jctevere

Hey Glyn, I was hoping you could help me out again. This time my 2009 w204 (SA built just like the 2011) is throwing messages upon cold starts (more specifically around 46 degrees Fahrenheit) saying to check the coolant level. The first time I bent over to check the manual as it suggested and it was gone. The second time it popped up I reached down to pop the hood and check, but it was gone again. Neither time was the message stored in my message memory bank.

I have tried to locate how to check the coolant fluid level, I think its the oval shaped thing to the left of the engine, but I don't see any marks on it of how high the fluid should be...

Anyway, the message goes away after the car has been on for 10 or so seconds. Is it supposed to do that, or could a be a sensor is going faulty, or that the coolant expands or starts to run through the system at that time?

Why would my 2009 need coolant already after only 20,000 miles (could this be a sign of more problems to come).

I scheduled and appointment for Friday at my dealer, but I can no longer keep it. I was hoping I could resolve this myself. Which coolant would my car need if I did have to add it (325.3) spec?

Glyn M Ruck

Your slight coolant loss is typical - don't worry - just top up to the black top cover line on the surge tank. These cars come filled with Extended Life coolant plus a silica gel sachet/mesh bag in the surge tank with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years as long as the silicates remain topped up. 325.3 products are fine & what MBUSA recommend - All are not equal however. Many people use Zerex which is a good product but products like the Carboxylate technology Havoline Extended Life Antifreeze Coolant or BASF Glysantin are better

Good luck!

Alpine Langzeitkühlerfrostschutz Mitan Mineralöl GmbH, Ankum/Deutschland
Aral Antifreeze Silikatfrei Aral Aktiengesellschaft, Hamburg/Deutschland
BP ProCool BP p.l.c., LONDON/UNITED KINGDOM
Caltex Extended Life Coolant Chevron Global Lubricants, GENT/ZWIJNAARDE/BELGIUM
Castrol Antifreeze SF Castrol Limited, SWINDON/UNITED KINGDOM
EUROLUB Kühlerschutz SF D12 Hunold Schmierstoffe GmbH, Eching/Deutschland
EVOX Premium G 30 Antifreeze concentrate MOL-LUB Ltd., ALMÀSFÜZITÖ/HUNGARY
Final Charge Global Coolant Old World Industries, Inc., Northbrook, IL 60062/USA
Fuchs MAINTAIN FRICOFIN G 12 PLUS Fuchs Petrolub AG, Mannheim/Deutschland
Glacelf Auto Supra Total Lubrifiants, PARIS la Defense Cedex/FRANCE
GlycoShell Longlife Shell International Petroleum Company, LONDON/UNITED KINGDOM
Glysantin Alu Protect BASF SE, Ludwigshafen/Deutschland
Glysantin G 30 BASF SE, Ludwigshafen/Deutschland
Gulf Maximum Total Lubrifiants, PARIS la Defense Cedex/FRANCE
Havoline Extended Life Antifreeze Coolant Chevron Global Lubricants, GENT/ZWIJNAARDE/BELGIUM
Havoline XLC+B (OF02), 33068 Arteco n.v., Gent/BELGIUM
K-140 Energy - Plus Krafft S.L., ANDOAIN (Guipuzcoa)/SPAIN
KÜHLERSCHUTZ ad silikatfrei CARAT Systementwicklungs- u. Marketing GmbH & Co. KG, Mannheim/Deutschland
LLC C521 CCI Manufacturing IL Corporation, Lemont, IL 60439/USA
LLC L415 CCI Corporation UK Ltd., London W5 1YY/UNITED KINGDOM
Mobil Delvac ELC Coolant Exxon Mobil Corporation, FAIRFAX, Virginia/USA
Motul Inugel Optimal Ultra Motul , AUBERVILLIERS CEDEX/FRANCE
Neste Superjäähdytinneste XLC Neste Oil Corporation, NESTE OIL/FINLAND
Petrol Antifriz Koncentrat Petrol d.d., Ljubljana/SLOVENIA
Power Cool Plus Coolant Detroit Diesel Corporation, West/Detroit, Michigan 48239-4001/USA
PROCAR Kühlerschutz Silikatfrei Hunold Schmierstoffe GmbH, Eching/Deutschland
Ursa ELC NF Concentrate Chevron Global Lubricants, GENT/ZWIJNAARDE/BELGIUM
Yacco LR Organique Yacco SAS, ST PIERRE LES ELBEUF/FRANCE
York 718 Ginouves Georges SAS, TOULON /FRANCE
Zerex G 30 The Valvoline Company, LEXINGTON, KY/USA

jctevere

Thanks for the quick response, as usual. I asked my dad if he had any and he has 2 huge jugs of official OEM Mercedes coolant but its 325.0 (I guess thats what he has in his 2003 sl500 r230).

Would it be bad to top off my coolant with that?

Glyn M Ruck

It would be fine. It's only a minor top up.

RLE

Just last week I had a conversation with the Service Manager at my dealer about this and I was asking what has changed to stretch the service life of the factory installed coolant from three to fifteen years. He said that this first occurred when the M272 engine was introduced in the W203 and what they do when replacing coolant is use the house brand antifreeze mixed fifty-fifty with water. That's it. And if a little bit has to be added to turn off the warning light, water is fine since everyone has access to it. I asked how the checked to see if the coolant is still OK and he said they just use a standard coolant tester, not some special tool imported from Germany.

