Dex Cool Issues

[jacob_coulter]

My problem is finding the Havoline brand of Dex Cool, it doesn't seem as if the stores in my area carry it, but they all carry Prestone's version.

Also, if the Prestone Dex Cool formulation is indeed different, or has the ability to ruin my cooling system, it would probably be a good issue to clarify for other Boxster owners who may be in the same boat I'm in.

If I really wanted to err on the side of being safe, I would just buy the Porsche brand of coolant for $50 a jug (which is absurd). I was hoping someone on the board would have some extensive knowledge about what coolant brands would be compatible.

[Tool Pants]

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4165&hl=audi

[lizBox]

ok, I know coolant flavours have been beaten to death on this and other forums. But I gotta ask yet another time.

I have been to every single auto parts store in my area. No one has any of the brands listed on Mike Focke's page or the various other threads.

I can find Prestone Dex Cool. I can not find Havoline or Texaco Dex Cool. Is Prestone Dex Cool the same? Any issue with using it if i do a through flush first?

My local Porsche dealer claims that the *only* time they use Porsche coolant is when they're refilling entire system under warranty work. Else they top it or fill it with generic Prestone. This comment has made me even more leery about taking the boxster in to them. I may have to drive to another dealer that's 2.5 hours away.

[jmatta]

I recently flushed and re-filled my coolant when I changed to the LN low temp thermostat. Purchased two gallons of "official" Porsche coolant from Pelican for $33 a piece; not worth risking anything else for pennies, IMO.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by jmatta

I recently flushed and re-filled my coolant when I changed to the LN low temp thermostat. Purchased two gallons of "official" Porsche coolant from Pelican for $33 a piece; not worth risking anything else for pennies, IMO.

Next time, try Sunset Porsche, recent purchases of coolant was in the $24/gal range...........

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by lizBox

ok, I know coolant flavours have been beaten to death on this and other forums. But I gotta ask yet another time.

I have been to every single auto parts store in my area. No one has any of the brands listed on Mike Focke's page or the various other threads.

I can find Prestone Dex Cool. I can not find Havoline or Texaco Dex Cool. Is Prestone Dex Cool the same? Any issue with using it if i do a through flush first?

My local Porsche dealer claims that the *only* time they use Porsche coolant is when they're refilling entire system under warranty work. Else they top it or fill it with generic Prestone. This comment has made me even more leery about taking the boxster in to them. I may have to drive to another dealer that's 2.5 hours away.

If you could see the nightmares we have had to deal with that were caused by mixing the OEM coolant with aftermarket stuff (gelled lumps in the cooling system, plugged radiators, etc.), as well as the service bills they caused, you would view the use of the OEM coolant as cheap insurance…………

[urban_legend]

They claim to be Porsche approved and when I called they claimed to be the OEM provider. Said Dex Cool is fine and all the same formulations.

In any event, I would just do the flush and refill procedure and not sweat it that much. The problems, as far as I can tell come from mixing different coolant types, having the wrong proportions, or not using distilled water.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by urban_legend

They claim to be Porsche approved and when I called they claimed to be the OEM provider. Said Dex Cool is fine and all the same formulations.

And I can tell you, from a direct conversation with a Porsche zone rep, that Porsche “due to well know issues, does not approve, recommend or condone the use of any coolant other than their own.”

Basically, using any aftermarket coolant is a bit of gamble; you may be fine, or you may not. In the end, it is your car to do with as you please…………..

[Lil bastard]

A little clarification may be needed here.

The issue is mainly one of mixing the various types of coolant out there. It is here where compatibility problems pop up.

Porsche doesn't make anti-freeze, it's made by someone else. Nor is there any special proprietary voo-doo in their formula. It is basically phosphate and silicone free and the reason for this is that the phosphates attack the aluminum in the system and the silicone will mess up the oxygen sensors causing performance issues.

The chemistry is subtle though and that's where some of the incompatibilties happen, especially if you're mixing different fluids (formulations) even though they too may be phosphate/silicone free.

But, if you did a really thorough job of flushing the system, then most any phosphate/silicone free coolant would do the job. But, that could well be the rub.

In order to do such a thorough job, you'd likely have to drain, then fill with distilled water and run the car some miles to pick-up any errant coolant still in the system (obviously this would need to be in non-freezing conditions). In fact, you may need to repeat the process in order be certain all the old coolant was removed. Running for any length of time on pure distilled water would likely take a toll on the waterpump bearing as it uses the coolant as a lubricant between the impeller shaft and the bearing.

So while you could probably get away with it if you prepped the system as described above, it's probably better to simply go with the oem coolant - cheap insurance as someone put it.

But, many of you have used cars, and as such cannot be certain what the PO or PO's dealer may have used in the past. You may have gel forming in the system right now and not even know it. And, be aware that the coolant isn't really 'lifetime' - the 'best' coolants out there are currently 5yr./150k mi. (whichever comes first).

If I were to buy a used Boxster, one of the first things I'd do would be to flush the system and replace the fluid with oem coolant and distilled water, especially if the car were 5 yrs. or older.

One thing I'd like to see coming from Flat 6, LN Eng. or Pedro would be an in-line sleeve with a petcock that could be spliced into the lower radiator hose to make fluid changes easier for DIYers. It could be produced and sold cheaply and I suspect there's a market for it, maybe even rivalling oil filter adapters and mag plugs.