M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: RED IS 91 on May 20, 2006, 07:11:13 AM

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: RED IS 91 on May 20, 2006, 07:11:13 AM

Is there an alternative to using genuine BMW antifreeze ?
It's so expensive :eek:
Is anyone using something different ??

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: m42 fan on May 20, 2006, 08:25:25 AM

It's not worth it to gamble on something else imo.  Search here, as well as the other forums, you'll see plenty of threads on what can happen to your water pump if you use the wrong stuff for too long.

The PO of my car used regular antifreeze.  As a result, I had to replace prety much the entire cooling system:  T-stat, Radiator, Water Pump.  (also the fan clutch, but we can all agree that was unrelated.)

So, I guess you can take your pick:  $20-$30 now for the blue stuff, or $200-$300 later for a new cooling system.

Brian

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: M42boy on May 20, 2006, 09:18:40 AM

You simply need to get something that is "phosphate free".  I run the cheap stuff for two reasons.  

1.  It's just as good.
2.  If I have a leak or need to drain or refill the coolant, I don't have to worry about being near a dealer or carrying jugs of the expensive stuff.

I use Sierra, which you can find a NAPA and most retailers.  It's also more environmentally friendly and supposedly won't kill pets if they drink it, so I prefer it.  I've used it with no problems in every car I've owned.  I believe Zerex is another popular phospate free brand.  

My suggestion is just to stay away from long or extended-life coolants.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: e9nine on May 20, 2006, 09:31:00 AM

Also comes down to how often you will flush your system etc. I use the cheapie stuff that's free of the chemicals and RUN away from the extended life variants.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: silverblades181 on May 20, 2006, 09:03:33 PM

My friend worked at a BMW Dealer, the BMW stuff is regular coolant with a BMW tag on the bottle. It also evaporates easily. Get phosphate free coolant.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: RED IS 91 on May 21, 2006, 06:08:09 PM

Thanks everyone for the info :)
I'll look for some phosphate free antifreeze .

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: dude8383 on May 21, 2006, 06:50:34 PM

let us know what yo u get, because i have no idea which brands run phosphate free.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: RED IS 91 on May 24, 2006, 04:58:54 PM

I went with Zerex from VIP AUTOCENTER for around $12 a gallon.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: 318isle on May 27, 2006, 11:09:21 PM

According to Mike Miller, it's best to use BMW coolant (Phosphate free) and flush your system at least once every 2 years, and be sure to use 50/50 distilled water. I had my water pump fused to the front cover and it cost me $300 to have it removed.

Title: Antifreeze
Post by: Berlin on May 29, 2006, 12:14:24 AM

I recently changed to the bmw blue stuff, from green stuff. a funny thing happend, the inlet to the heater core stopped leaking... where it was incessant with the green stuff... what could that be attributed to? the weather?