

Phosphate free anti-freeze is critical for any engine that has aluminum components. MINI engines have cast iron blocks with aluminum cylinder heads, so phosphate free is a must...

With that said, almost all coolant is phosphate free now-a-days. Sure, you can use BMW's coolant (blue color). But, the next best choice is Zerex G-05 (yellow) which is readily available in most auto parts stores. Some say to stay away from Dex-Cool (orange), but I am not convinced it is a poor choice.

 

thanks guys. Put some Zerex in there. We'll see if the level holds up. Hopefully, I don't have a leak..

 

An 06 MCS... It is a possibility that you do have a leak! Good news though, given how new the car is (age wise) it is very unlikely that the leak (if there is one) is coming from anywhere but the thermostat housing. My 05mcs had the same problem and was quickly diagnosed by the dealer and replaced under warranty. This problem is extremely common, but the part is inexpensive and not to hard to replace if it isnt warrantied.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I filled it up and am going to keep a close eye on it. If it gets low again, I will take it in to have it looked at.

 

Zerex is a good choice.

 

I seem to be having the same problem. The engine fan came on after I shut the car down. I checked the oil and was 1/2 qt low, so I topped it off and then checked the coolant later. It was low. So while going to the store today the engine temp shot up from half to almost all the way then went back down. I freaked out! Now I'm waiting for it to cool down to check the coolant again. the color of the coolant is green. Sofar the little 05 mcs has been great! The only problem has been trying to drive close to the speed limit.

 

I want to ask as well, is it ok to mix the OE coolant with Zerex G-05? I just need an inch worth of top off in the expansion tank. To mix with something green/blue with yellow seems adventurous to me, unless it's Jello.

 

 

distilled water

 

According to the dealer you can add any type ( as long as its ok for alluminium engines). My car was leaking fluid out of the thermostat gasket. Luckly it's still under thier warrenty so they towed it 52 miles for free!

 

I have a question related to the expansion tank. I noticed there are few curvy looking patitions inside the expansion tank. Anyone knows what they are for? Also, is there any kind of internal filter for the cooling system? In case there's debris or contaminants on the coolant.

 

No filter for the coolant system. Flush and fill on a regular basis. As for the baffles in the tank? Maybe to discourage foaming when you're slamming that thing around the twisty bits.
And as for the "which antifreeze should I use?" issue, I'm staying out of this one. It has been
beaten to death in another thread.

 

uh, some of these answers scare me... How about looking in that wonderful guide book called the "Owner's Manual" I find it chock full of information.

And if you can't/won't do that, then look on the label of whatever you do buy and make sure it says compatible with any color antifreeze/coolant.

You can buy most of them in pre-mixed formulas that are already 50/50 blended distilled water/coolant etc..

Not only do you need to make sure it is compatible with your aluminum components ( radiator/head/hoses/connections etc) but you need to make sure its OK with the stuff you already have in there.

 

Thanks Mariner. I was curious if there's filtering in cooling system because I recently saw a tiny piece (like a flake) of blue color rubber gasket from the radiator cap floating in the expansion tank during a top-off. I could not get to it and worried if that would clog or get caught with any part of the coolant passage.

 

I just check and it says call your dealer to find out in my 06 MCS owners manual

 

BMW brand coolant is blue and that is probably what is in your car now. You can use MINI or BMW coolant or any other coolant that is phosphate and silica free (long life suggested). Yes, you can mix different colors/brands.

 

you can also try using water wetter in conjunction with your mix, I run it in my bikes and it works well

http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp

 

Water wetter is a coolant substitute/lubricant. Most racing rules do not allow coolant (slippery) and thus water wetter is necessary and allowed to keep the water pump bearing lubricated. I do not know if it is compatible and recommended to mix with coolant or if you gain anything in doing so...but I doubt it.

 

It is made to use in conjunction with other coolants.. "Compatible with all antifreezes, including the latest long-life variations." i use it with antifreeze all the time.

 

ok, compatible but I still contend there is no benefit in mixing water wetter with regular coolant that is of the proper proportions.

The stuff was developed for racing. With modern engines, the thermostat maintains the coolant/engine temperature, so improving heat transfer of the coolant is an unused "benefit". The coolant systems are designed to work with the standard properties of regular coolant. Now, if you radiator was marginal to begin with (due to age, etc) then maybe there would be a benefit realized, but then again, repairs should be made.

 

Is there another major brand that would be compatible with my MINI? I've tried AutoZone, Advanced Auto Parts, NAPA, Wal-Mart, and O'Reilly's with no luck. The BMW dealer is about 85 miles away.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Oh, I hate to get involved in this goat-rope again, but here goes:
Use any brand name Extended Life Universal antifreeze and you'll be just fine.
The color of the MINI AF (blue) is an added dye, as are the different colors of other versions of AF (green, yellow, orange, etc).
Flush and fill every 3 to 5 years to keep the system clean and full up on the good additives that keep the engine cooling system clean and lubricated.