My C300's coolant is the normal very light yellow (Bremen production) and I have added perhaps a cup of tap water since October 2007. This is such a tiny percentage of the total capacity that it doesn't matter. I have tried to see the rumored tea bag of additives in the overflow tank but nothing is visible. There is a small walled off area in the lower front but it does not appear to contain anything.

Where I live, our city water is mostly snowmelt and is very pure with very little bad stuff in it so it's OK for batteries (not ours since they are sealed) or engines.

Even for MB's that are still on the three year coolant change schedule, the cost of the correct antifreeze is so trivial spread over the three years that it's foolish to try to save a few dollars. In my opinion, at least.

My Porsche 944 has been on Mobil 1 15/50 and phosphate-free antifreeze since about 1988 (three year change schedule) and when I had the expensive opportunity to examine the inside of the engine (all aluminum) a few years back, it was absolutely clean everywhere with nothing clinging to any surface or even down in the dark corners.

Glyn M Ruck

The best way to check the coolant concentration is with a refractometer. Most good dealers use them. For small losses a water top up is OK because evapourative loss is mainly the water & not the glycol fraction. Deionised water is a better move. You really don't want chlorines in the coolant - unchlorinated snow melt would be fine. The new extended life coolants will go a hell of a long way as long as the silicate level does not drop. The silica gel sachet is inserted in production either in the surge tank or a radiator tank. The coolant colour is either straw or blue. The OE coolant at factory is usually either the Texaco/Arteco material, Fuchs or BASF. The Genuine coolant is sold either as a concentrate or a 50/50 premix. Depends where you are in the world.

clkcadet

Hate to bump up an old thread, but my 2010 C300 is throwing up a Coolant low message (wtf i only have 10k miles)

I do not have the time to go to a dealer, so where can I go to buy the correct coolant? You guys have mentioned many different types of coolant, so I am a bit confused! If there is one specific one that can be bought in a pep boys or R&S strauss I would greatly appreciate it.

Glyn M Ruck

Zerex G 30 The Valvoline Company - is usually the most available in the US

JimPap

Is there any way to visually check to see if the sachet was installed? At my first service, the dealership replaced the black overflow tank and I'm not entirely sure those clowns would have thought to install the sachet.

2012c350

Is that speculation or fact? Obviously you wouldn't be gaining the advantage of 325.3 if you used it to "top off", but would there be a need to flush the system if you wanted to start using 325.3? I don't see what harm would come of mixing an approved coolant with a newer improved coolant.

JimPap

I drove all over town yesterday looking for deionized water and couldn't find any.

Other than off the web, where would you look for it locally?

Carsy

I use filtered rainwater. Catch it in fibreglass or glass containers to maintain purity

.Good for batteries too.

Make sure the collector is well above the ground so there are no splashes .

If you are in a polluted city I would not do it.

We have dionised water in the supermarket . Used for ironing. Motor parts shops should also have it. If you have a power station close by , drop in there.They use it in their boiler water.

Glyn M Ruck

Hmm! this is a bit of a problem. I have noticed that at plant these sackets are sometimes stuffed into a radiator side tank & sometimes in the surge tank that you had replaced. Another issue is that I've never found a dealer that carries silica gel sachets. They are really a plant only "part".

Silicate top up is the only way you can possibly go 15 years

If you are in any doubt change every 5/6 years or 150,000 miles.

JimPap

Glyn,

I'd think it could be ordered from one of the online suppliers but then the next concern would be can you over do it? If one is stuff in the radiator would adding a second one in the surge tank cause a problem?

Glyn M Ruck

Chemist

Glyn M Ruck

Excessive silicates can cause gel formation. In the form of silica gel in a small sachet I doubt that this would have an adverse effect if doubled up.

Carsy

Distilled water is pure. Can you source it? Used it in the bosses iron for years.

JimPap

I've got distilled water but my understanding is that deionized water is different. I googled it.

I'll do the distilled water as this is taking too much time. I did go by the Mercedes dealer to get some antifreeze. One gallon was $27 including tax. My service writer told me that they just add tap water. I stared in disbelief. lol Truth be know that's probably what most MB dealerships do.

While there I did schedule a transmission service as my 08 C300 has 82K miles on it. I did one at 40K. He looked this up too and said that it got changed a while back to 40K mile intervals. We probably need to get that posted as a sticky.

Glyn M Ruck

Sorry - distilled water is fine!!

Carsy

Jim ,

From Denso radiator Manufacturers :-

■Always use good quality water to blend with the coolant. Distilled water, demineralised water or rain water are the preferred options. Many town water supplies contain high concentrations of chemicals, such as salts, that are very damaging to an aluminium radiator.

http://www.denso.com.au/Products/Aut...-Your-Radiator

juice619

can anyone help me figure out why is it that some c class have an extra part that attaches to the coolant tank. looks like a round plastic holder

74Etoile

I must use 325.3 or 325 how can i Know that ? Any help would be gréât .

Whats the référence num for a genuine mercedes 325.3 major information thanks

74Etoile

What about the new 325.5 red one ? Compatible with w204 , need sum help baddly

74Etoile

http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/325.5_en.html

Any comptabilité with w204 om651

74Etoile

325.5 is Just an upgrade , so i can use it