bokmunn

My check coolant light comes on almost every time I start my car. I checked the reservoir and there is coolant in it. I want to top it off but am confused on what type of coolant to get. The MB dealer is 40 miles from where I live and don't want to drive to get it there. What kind can I find at the local parts store that will be ok to put in my car?

Mort

I would stick with the MB Antifreeze/Coolant mix. It is fairly clear colored and seems to a slightly special mix. Not sure what or if it is compatible with but it just saves me the worry. My .02.

I am sure any coolant specifically formulated to protect aluminum engine parts will suffice for the small amount you will be adding but MB 325.0 (my jug says MB 325.1) Anticorrosion/Antifreeze is highly recommended. According to the container it is an Ethylene/Diethylene Glycol base with other additives. So Ethylene base coolant with aluminum protection would be your best bet.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

if you have to add like 100-200ml to top it off, i would just add distilled water

bokmunn

Just got off the phone with the service director at my dealer. He said to just top off the expansion valve with tap water????? He said that is what the dealer uses because the coolant is some sort of special kind and only needs tap water. Anyone heard of this?

ATL_MB

First of all, most service reps are idiots. Mine is very good, but I don't ask his opinion in regard to maintenance or anything technical. Fankly, he doesn't know a cam shaft from a brake rotor. But he doesn't pretend to - that's why he is good.

Tap water is probably OK, but it has crap in it like fluoride and minerals. I doubt a M156 was designed to run on fluoride. Spend $1.97 or whatever for a gallon of distilled water - keep it in your garage and use it when you need to. Its cheap insurance on a $40,000 engine. And when you have your coolant changed, bring them 3 or 4 gallons of distilled water and tell them to use it.

Sathinas

Why don't you address the reason the coolant light comes on, first?

Chances are, it's just a bad/stuck coolant level sensor. It will be tapped into the coolant overflow bottle. Unless the reservoir is empty, topping it off won't fix your problem. If the coolant expansion reservoir is empty, then you have bigger fish to fry than just topping off the coolant.

Use distilled water as noted in the post above me.

Alternately, go spend 40 bucks per gallon of Evans coolant and do a proper flush. You'll never have to worry about overheating so long as your coolant levels are fine. And the coolant will outlast your engine.

C63newdude

I have had my coolant light come up after my first 6 months of owing the car. I mentioned this on a older post, my reservoir didn't look empty but when I took the car for service A they filled it up a little.

I want to make a remark though. The light use to lit more often when I parked my car on my garage car ramp.