hi what are the other brands aside from MB that are safe to use for MB cars? how would you know if it is safe for aluminum head? here in the philippines it is common to use japanese coolant but im afraid it might not be safe

Greetings! since nobody else seems to be home, i'll just throw in my 2 cents.
if it's available i use Zerex G-05 (i believe it's valvoline product but not sure), which is apparently the same as the MB coolant. not cheap ($10 a gallon), but probably easier to get. recommended for (they say) all MB engines, including cast iron and aluminum.

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rayroyw
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'85 380SE (238,300) my "new" old car!
'84 300D (303,000+)
'72 250/8 (mercy heaven)

I pay $9 and change for the OE stuff from Fastlane. It doesn't cost anymore to use the right stuff.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Zerex G-05 meets the DB spec for current and older Merc engines. I'm not aware of any other commercial available product that does. If you can't find G-05, buy MB brand coolant from the dealer.

Duke

Is MB coolant typically brown or clear? Mine is clear.

MP

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Remember: When it leaks, the MB stuff (and other German stuff, like VW Autobahn) smells like crayons, not maple syrup/pancakes as US stuff smells. I once heard the Car Talk guys get stumped by this scent -- car was a VW that smelled like crayons when the heat was on. They suggested looking for crayons down in the defrost vents -- not a leaking heater core which was probably the problem.

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David
1986 300E Anthracite + ECodes + MB Mileage Award

MB coolent is very clear, with a slight tan color to it.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

It is o.k. to mix Zerex G-05 with MB coolant? I just realize the PO used the "green stuff" and I only have one jar of MB stuff.

Yes. They are the same thing in different packages.

Yes, I looked at the MSDS of each formulation. Though I'm not an expert on antifreeze formulation, I'm not completely ignorant of chemistry. The additives of each (MB and G 05) appeared very similar, though perhaps at slightly different concentrations. I feel comfortable mixing the two.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

Prestone just came out with a new coolent I believe its called "Big Yellow" that claims to be approved for any car and will mix with any coolent.For my money I use MB coolent.

Just replaced my 5 year old Prestone green with same. Never any problems and green was clean as day put in. I think that if you have a good sealed cooling system and replace antirust chemical once in a whle, you wont have any problems with Prestone. Possible newer cars have more non-compatible metals but for me never any problems. No leaks, no discoloration, just fine. Abe G

I just put a jug of that in my daughter's Taurus. It seems to be working just fine so far, whatever that's worth. They call it "all color compatible" We'll see, I suppose.

Isn't it amazing, how plain old ethelyne glycol worked so well for so many, many years? Now every other manufacturer insists that theirs is the only possible coolant that will work in their cars. Toyato has their own, Honda, Ford, GM.

sheesh,

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Norm in NJ
Next oil change at 230,000miles

No antifreeze is "plain old ethylene glycol". All antifreezes have corrosion inhibitors. If they didn't you'd have serious corrosion within a few years or even a few months.

Traditional green antifreeze uses inorganic salts like phosphates and silicates and is called IAT (inorganic additive technlogy). GM Dexcool and most Japanese OE antifreezes use organic technolgy - OAT (organic acid technology), which consists or organic acids.

MB antifreeze and Zerez G-05 are are hybrids - HOAT (hybrid organic acid technology) - that use primarily organic technology, but have a small dose of silicates.

IATs provided good corrosion protection, but the salts precipitate out and clog radiator and heater core tubes over time. OATs don't do this, but there is some question as to their compatibility with tradional solders used in brass radiators and heater cores.

HOATs seem to be the best of both worlds and are considered "universal" because they are okay for cars that previously had the IAT type, and IAT types are being phased out of production.

Duke

What are your thoughts or experiences with PENTOSIN?

http://www.pentosin.com/eng/index.html



PENTOSIN ANTIFREEZE is an antifreeze for passenger cars and trucks, meeting the quality requirements of the automotive manufacturers, especially suitable for alloy engines. It protects excellently against corrosion and cavitation, does not foam, prevents lime formation and is neutral to different types of metals , rubber parts and sealing materials which are used in the engine construction. Pentosin Antifreeze is produced under stringent quality controls and has proved excellent operating performance in daily use. PENTOSIN ANTIFREEZE is free of nitrite, amine and phosphate.

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz