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Which engine coolant to use

Discuss problems you have had or are having with your Z4
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Mark R
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by Mark R » Wed May 23, 2018 10:34 am

Hi Guys,

Could someone point me in the right direction of which coolant/antifreeze I need for my vehicle and also how much will I need for a standard change please. As always the mountain of information is confusing.

Car is a 2007 2.5si SE Roadster.

Many Thanks.

Mark
2007 Montegoblau 2.5 si SE convertible.

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by Scooba_Steve » Wed May 23, 2018 12:17 pm

Don't use anything other than genuine BMW due to the alloy engine. Capacity should be on TIS
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by mjennings23 » Wed May 23, 2018 12:22 pm

BMW Coolant is G48 Glycol based. Any other G48 is fine to use, I personally always used Comma G48 in BMW systems.

Even the EuroCarParts TripleQ Blue is also to the same spec, so that's perfectly fine to use. Don't believe the scaremongering that only BMW coolant is okay, do you think they make their own coolant? Plenty of cars these days have alloy blocks or heads.

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by patriot66 » Wed May 23, 2018 1:25 pm

Comma Xstream G48 in mine since Jan'15. Meets BMW specs, has silicate corrosion inhibitors, -30c to +45c range and up to 3 years service life. :thumbsup:
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by ph001 » Wed May 23, 2018 1:29 pm

Yep, can confirm it is G48 as did a full flush on the M3 at the weekend. I did end up going for the BMW stuff in the end though as it was virtually the same price as the Comma G48 from Halfrauds.
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by patriot66 » Wed May 23, 2018 1:44 pm

5 litres of Comma G48 is £18.89 inc postage on Ebay :thumbsup: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2029308856
Sterling Grey '03 2.5i SE / Infinitas Supercharger / S.M.G / Hardtop / Gloss Black 162s / Bilstein B4s / 3.0i Brakes / DLV De-Cat & Silencer / Rebuilt VANOS / Sonar 2Xcite Lights / Carbon & Alcantara Trim / M-Sport Seats / ...& Side Covers !

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by mjennings23 » Wed May 23, 2018 3:09 pm

patriot66 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 1:44 pm 5 litres of Comma G48 is £18.89 inc postage on Ebay :thumbsup: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2029308856
Bear in mind that's ready mixed, so you'll need 2. Concentrate is around £24ish and only one is needed.

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Mark R
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by Mark R » Wed May 23, 2018 4:20 pm

Brilliant info Gentlemen, thanks to all.

Rgds.
2007 Montegoblau 2.5 si SE convertible.

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by patriot66 » Wed May 23, 2018 9:34 pm

mjennings23 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 3:09 pm
patriot66 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 1:44 pm 5 litres of Comma G48 is £18.89 inc postage on Ebay :thumbsup: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2029308856
Bear in mind that's ready mixed, so you'll need 2. Concentrate is around £24ish and only one is needed.
Plus de-ionised water and then you've got to mix it correctly etc. CBA ! For a few extra quid just buy ready mixed. Easy ! :thumbsup:
Sterling Grey '03 2.5i SE / Infinitas Supercharger / S.M.G / Hardtop / Gloss Black 162s / Bilstein B4s / 3.0i Brakes / DLV De-Cat & Silencer / Rebuilt VANOS / Sonar 2Xcite Lights / Carbon & Alcantara Trim / M-Sport Seats / ...& Side Covers !

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by mjennings23 » Wed May 23, 2018 9:41 pm

patriot66 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 9:34 pm
mjennings23 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 3:09 pm
patriot66 wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 1:44 pm 5 litres of Comma G48 is £18.89 inc postage on Ebay :thumbsup: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2029308856
Bear in mind that's ready mixed, so you'll need 2. Concentrate is around £24ish and only one is needed.
Plus de-ionised water and then you've got to mix it correctly etc. CBA ! For a few extra quid just buy ready mixed. Easy ! :thumbsup:
Am I going to cause controversy here and say tap water is fine? Because tap water really is fine for the vast majority of the country, only in areas with particularly hard chalky water is it not advised.

Plus water is an easier way to check for leaks if changing any parts, its a lot cheaper than coolant! All I did with mine was fill up with water, remove bleed screw and pour in 4l of coolant (8l capacity). That way you both bleed the system with the water pressure on the reservoir, and get the right balance.

Plus, in the UK, a higher water:coolant ratio is no bad thing. Believe Comma is -18 celsius if mixed 67:33 and -38 if 50:50. Bear in mind coolant is purely there as an anti-freeze and anti-corrosion material, water is a much more effective thermal conductor.

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by mr nurburgring » Sat May 26, 2018 10:38 pm

I used G11 BMW GS9400 N600 69 0 premixed from mpm lubricants.

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by w1ndsurfnut » Sun May 27, 2018 11:37 am

Thanks for posting this OP as I am just about to replace my radiator and was going to ask the same question. Its always a bit of a faff dealing with French BMW garage so would rather order my own coolant.. :thumbsup:

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Which engine coolant to use

Post by foddysavva » Fri Oct 14, 2022 8:35 pm

Very similar question as above. Recently purchased a 53 plate 3.0 z4 and read confusing stuff about what coolant to use! It's going in for a service around December and want to make sure in the meantime I'll be topping the right stuff up if I need to. I'm sure I read somewhere (or imagined it?) that there are different colour coolants?

Thanks in advance
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by Mr Tidy » Fri Oct 14, 2022 8:49 pm

There are different colours - BMW coolant is blue.
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Which engine coolant to use

Post by foddysavva » Fri Oct 14, 2022 9:00 pm

Mr Tidy wrote: Fri Oct 14, 2022 8:49 pm There are different colours - BMW coolant is blue.
Aha, thank you very much
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