NYDolfan

Looking to see what brand coolant you all use. searched the list and found Autobahn and Zerex Extreme. Went to a Porsche dealer and the Autobahn coolant they recommended contained silicates. Thought it was supposed to be phosphate and silicate free.

Scott G

I just switched to Prestone 5/150 Extended Life. It's a Dex-Cool coolant that is silicate and phosphate free. The color is orange. Got it at Pep Boys for about $8 per gallon. It had the green stuff in it (which did look very fresh) so I flushed it very well due to compatibility concerns.

sparks

I used the BMW type. Blue in color and supposed to be for alumimun engines. Available from BWM dealers at $13.50 a gallon.

Ed Ruiz

Quaker State makes a Phosphate and silicate free coolant. I think I paid $6/gallon the last time I bought it. YMMV.

wuman

i use dex-cool $6/gallon at walmart

Doug Hillary

Hi,

Castrol make a colant concentrate called "NF" and is the only one used by Mercedes Benz in Australia. It is a special brew and hard to obtain. It is probably the best coolant product available for alloy engines. The Castrol Engineers here use it in the cars that they personally collect and enjoy as auto enthusiasts like us - eg. Porsche, Rolls Royce, Jags etc

It is in all my cars that have alloy engines

Regards

Mark

Zerex G-05

Readily available (Autozone, O'Reilly's)...
Silicone free, very low phosphate.

Comes FROM THE FACTORY in MB's!

~$7.00/gal

John Krawczyk

I WAS using Autobahn. My local Porsche dealer no longer carries it. They only have the stuff in the quart bottle for the Boxsters and 996's. I went to the Audi dealer next door (same corporate owners) and had to pay $20 bucks a gallon and no PCA discount like i got before at the same corporation's Porsche dealer. Needless to say, i'm switching to the Havoline Dex-Cool I got at the local walmart for much much less. I now have no reason to ever set foot in a Porsche dealer parts dept.

Earl Gillstrom

Use G-05, Zerex sells it. It is used by MB and Chrysler and Ford.

There are 14 completly different antifreez types now. Most are not compatible with each other. Completely flush the old AF before converting.

NEVER use DEX-COOL. That is one of the biggest mistakes made by GM. DEX-COOL can work OK for 2 years, but if there is any air in the system, it will clog, and the acid will eat your aluminum.

reno928s

I used VW's blue coolant, 19.00 a gallon. Here on the East coast you constantly get beat, but for 19.00 a gallon I had it with my cheerios the next morning. Sal

John Krawczyk

Thanks Earl. I havnt used it yet. I was looking for the Zerex. Couldnt find any and got the Dex instead. I'll go check a different store. I did also buy enough distilled water to flush 2x.

Normy

I've been [and still am] using Prestone Lo-Tox.

This coolant contains propylene glycol [PG] as opposed to ethylene glycol [EG]. PG is so non-toxic that it is commonly used as a food additive.

My reasons revolve around animal toxicity. PG is less effective as a coolant. I live in Florida, so freeze temperature is not important, and the PG is completely effective at preventing boil over. My temperature gauge consistently runs in the middle or slightly below.

-ONE major point I have to bring up: though I don't personally think it caused the problem....recently I had to replace my three year old Devek aluminum radiator due to a leak from one of the coils near the bottom. It is pretty obvious that corrosion caused a pit that turned into a puncture...whether this was caused by poor materials or the coolant's inability to prevent corrosion is anyone's guess. This stuff has been around for about 10 years, and is commonly available at Wal-Mart, Pep Boys, etc, so I think that if it was causing this problem that it would have come up already and a big stink would have been raised.

Normy!
'85 S2 5 Speed

Earl Gillstrom

John,

I have seen Zerez G-05 premix at NAPA. If you have flushed good and drained completely, use the premix, and you don't have to add water.

Pep Boys sells Zerex G-05 concentrate. Add distilled water. The concentrate may be the best way to go, since you know that you acheive 50/50 mix.

Add the proper amount of concentrate first, and then fill with water.

It is very important to have a 50/50 mix for the proper corrosion protection, even if you live in a warm climate and don't need the freeze protection.

NYDolfan

Thanks! Any benefits over using phosphate free vs low phosphate ?

Ed Ruiz

How low is "Low"? I don't know what 'Low Phosphate' really means. However, I do know what 'Phosphate Free' means.

Stick with a 'Phosphate and silicate Free' coolant recommended by the factory, and you can't go wrong. YMMV.