THIS looks pretty damned (OEM?) good to me...

Shell Glycoshell

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=c...aV8hepWfRe_Kwg

1. Notice that this product; "Meets the approval of: BMW spec N600 69.0" (which is the same spec for MINI Cooper) - as well as "GM B 040 0 240 and QL 130 100" ... whatever the hell specs they are?)

2. Notice THE VERY FIRST manufacturer listed on the 'non-alphabetized' list ...

3. And notice under the; "Characteristics" chart (page 2 of 2) - "Colour, visual" - "Blue".

Hmmmm......................................?

 

^^^^^cool, been looking for blue antifreeze for the airplane toilet.

 

Well here's a useful contribution to the topic.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Well, blue looks best and it is hard to find.

Wonder what dufus decided to tint the Long-Life stuff Rusty Color

 

And they allow you to "fly"?

 

I read all of the posts regarding antifreeze and then spent about 1/2 day driving to various auto parts places to find a recommended alternative (no Luck)- I did some research and found that the BMW motorcycle antifreeze is the same stuff. .I stopped by a BMW motorcycle shop (it was close to home) and got a gallon They even gave me 3 dollars off. Yea, it's still expensive but I have a little peace of mind.

 

Good idea.

 

Have to do a thermostat replacement so will flush and refill,i have a gallon of Zerex G-05 and it actually says recomended for mini on the label.My question here really is Redline water wetter worth it to add,what does it do??or is it just a gimmick.Thanks in advance

 

I use Water Wetter in all of my vehicles. As I understand things, it is supposed to allow the coolant mixture to shed heat more efficiently. I am not a chemist, so I can't explain how that works. But Red Line is a very well respected company and I tend to believe what they publish.

For example, in my '97 Z3 2.8, I removed the engine driven fan and went with a high volume water pump, lower temp thermostat and lower temp switch for the auxiliary electric fan. My coolant mixture is 2 gallons of BMW antifreeze, 2 gallons of distilled water and 2 bottles of Water Wetter.

We got stuck in bumper to bumper, crawling traffic leaving the Myrtle Beach area last July 4th weekend. The water temp needle never moved past the middle point, even with the air conditioning on.

Your experiences may vary...

 

The BMW/MINI blue stuff is identical to the old blue used by VW/Audi (known as G11). You can probably get it by the gallon at a reasonable price at a VW dealer, but make absolutely sure it's the blue G11. Due to problems in the VR6 engine, in 1997 VW switched formulation to a non-silicate pink G12 (which was then superseded to the current purple G12+). The pink and purple are NOT compatible with ol' blue.

The blue stuff is a common European formulation so it can also be found at Mercedes and Volvo dealers. It was also used by Saab up to 2001. I'm an old-school Audi guy, so I've always got bottles of the blue laying around. It's nice that my BMW bike and the wife's MINI use the exact same stuff.

 

Very informative (i.e.; "USEFUL"! - Danke Schoen!

 

From what I understand, based on researching this topic a few years ago, the most important thing to remember is NOT to EVER mix the different types of antifreeze together. It's okay to switch from the green stuff to the red stuff, but you MUST make sure all the green stuff is flushed out first. The risk being that the mixture might turn into a gelatonous mess! As far as any certain type of coolant "attacking" plastic parts, this would be news to me.

From what I understand about "Water Wetter", what it does is reduce the surface tension of the liquid (the phenomenon that allows those water bugs to walk on water), making it more effective at cooling...somehow--that's where my memory about it runs out...

The RX-7 guys swore that Watter Wetter alone would reduce their coolant temps by a few degrees...

 

Sure...wetter wetter is good stuff....it works best in pure water....it helps in anti-freeze too....the major problem is it is a tough thing to flush a MINI and the block of 100% of the previous fluid....the cost savings by doing a flush, and moving to a different fluid just are not there for most folks....especially when you consider the chances of things like "are the seals on the water pump compatible with the new fluid".
We know by definition, that the OEM fluid is compatible, but is the aftermarket? Pick wrong (many have on Honda or Toyoda motor picked wrong, and bought a new water-pump/timing belt before their time due to a chemical called phosphate.) Some aftermarket anti-freeze has it, some don't.
The presence of the wrong chemicals can cause wear on the pump shaft seal....and the weep hole will show a leak...the first impending sigh of a disaster.
So I ask you...are you feeling lucky today?!

 

How do you drain the engine block?

 

Remove the lower hose and the heater hoses.

 

A fair amount of coolant will still remain in the block.....it is fine for a drain/refill, but if you are switching fluid types, you should pour distilled water through the system till the drain fluid runs clear.

 

I use pure water and redlines water wetter only. With zero problems even with race/track days. But then again im in phoenix.

 

So far all I'm seeing in parts stores is Peak and Prestone. My coolant tank is on the low-line, and I happen to have a sealed new bottle of Prestone Extended-Life/Dex-Cool sitting in my basement...but after reading this thread, I'm real hesitant to use it...

