OrientBlue3

Hey guys,

For those of us that aren't immediately near by a dealer, is using distilled water acceptable to top off coolant or if not, what coolant type/brand do you use? Been getting the low coolant light the last few days. It goes away once the motor warms up, so I'm not super worried about it.

Thanks!

looney100

What's the rush then? Just get a bottle of coolant and top off. Water might work as long as the engine doesn't get too hot or cold, but why risk it?

Davidkuo0330

I would not top off with distilled water water because if the coolant is low enough the coolant light came on, you
must add allot of water to it to top it off and might end up flushing the whole thing. I would do a search to see what coolant is recommended by Mercedes and buy it off eBay.

Good luck.

kponti

Water works better than any coolant out there for keeping the engine cool. However it does not protect the engine from rust and calcium deposits. Topping off with water will NOT hurt the engine.
Using all water in sub freezing temps can cause some problems though

OrientBlue3

Sorry, I should have clarified. I got the low coolant message and not a light. Not sure if that changes anything?

dav461

It is same.
check visually coolant level, if it misses a bit then water would be find . If it's 3/4 and lower then better coolant.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Using water is fine, it has the best absorption properties, it lacks the
lunrication aspect of coolant. Little bit of water will not hurt the system. If you use all water and live in an area that has freezing temps then yes it will be an issue, since water will freeze / expand and crack some lines

OrientBlue3

I found a Mercedes approved coolant and ordered that just to keep on hand for future reference. It's pre-mixed, which is nice. Thanks guys!