Coolant Color (m)
 

I changed the coolant in my X5 today. When I drained the old coolant it was yellow in color. I thought all BMW coolant was blue?

I am the second owner and when I bought the truck it was only 2 years old and 17K miles. I can't imagine the coolant was changed by the previous owner.

Just curious. It's got the blue stuff in it now :)

Yeah, it should have been blue... Odds are something happened where the guy refilled it with the regular cheap stuff. I see people do that all the time. If they're in for service and have the cheap auto parts store green/yellow coolant in there I always suggest a full flush and the proper coolant, they usually go for it saying they didn't know there was a difference.

The Classic Coolant Color Arm Wrestle Thread is pasted below...
A couple of very knowledgeable posters tugging away.

Fwiw, I've run the orange stuff, Dex-Cool, as a top off
added coolant for 7 1/2 years. My orig oem coolant looked
damn green to me; that has been flushed and replaced
twice over those 7+ years: once by BMW and once by
a well trusted Indie. Both of those refills look pretty damn
green to me, too. But, I continue to do an occasional top
off with orange Dex-Cool, mixed 50-50 with distilled water.

Fwiw, I recently had my oem filled coolant in our 7 yr old
2002 Vette flushed and replaced: I got to see the old stuff
flushed out: it looked not "new", but damn good, after 32,000
miles and 7 years. Yes, the oem is orange Dex-Cool, as was
the refill.

"Coolant" and its related last true answer(s) may be right up
there with the Loch Ness fookin monster, imo. :confused:

If I was/am "on warranty", I would probably use the BMW stuff,
(wonder who makes it for them?), but there is no single, last true
answer, to what is what, or what is best, imo. ;)
GL, mD

Classic Coolant Color/Brand Thread:
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...-question.html

hmm I buy from truck pro...green coolant...and mix it myself...BMW uses blue coolant?? when I got my car it was green...

When I did the coolant change and water pump last year, I noticed the coolant had a pea green color to it. Also, it was low on coolant as well. Refilled with BMW coolant (the blue good stuff) and properly bled the system. No more issues. :cool:

Dan