 

It is NOT compatible!!! Tap water would be safer!!

 

Pure water has some SERIOUS flaws. I urge you, do NOT run pure water for any length of time or you WILL cause major damage to your engine! Read on...

The water + anti-freeze mixture in your engine has at least 4 jobs:
1. Remove heat from the engine and transfer it to the radiator, i.e. cooling.
2. Lower the freezing temp of the engine coolant.
3. Raise the boiling temp of the engine coolant.
4. Inhibit corrosion in the cooling system.

#1- COOLING:
Pure water actually has a about 15% higher specific heat, i.e. it is slightly better than 50/50 water & Ethylene Glycol mix at removing heat from the engine. This is the ONLY job where pure water is better than the mix, and it is rarely a problem. The cooling capacity of the engine should be designed so it is up to the task of removing sufficient engine heat at any reasonable load with a coolant mix.

#2 - FREEZING PREVENTION:
Freezing point of pure water = 32F (0C); 50/50 water & Ethylene Glycol mix = -36F (-37C). I assume freezing is not a problem in Phoenix, so you can ignore #2. However, one night at a ski resort could still mean a cracked block.

#3 - BOILING PREVENTION:
Water boils at 212F (100C), but a 50/50 mix boils at 225F (107C). Cooling systems are pressurized to raise the boiling point higher, but the mix is still superior.

#4 - CORROSION PREVENTION:
This is the kicker, and it is a biggie. I had a car with a cast iron block and aluminum head that I ran pure water for a less than 2 years. During the rebuild, the block was filled with rust, and so much aluminum was gone from the head water jacket that it was almost destroyed. Another 6 months and the coolant would have burst into the intake, or worse -- into the oiling system. The head required major heli-arc repair work. Engines run with proper anti-freeze run very clean for decades, with negligible loss of aluminum.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/et...col-d_146.html

Bottom line: a 50/50 mix beats pure water 3 to 1. And the trump card is a destroyed engine after a few years of pure water.

According to the Red Line web site, their Water Wetter is also a corrosion inhibitor.

 

From searching around various discussion groups and manufacturers' websites (no guarantee of accuracy, so do your own research), I concur that it's the G11 that BMW/MINI uses as its OE re-branded coolant. Appears that OE stuff is made by a German company, Pentosin (hence, use by BMW, VW, Mercedes). The Pentosin G11 coolant is available in a concentrated version (intended for import shops and much less expensive than BMW premix, gallon jug?) called "Pentosin Pentofrost NF" (formerly, "Longtime Antifreeze G11"). Try this link for starters:

http://pentosin.net/pressreleases/CRP-116_Pentofrost_NF_2.pdf

 

I'd only use the OEM stuff, and ,make sure it's for your year– my old Jetta was a 98, and had different antifreeze than the 1999's. Using the GM stuff with the antifreeze in the 98 would cause the mixture to gel, and then your whole system is borked.

 

This thread is fun to read... all the back and forth about not straying from BMW antifreeze, and about the infamous Dex-Cool. I'll add to the mix my 2 oz of gold and I'm unanimous that I'm correct about this.

Dex-Cool is NOT made by GM; it's made by Texaco. The only thing GM was good at the last decade was the Pontiac Aztek and mortgage financing (GMAC), which made them more profit than building cars. The problems GM had with Dex-Cool was due to incompatible gasket composition (GM parts) that didn't tango well with Dex-Cool.

For the German cars, the chemical giant BASF made a series of antifreeze called Glysantin. Thus you always see the G-xx for MB, BMW, AUDI/VW... G-05, G-11, G-12, G-30, etc. Zerex, previously owned by BASF, was sold to Valvoline which continued to supply variants of their G-xx series in the US. As far as I know, Zerex (owned by Valvoline) is the only licensed OEM supplier and distributor for BASF in the US.

Currently in the US market, BMW/Mini coolant is compatible with Zerex G-05.

 

PS: if you're not keen about adding different coolant to the BMW sauce. I'd just add distilled water for temporary use.

PPS: if you want to try Zerex G-05 but don't like to mix coolants, just flush the cooling system clean and refill with Zerex.

 

If the coolant is orange, drain it yesterday. It is the biggest scourge on the planet, it eats aluminum engine parts and will destroy your engine. GM has been using this crap under the trade name DexCool for years and their problems are endemic but they are too bull-headed to admit they screwed up.
Type in "DexCool" in Dogpile Search and see how many thousands of negative posts come up. Drain out the garbage, put in the green and change it every 2 yrs, your MINI will thank you profusely. My Cobalt , purchased brand new, had it too and I flushed it all the first chance I had. Its not a myth, BTW, its Satan spawned. Ask any other mechanic, I'm also ASE certified.