Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-04-2005, 11:10 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 50
Which coolant to use?

Does any one know what coolant is used by the factory in the 05 Boxsters? I need to add water/coolant, not sure which to use.

Thanks.

TVC15 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 11:22 AM   #2
bmussatti
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
How much do you need to add? If it is just a few ounces, distilled water should be fine. If more is needed, have the dealer top it off with the proper mixture of coolant & water, the car is still under warrenty. You should only use Porsche approved coolant, and I hear it is not cheap.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 11:32 AM   #3
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Posts: 3,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by TVC15
Does any one know what coolant is used by the factory in the 05 Boxsters? I need to add water/coolant, not sure which to use.

Thanks.
Hi,

Porsche uses Long-Life coolant in their cars. This means, it has replaced the Phosphates usually used as anti-corrosion agents with Nitrates.

Porsche claims some proprietary formula, but I don't buy it. They don't make the Coolant, just contract with another Company to make it for them. I suspect it is the equivalent of Prestone 5/150, Sierra, or any number of other such Brands, and possibly even produced by these Companies and packaged as a Vanity Brand. It may actually be the exact same stuff as the Company's own Brand.

If you use a non-approved Coolant, it may Void your Warranty so far as Coolant related issues are concerned. But, it's against the Law to deny a Warranty Claim on this basis if the issue Claimed is not tied to the use of the non-approved product. A Dealer will try to tell you otherwise, but legally, they cannot void the entire warranty.

BTW, NEVER mix traditional Anti-Freeze with Long-Life Coolant. A chemical reaction occurs which causes some of the chemicals to drop out of solution to form a Gel type substance. This Gel can clog cooling passages and will cause corrosion at an accelerated pace. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99
MNBoxster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 11:41 AM   #4
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 50
Wow, great information! thanks.

Btw, How do i know which coolants are Porsche approved?
TVC15 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 12:42 PM   #5
Registered User
 
deliriousga's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: USA!!
Posts: 1,159
In other forums there are people who have talked about tests showing the Chevron or Texaco DexCool works well and does not hurt the engine.

If you only need a little, just add water. Don't add a different coolant into the existing stuff. Some people have done this and ended up with jelly. If you change coolants, empty the system and do a flush before you fill with the new stuff.

Porsche approved coolants include "Porsche" brand coolant. That's it.
__________________
1987 928S4 Silver Metallic (980)/Navy (TP) 5-Speed
2000 Boxster Speed Yellow/Black 5-Speed
1966 Wife White/Brown Top
1986 Daughter White/Brown Top (Sold!)
1992 Daughter White/Blonde Top
deliriousga is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 01:17 PM   #6
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Posts: 3,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by TVC15
Wow, great information! thanks.

Btw, How do i know which coolants are Porsche approved?
Hi,

I think you may have misunderstood. Only Porsche Coolant is approved for use.

What I am saying is that the Porsche Coolant isn't significantly any different than other Long-Life Anti-Freezes on the Market. To be sure, there are some subtle proprietary differences between Brands. But the Key here is that it needs to be Phosphate-Free.

Because there are proprietary differences, a Full Ingredient List will usually be lacking. MSDS Legislation requires that all Toxic or Dangerous ingredients be listed on a Warning Label, but be aware that this is only a Partial list of the total Ingredients. The one thing which most of these Long-Life Brands will include on their labeling is the phrase - Phosphate-Free.

The incidences where Gelling occurred which John (deliriousga) refers to are instances where Anti-Freezes containing Phosphates and one which are Phosphate-Free were mixed. Mixing coolants which are Phosphate-Free will not result in this Gelling. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99
MNBoxster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 02:58 PM   #7
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 50
Thanks for clarifying. It sounds like in need to go to the dealer to buy the coolant.

Glad I checked with you guys! Thanks again for the help.
TVC15 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 07:08 PM   #8
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 90
You get a lot of opinions on this one....I say use only the stuff that has the Porsche label on it. it,s a lot more $$$ but it will avoid warantee issues.
Mr. Boone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 09:11 PM   #9
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: San Diego
Posts: 155
I just bought a gallon of the Porsche factory coolant, $46 bucks at the dealership. Expensive Stuff. It's is made by ELF, some euro company. I read a bunch of posts all over the Internet saying not to mix and a few that said it was okay to mix the same type (even if different color). If you are just topping it off, I'd just stick with the factory coolant / antifreeze and pay the extra (or use distilled water).

I heard from Tool Pants that the following 2 coolants meet the US performance requirements for Porsche (but are not technically approved by Porsche).

HavolineŽ DEX-COOLŽ Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant
Chevron DEX-COOLŽ Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant

I was thinking about when I would need to change the coolant in my car (it's a 99'). But there is no service interval listed. According to Porsche the coolant never needs to be changed for the life of the car. Wierd. I'd probably change it if it looked dirty or I had to replace the water pump or radiator(s) or hoses or something.

Good Luck,
Larez2
larez2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2005, 10:33 PM   #10
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Posts: 3,308
Quote:
Originally Posted by larez2
I just bought a gallon of the Porsche factory coolant, $46 bucks at the dealership. Expensive Stuff. It's is made by ELF, some euro company. I read a bunch of posts all over the Internet saying not to mix and a few that said it was okay to mix the same type (even if different color). If you are just topping it off, I'd just stick with the factory coolant / antifreeze and pay the extra (or use distilled water).

