Which coolant to use?

[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.

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.

[MNBoxster]

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

[TVC15]

Wow, great information! thanks.

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

[deliriousga]

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.

[MNBoxster]

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

[TVC15]

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.

[Mr. Boone]

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.

[Timco]

I use Pentofrost. I Forget the flavor. It's pink.

[CoBeerToad]

Originally Posted by Timco

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.

[Smallblock454]

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

[jakeru]

This seemingly new aftermarket product, "G40 Zerex" appears to be a match to the genuine Porsche coolant, which I noticed was available at O'Reiley auto parts in the US.


As it's diluted by being pre-mixed 50/50, and costs $22/gallon, though, it's not much of a cost savings over genuine Porsche coolant.
Antifreeze/Coolant Zerex G40-50/50 - Engine Coolant/Anti-Freeze | O'Reilly Auto Parts

[professorman]

Originally Posted by jakeru

This seemingly new aftermarket product, "G40 Zerex" appears to be a match to the genuine Porsche coolant, which I noticed was available at O'Reiley auto parts in the US.
As it's diluted by being pre-mixed 50/50, and costs $22/gallon, though, it's not much of a cost savings over genuine Porsche coolant.
Antifreeze/Coolant Zerex G40-50/50 - Engine Coolant/Anti-Freeze | O'Reilly Auto Parts

I use G40 Zerex concentrate and mix with distilled water. I buy concentrate from NAPA.

[jeeper31]

I bit he bullet. Porsche coolant. $53. Does PCA get a discount at Sunset?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by jeeper31

I bit he bullet. Porsche coolant. $53. Does PCA get a discount at Sunset?

Yes...................

[Lew]

This is Pentosin's Pentofrost and it's what I use in my VW TDI. I highly recommend it. You can buy it at Advanced Auto Parts. It's used by VW Dealers. It's recommended for all aluminum engines. I am needing to flush my PBS and I will be using what I still have on the shelf.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by Lew

This is Pentosin's Pentofrost and it's what I use in my VW TDI. I highly recommend it. You can buy it at Advanced Auto Parts. It's used by VW Dealers. It's recommended for all aluminum engines. I am needing to flush my PBS and I will be using what I still have on the shelf.

This is what I use. Great stuff

[jeeper31]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Yes...................

Lol. I confused Sunset with Suncoast. Oops

[JayG]

Why mess around to save so few $

[thstone]

Originally Posted by JayG

Why mess around to save so few $

I agree. OEM coolant and be done with it.