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.

__________________
rayroyw
_______
'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.

__________________
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

__________________
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.

__________________
David
1986 300E Anthracite + ECodes + MB Mileage Award