I heard from Tool Pants that the following 2 coolants meet the US performance requirements for Porsche (but are not technically approved by Porsche).

HavolineŽ DEX-COOLŽ Extended Life Anti-Freeze/Coolant
Chevron DEX-COOLŽ Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant

I was thinking about when I would need to change the coolant in my car (it's a 99'). But there is no service interval listed. According to Porsche the coolant never needs to be changed for the life of the car. Wierd. I'd probably change it if it looked dirty or I had to replace the water pump or radiator(s) or hoses or something.

Good Luck,
Larez2
Hi,

There is no such thing as true Lifetime coolant. The change interval s/b 5 years or 150k miles whichever comes first. You will be fine using the brands TP mentions or any of the Long-Life, Phosphate-Free Coolants. Changing at this interval allows you to drain any/all the corrosion and other contaminates as well as add a fresh quantity of anti-corrosive agents. BTW, be sure to use distilled or de-ionized water when you do.

BTW, Elf is one of the premier Oil Companies in Europe. It is, in fact, the French National Oil Company. They have subsidiaries throughout the world. Like Texaco or Chevron, they produce a brand of Coolant in addition to their Gasolines and Oils.

Happy Motoring...Jim'99

Last edited by MNBoxster; 10-04-2005 at 10:35 PM.
MNBoxster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 12:19 AM   #11
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 80
Garage
Update, at $50 a gallon for Porsche Antifreeze, I'm just happy that they don't also sell gasoline.
__________________
2001 Boxster S
6 speed MT
chaiyz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 04:13 AM   #12
I am my own mechanic....
 
Timco's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 3,433
I use Pentofrost. I Forget the flavor. It's pink.
__________________
'04 Boxster S 50 Jahre 550 Spyder Anniversary Special Edition, 851 of 1953, 6-sp, IMS/RMS, GT Metallic silver, cocoa brown leather SOLD to member Broken Linkage.
'08 VW Touareg T-3 wife's car
'13 F150 Super Crew long bed 4x4 w/ Ego Boost
Timco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 05:19 AM   #13
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Posts: 1,561
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaiyz View Post
Update, at $50 a gallon for Porsche Antifreeze, I'm just happy that they don't also sell gasoline.
It's "only" $35/gallon from places like Sunset Porsche and Suncoast Porsche. Probably even less (than $50) at your local VW dealership.
Flavor 987S is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 06:49 AM   #14
Registered User
 
CoBeerToad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Peoria IL
Posts: 529
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timco View Post
I use Pentofrost. I Forget the flavor. It's pink.
Ditto. Found it at O'Reilly's. Had to clean out 3 stores to get what I needed to replace it all, but they are everywhere so it wasn't an issue.
CoBeerToad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 08:44 AM   #15
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 524
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flavor 987S View Post
It's "only" $35/gallon from places like Sunset Porsche and Suncoast Porsche. Probably even less (than $50) at your local VW dealership.
Yep it's $30 from my VW dealer.
__________________
2008 Boxster S PDE2
02 Boxster S Blk on Blk(Stock for the Wife)
88 turbo S (My Toy) slightly modified
cas951 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 09:45 AM   #16
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: LB, Germany
Posts: 1,453
I use BASF Glysantin G40. It is Si-OAT. Comes in 1.5 litres bottles and is a concentrate. It's around 9 Euros per bottle over here in Germany. You have to dilute it 50% with distilled water. The coolant system contains around 22.5 litres – if you really could everything out of it. So you need around 7 bottles or 10.5 litres of coolant and the same amount of distilled water. Coolant is 63 Euros, or approx 71 USD at the moment.

If you don't use Si-OAT coolant you have to flush the complete system to get all Si-OAT out.

Regards, Markus

Last edited by Smallblock454; 06-09-2016 at 09:54 AM.
Smallblock454 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2017, 09:36 AM   #17
Registered User
 
jeeper31's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Long Island
Posts: 180
Quote:
Originally Posted by cas951 View Post
Yep it's $30 from my VW dealer.
Which coolant do I ask for? Is it good for a 1998 986?
jeeper31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2017, 12:09 PM   #18
still plays with cars...
 
BoxsterSteve's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Baden, ON, Canada
Posts: 1,087
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeeper31 View Post
Which coolant do I ask for? Is it good for a 1998 986?
Part number is on back of jug, lower left corner.

__________________
Six speed 2000 Boxster S
Arctic Silver on Metropol Blue | LN Dual Row IMSR | Arctic Silver console, spoiler frame & bumperettes | Crios mod | Technobrace | RoboTop module & modified convertible top relay for one-touch roof operation
BoxsterSteve is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2017, 02:16 PM   #19
Registered User
 
barkinfool's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 153
Garage
Couldn't tell from pic. Does anyone know if the VW/Audi is made by ELF or is really the same / equivalent formulation as the Porsche branded coolant? I'm sure it probably isn't critical, but would seal the deal if it is.

p.s. Part of why I ask is I have an unopened jug + a little of the Porsche brand & would hesitate to mix with VW if not pretty much the same stuff.....
__________________
Barkinfool
'02 Boxster S

Last edited by barkinfool; 01-03-2017 at 02:23 PM. Reason: p.s.
barkinfool is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2017, 02:24 PM   #20
Registered User
 
jeeper31's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Long Island
Posts: 180
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoxsterSteve View Post
Part number is on back of jug, lower left corner.

Thanks. So is this the same as the Porsche coolant?

jeeper31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:39 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page