Sorry to start another thread but I need to know that I am doing things right as I am still under the warranty. I bought the BMW coolant this morning. It was about $23 with Tax and it was in a grey container. The guy said you DON'T dilute, just pour in which the guy did for me. He poured in just a bit to get me started.

I am reading that some of you guys dilute the BMW coolant. Which is correct? Dilute or not dilute?

 

I bought a gallon of coolant at my MINI dealer, the parts guy told me to dilute it 50/50 with water.

Dave

 

Is yours a grey bottle with blue color fluid?

 

When in doubt, follow the instructions on the container. Most standard antifreeze is to be mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Some antifreeze is to be poured in straight from the container, as it's already pre-mixed with distilled water. Those containers should have something like "50/50" mix on the container.

 

I also dilute the BMW coolant with distilled water. I have a properly labelled gallon container which I dilute to a 50/50 mixture that I fill the coolant tank with.

 

No, it was a black bottle with blue antifreeze and the MINI brand on the label. The directions on The label says to mix it 50/50 with water.

Dave

 

I read the back and it did say for long term effect , 50/50 mix. The guy at Mini already poured a tiny bit in this morning without diluting. For me to add enough to the Max line, should i pour a tiny bit in a bottle and then add 1/2 distilled water then pour into coolant tank?

 

First add a tiny bit of distilled water to match the tiny bit of undiluted antifreeze the guy already poured in. Then mix whatever more is needed to top up to the MAX line with your own 50/50 mix. That should get the total amount of coolant back to about 50/50 (assuming a 50/50 mix was what you started out with after your service last summer, of course). Actually, the mixture doesn't have to be exactly 50/50 anyway.

 

sorry to bother you one more time. after i pour it in the coolant tank , should i follow instruction and leave the CAP OFF, start engine, turn heater to high and turn off the fan and leave car engine running for one minute, then twist cap back on tight?

gonna do it tomorrow morning.

 

I don't think you have to do anything. If the overflow tank wasn't empty, there is no need to vent air from the system.

Dave

 

Really, really easy.

Take (1) clean empty gallon milk jug, and 1 gallon of distilled water, Pour 1/2 of the water into the milk jug. (you can measure if you are really, really ****)

Pour equal amounts of antifreeze into both jugs. You now have 2 gallons of ready to use antifreeze.

CLEARLY MARK BOTH JUGS. STORE AWAY FROM PETS AND CHILDREN.

(hope that satisfies the flesh eating lawyers...)

 

Thanks. When I checked the level this morning, it was about 3/4 full already so I added distilled water ( no coolant added)then i mixed the coolant in the plastic tank with a plastic knife. It seems like the ratio is about 70 % coolant, 30% water.

 

I would not worry too much about your current 70:30 mixture percent in the overflow bottle too as it will eventually mix the rest of your coolant in your cooling system.

 

Does the mini cooper is a special coolant?? (like VW)

cause I refilled this sunday with Preston anticoolant, I buyed the Mini (used 05 S) on friday

is that ok? or do I have to use special coolant???

 

Different coolants are recommended for different cars. If you want to be absolutely certain of using one recommended for your car, follow the manufacturer's recommendations. That may mean buying coolant that has your car make's name on it (BMW, MINI, Porsche, Honda, etc.) just to be absolutely sure. There are general brand coolants with the same chemistries, however.

The car manufacturers don't make the coolants for their cars; somebody else does (meeting car manufacturers' specs), and applies the car make sticker on the coolant container. Specific car make sticker coolants seem to cost about twice as much as brand name coolants made with the same chemistry by the same companies.

We have two types of brand name coolants that satisfy the coolant needs of our four cars. The Prestone DEX-COOL satisfies the requirements for our Porsche and Honda, while the Zerex G-05 satisfies the requirements for our BMW and MINI. These aren't the only brand name coolants that satisfy our cars' needs, but they are what I bought rather than cluttering the garage with four different specific car make coolants.

According to what's printed on the back of the Zerex G-05 container:

Zerex G-05 is "right" for Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, and Mini Cooper. G-05 is also right for newer Fords and newer DaimlerChryslers.

DEX-COOL is "right" for Asian makes (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, et al) beginning with the 1996 model year (G-05 before that). The same goes for Audi, Jag, Porsche, VW, Land Rover, and GM (again, all starting MY 1996; G-05 before that).

My understanding is that using the "wrong" coolant for your car will not result in immediate damage, but it may do damage over the long haul.

Warning: I'm not a coolant expert, so opposing opinions are invited.