mixing differnet coolants
 

Hi all, ok x5 takes the blue ethane1, 2-diol, this is what is on the bmw coolant bottle, now i can't get hold of this bmw dealers out here are shut due to holidays, and coolant needs more than just a top up...(dont ask why) can i get away without causing damage if i top up ALOT with the ethylene glycol based coolants/anti freeze that i can get from a gas station?

First thing you need to do is determine "why " your coolant level is going down!Common issue is the "blue" bleed screw on the bottom right of the radiator !Also the right bottom hose rubs on the AC pipes and tears!

Not advisable to mix coolants!If its just a top up ,filled it up with distilled water "NEVER" tap water.,until you do a complete coolant flash .

ok thanks fella duly noted, did have a bit lying around and have topped up partially but at a very low conentration of coolant to distilled h20
ALSO did some research and not that wiki is gospel but Ethylene glycol (IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze,

so the blue green ethylene glcol generic brands from a gas station can be used I guess as labelling on the bmw bottle says ethane-1,2-diol and they are one and the same ?

BUT use as long as they are phosphate free , and phosphate free being the key thing to look out for although a generic agip bottle of ethylene glycol i had makes no menton of phospahte content...hmmmm tricky this coolant business

Dude, is is summer where you live? For the time being, just fill it with as much distilled water as you want. Just get coolant in there before winter. I used to run just distilled water in my 328is track car all summer.

yes sir, nearly always summer here though, but ain't running it with less coolant bad for water pump bearings etc?

It doesn't grease the barings lol. If you read the bottle, it says to mix according to climate. It has other, anti corrosion and magic sauce properties. But it will get you through for a while till your dealers open. I wouldn't worry one bit. Just drain some later, and add the coolant.

I ran mine with distilled water for a week. Only water. Seems to have run cooler a bit. Which I am not surprised about.

You said it yourself coolants are different. That being the case maybe a bit of water will get you thru until you get the correct coolant. As some have already said use some distilled water for now because when you get the problem fixed you're gonna need to replace it anyway.

stipid auto correct...
 

So, there are a number of common coolant leak possibilities on an x5. The radiator drain is not one I have ever ran across. That is unless the last dork in there mangled it or left it loose.

But I agree water for the weekend, then get real BMW coolant after the holiday.
That is after you find and address the leak.

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

De - ionised water is recommended
Otherwise sold as battery top up water .
If water has ion content it will corrode the metal .

I am looking at the concentrate bottle of BMW coolant, and it says mix with distilled water. Nothing about ionized, or lack their of. Do I have the wrong shit? I doubt it. I've been rocking BMW coolant for years.

Oh and the sheer fact that distilled water is first boiled, pretty much assures you there is not much left in it. You can also get condensate distilled water, but not sure if that is the same. I just buy the boiled distilled stuff.