Hi all, so I'm changing the thermostat housing on my car(2007 MCS) due to it leaking (common) did it on my previous R56 too!


In my last car it was red coolant that came out and I flushed as best as I could and refilled with the BLUE BMW stuff but my car just never seemed to run as nice and as cool as it did before.

This time I want to avoid making the same mistake (unless last time it was me).

So I got the thermostat housing from BMW today and I asked them what coolant I needed (also different dealer) and they come back to the counter with a bottle which contained blue anti-freeze. So i just took the thermostat housing.


I'm looking at Halfords - they have a ready mixed COMMA G48 XSTREAM solution which I believe is also blue (this is the one the reg finder returned).


So what do I do guys or what is the difference? I've googled the difference and to my understanding it's to do with the life expectancy of the coolant as both of them contain the same ingredients....


:-) thank you

 

Blue g48 is OEM...
I bought mine at a a BMW dealer here in the us...here it is the same stuff...MINI just puts a different label on it. Not sure what your prior car had...think BMW has been using blue for a few years.

 

Just find it strange that both of my cars have had red - the red has seem to stuck to everything - the inside of the thermostat housing is stained red and so has my washer bottle... Not sure if that matters?

 

Its blue : Might have water wetter additive in a higher amount ?

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/82140031133/

 

Ok so i'll get the blue in the morning - will it be ok going against the red? I'll try to flush it out as best as possible

 

If you don't know what the red is, nobody can be sure....might be the right stuff, might be 100% compatible, might not be. Most non orange coolants are some version of a HOAT, and the orange is usually DEXCOOL, A OAT....conventional coolants are mostly gone these days...having given way to "long life" formulas that are all HOAT...hybrid organic acid technology...but as you can tell from the g48 there are MANY specific combo's...
Red is commonly used in some diesel motors, as is purple.... But coolant collars are pretty arbitrary.... Many more coolant formulations than colors.
And your WINDSHIELD WASHER BOTTLE IS RED TOO?!
Have seen some washer fluid mixes, like rain-x stain the washer bottles, usually orange...

 

Sorry didn't mean washer bottle (was late night and a long shift) I meant the expansion tank its stained red/orange.

Thanks for all your helps guys I'm going to get the G-48 later on and flush it as best as i can trying to remove any red residue left over.

Anyone happen to know a neat way of emptying the rad and the heater core quickly? I can't really do a lot as all the pipes are disconnected from removing the thermostat housing and want to avoid flushing old coolant through the new housing...

 

Possible maybe they ran only distilled water and water wetter which is redish ? But thats what most track cars run.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/Water_Wetter/ES261427/