Talking to the local Porsche dealer today about engine coolant renewal.
He informed me that Porsche has no schedule for coolant draining and renewal but Porsche changed to a pink coolant in 2005.
Porsche did not tell dealers the reason for the change.
The pink cannot be mixed with the older coolant so topping up is not possible, dealers can only change to the new coolant - at about $100/gallon, and he said the car needs about 2 gallons!
Any info appreciated - a search produced little.

 

Unfortunately you have been grossly misinformed. The new pink Porsche coolant is absolutely compatible with the old green coolant. No worries there with topping up. In addition, the pink OEM Porsche coolant runs about $25-30 / gallon at the dealer so they are selling you some KY lube along with the coolant for $100 / gallon. Hope that helps.....

 

powdrhound

that's dishearteningly good news --- thanks.

 

NAPA has it for about $14/gallon. It's silicate and phosphate free, 150K mile extended life, new Euro car OE spec.

 

All coolants are not all the same. Porsche coolant (Pink) is made by Zerex. It has a special conditioner formula for Porsche. Call Sonnen, Suncoast or Sunset. They will ship it UPS ground. If you have the green stuff it's time to flush the system.

 

I'm not sure this is an area I would try to save a few buck by going with a NAPA product over Porsche OEM especially when you only do this once every few years, but to each his own....

 

the OEM vw/audi coolant ( pink..it must be OAT ) is the same as the porsche stuff, only far less expensive. it also is compatible with the OEM factory fill.

 

How much do you need to "top up"? Just use some distilled water, if not very much is needed. It's about $1.29/gallon. Use the rest on your battery, and then if you still have some left, mix one part denatured alcohol with 2 parts distilled water for the best window cleaner money can buy.

 

The Audi VW coolant is NOT the same thing as the Porsche branded Zerex!!!

Go to the Porsche dealer and spend the $30.. For a complete flush you will need 3 gallons..

In a small coolant system the coolant might be good for 5 years.. Due to the fact that there are meters and meters of piping in our cars, the cooland does break down. Shoot look at the coolant fittings. The glue is breaking down. I recommend changing the coolant every 3 to 4 years. Coolant is not a lifetime product. I am seeing cars filled with the original GREEN coolant.

The heavy duty diesel industry has had issues with liner orings and electrolysis. They have test strips to check the coolant strength.

 

^What he said, and change out the water pump while you're in there.

 

two dealers have told me it's the same. it looks the same. smells the same. reads the same on the labels. i used it when my shop flushed the system. that's as close to it, as i'm going to get.

 

Wondering why this would not work, other than the fact that Porsche didn't collect their "tax" on it?

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/zerex_dex_cool.pdf

Working in the motor vehicle field for over 40 years, it's hard for me to believe a manufacturer would "invent" or blend a chemical based product solely for their own use. It's much simpler to manufacture a motor using existing coolants and lubricants. It's easy for me to see Porsche trying to keep what they use a secret and get a piece of the pie on all coolant sold for use in their cars.

 

Nick you can believe what you want too. Have you run DexCool in a vehicle?? I have and have run it for 8 years. I also have seen what it does when someone adds the typical green coolant to top off the system. You have a mess on your hands.

The Porsche coolant is not ORANGE like DexCool. Two different coolants, made by the same manufacture.

So going to the dealer and spending an extra $10 is too had, to have the recommended coolant.

 

I'd never mix conventional green coolant with any of the various "new" certain chemical free, plastic friendly, anti-foaming, long life, lifetime ones. My question is what is the "secret" ingredient that is missing in the above referenced DexCool that will make it not usable in a Porsche?

I'm obstinate and a rule bender by nature and defy authority, always have been. It's not about spending the money, it's about being forced to comply. Why aren't you in church?

JK, but do you know what Porsche's require that is missing from the DexCool?

 

What is the indication that the coolant has broken down?