chargedC32

I had a little coolant leak on the lower radiator hose, so the mechanic changed it for me (part # 203-501-36-82, $65)... at that point, all the coolant drained so he refilled it using part # 000 043 301 05, $26.95...

the coolant he used was green, I didn't think much of it until I realized my temps are about 10-20 degrees higher than they used to be. I looked up the part # 000 043 301 05, and it is "genuine Porsche" coolant...

1- are there any additives in OEM MBZ coolant?
2- what harm can the wrong coolant do? Ive driven maybe 400 miles on it so far...
3- how do I go about having the mechanic refill it with OEM fluid, at no cost to me?

thanks

LILBENZ230

You need to use OEM coolant.

Answer to number 3 is to take it back to him, show him it is Porsche coolant, and demand him change it for you with OEM coolant. His mistake.

phister

yes MB coolant has additives in their coolants... The green coolant can be used short term but you want to have it flushed and put the MB coolant back in... If you want to save money alot of guys use Valvoline Zerex G-05 coolant which is MB approved. Also Valvoline is the manf. of the OEM coolant. Hope that helps

phister

I'll but purchasing some Zerex G-05 once the winter is over and flush out my radiator for the summer. Heres some info on the Zerex, it even states its MB approved.

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/zerexg05.pdf

M.L.X.

Zerex is what you need, approved by MB.

http://www.valvoline.com/products/br.../antifreeze/42

take it back to the mechanic and have him reflush and use proper coolant.

edit: phister beat me to the punch. lol

chargedC32

thanks for the feedback..

since Im not planning on paying for any of this (since it was his mistake), what coolant should i ask for, OEM Mercedes or the Valvoline Zerex?

by the way, what additives does the OEM coolant have that makes it a requirement?

chargedC32

side note- other than the higher temps (closer to 95* rather than the 85ish that it used to be), im starting to hear a ticking sound while the car is running...could the incorrect coolant have caused damage to anything???

phister

Heres what the Zerex G-05 states.

Valvoline’s Zerex G 05 antifreeze coolant is a long life,
fully formulated ethylene glycol-based fluid suitable for
passenger cars, light trucks and heavy duty vehicles. The
formulation is designed for both gasoline and diesel
engines. Its lower-silicate, reduced pH, phosphate free
European technology protects all cooling system metals,
including aluminum, from corrosion. Zerex G 05 is a
nitrite containing coolant designed to protect diesel engine
cylinder liners from cavitation. It contains deposit
control additives for protection from hard water deposits
and scale. The ASTM and other test data shown on this
sheet reflect the high performance corrosion inhibitor
package.

When diluted 50% with water, Zerex G 05 protects
modern engine components from winter freezing and
summer boil over. The chart at the top right provides
mixing information. A 50% to 70% concentration range
is suggested for optimum corrosion protection. Zerex
G 05 is compatible with better brands of coolant
commonly available. It contains a high quality defoamer
system and will not harm hoses, plastics or original
vehicle finishes.

Zerex G 05 is approved by DaimlerChrysler for worldwide
applications. It is also suitable for use in Cummins
Deere, Detroit Diesel, Mercedes, MTU, CAT, Navistar,
Isuzu and Yanmar diesel engines. Zerex G 05 is
approved by Ford North America for all newer models.
Zerex G 05 antifreeze coolant meets or exceeds the
performance requirements of the following antifreeze
specifications and/or recommended practices:

DaimlerChrysler MS 9769 Approved
Ford WSS-M97B51-A1 Approved
MTU/DDC Approved
Detroit Diesel 7SE298
Deere & Company Approved
Mercedes Benz Approved
Cummins 14603 Approved
ASTM D6210
Perkins Diesel
SAE J1034 / SAEJ814
GM 1825M / GM 1899M
TMC of the ATA RP 329
GE Wind Turbines

Xhale707

Do not drive the car.. Ur only going to cause damage.. You need to get this fixed drain everything out of your system.. Stick the hose inside the box and FLUSH ur car completely!!. Use Zerex G-05 and distilled water only!!!

Coolant for our cars looks like PEE urine yellow etccc

G-05 is only 20 bucks tops at any autoparts store.. Napa is the only place around me that sells it!

You can do the job urself it will take less then 15 mins.

Make sure your car is cold.

After that i would not trust that mechanic with my car at all. If he doesn't know what coolant to use im sure he doesn't even know what oil to use.

chargedC32

what kind of damage can it cause?

LILBENZ230

Zerex G-05 is not available in my area at all, even at Napa. I used OEM coolant approval 325.1.

chargedC32

ttt... wondering what kind of damage it can potentially do?? didnt have time to call the shop today.. only differences ive noticed is an increase of approx 10 degress in temperature via the onboard engine temp gauge, and a ticking sound when idling (although that might have been there before, but i didnt noticed...)

Xhale707

And that is okay with you?? It could be a number of things from over heating from improper cooling to corrosion taken place inside ur radiator. You need to get that cheap *** green shiett out of ur car asap. Unless down the road you want very very expensive repair. Take our two cents. Don't go back to that shop. Fix this yourself and then pat yourself on the back

chargedC32

is there a DIY i can follow?
would be nice if the shop at least knows and reimburses me...

mtnman82

My 2003 still has the original coolant in it (planning on replacing this spring) and it's blue. Just a data point. If it suddenly started running hotter after the flush and nothing else had been done to it, I would guess he didn't bleed the system and it has some air in it. I seriously doubt you will ruin anything short term with the Porsche coolant in there (I doubt genuine Porsche coolant is 'cheap *** stuff' and is most certainly phosphate free and anti-corrosive - Porsche uses aluminum blocks too). Have you checked to see if the Porsche coolant is MB approved? The first step I would take would be to bleed the cooling system properly and see if that helps with the temperature. If it does you're relatively worry free - just need to do the flush/refill with the 'proper' coolant. It might also be the thermostat going bad and just a coincidence it started showing now. Replacing the thermostat would be the next thing I'd do if the flush didn't work. I whole heartedly agree with the others on the DIY route - just make sure you know how to bleed the system. Have fun!

Xhale707

There is no such thing as green fluid for our cars.. Maybe the older ones but for our model it should be yellow

Glyn M Ruck

+1 Greg - Your car is no doubt a German import. The coolant colour is blue. MBSA use the Blue coolant ex Germany as well - the coolant in my car was blue new & has been replaced with blue. I might tell you that the Blue dye used to be part of the MB spec. I've always found it strange that the MB coolant in the US is straw coloured. But then the ATF in the US is dyed red. In ROW it's greeny/straw. Red used to be the GM Dexron colour by spec.

The Porsche coolant will do no harm - I would run it for 2 years & change again. It's certainly nothing to panic about. Benz biggest concern is Phosphates. I would not leave the wrong coolant in the system for 10 years.

pcy

MB coolant sold in asian countries is GREEN. I bought 6 liters of MB coolant few years ago when I was stationed in one of those countries.

M.L.X.

here are couple DIY links...

coolant flush:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...rain-fill.html


thermostat replacement/coolant flush:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w203...placement.html

my car also has blue coolant. car was made in Germany.
I also don't think the Porsche coolant will hurt, as long as they did a full flush prior, but if you don't feel confident just do a full flush yourself to ease your mind.

Xhale707

Thats crazy that they use different color dye i wonder why.. Us spec is yellow hue

chargedC32

talked to the mechanic today...
he assured me that the car isnt running 10* warmer due to the coolant...
he also assured me that the coolant he used is blue..

im not blind, i see green... but he says if it makes me feel any better, he can order a gallon of MBZ coolant and bring it in for a drain/refill