I just read an article posted on how to save thousand of dollars in car repairs. The number one mentioned was to change the coolant by the book! I thought that was pretty interesting, because it can often be overlooked. It is kind of the key I would think on keeping the engine clean and operating in the desired temperature range. Expense wise to do it is not out-of-range really. What do you think?

I think that things like that - it is often called routine / scheduled maintenance - is and has always been key to the reduction of long term costs.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Well that is certainly true. Every machine needs routine maintenance. With out it things quickly turn to junk. However I don't think coolant system maintenance is a number one priority I would think that engine oil and filter change would be a number one priority on auto maintenance. Maybe what the OP was referring to, and he writes at least two very "clumsy" sentences, is that coolant maintenance is the number 1 forgotten item. I would agree.

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I saw something similar posted at a salvage yard. They say the number one reason for engine failure is overheating, not oil neglect.

There is a difference between "routine maintenance" and "preventative maintenance". Oftentimes people confuse the two.

Fluids, including engine oil and coolant, as well as power steering fluid, differential oil, transmission fluid, etc., are changed on a regular schedule to ensure that they have not "worn out." This is preventative maintenance, and it should *always* be followed. Failure to do so means that the fluid will "wear out" and one or more protective qualities of it will be compromised. This WILL result in premature wear and failure of one or more components. The only questions are "when" and "how much."

So yes, follow the recommended schedule to change your coolant, as well as the rest. And the "expense-wise" you reference is a fool's paradise; it's irrelevant. If it costs you $150 to change the coolant (which is way high, average is around $100), how much does that compare to the cost of premature radiator failure, premature water pump replacement, being stranded and towed or, worst case scenario, serious engine damage?

Good luck.

So what is routine maintenance?

Here in Florida I'm not so worried about the freeze part, but often wondered does coolant wear out? For instance, is it still good if it's green / clear ?(of course I'm referring to non-Mercedes cars cause everyone knows not to use the green stuff in your benz

__________________

2006 Jetta TDI DSG 320k miles
1997 Ford F150 325k miles 4.2L V6 "Work Truck"
2008 Tundra 225k miles 5.7L
1982 240D.....sold
1984 300D...Totaled OUCH!
1985 300D Turbo 222k miles "Dos" sold to 79Mercy
1986 300SDL 98K miles "The Beater"....sold
1987 190E 2.3 16v Euro spec 115K miles....sold

Routine and preventative maintenance are the same thing...and should be treated as so, especially on a MB.

You do routine maintenance to keep fluids replaced and topped up to prevent issues.
You do preventative maintenance like replacing spark plugs every 60k to prevent issues even though they may not be completely worn out quite yet.

Sure different "names" -- but the end result is the same.

__________________
2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Possibly my Englishness showing...

...here's a good description

"Simple, small-scale activities (usually requiring only minimal skills or training) associated with regular (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and general upkeep of a building, equipment, machine, plant, or system against normal wear and tear."

What is routine maintenance? definition and meaning

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Things that are not replaced on a schedule. Brake pads and rotors, for example. You don't follow a set schedule of either miles or time with them, right? Although you do with the fluid, or at least you're supposed to.

And I don't want to get into a thing, here, but I hope this makes it clear that "routine" maintenance is not the same thing as "preventative" maintenance.

But if it makes you actually DO the maintenance, then you can call it whatever the heck you want.

Rebe,

Yes it is overlooked, but what is really overlooked is the use of TAP WATER instead of Distilled water! The use of tap water is so much an issue with today's American Cars as the most Americans are used to the old cast-iron engine blocks that are bulletproof to tap water. Foreign car drivers are more educated on the use of the appropriate water, but the mistake for the all aluminum, or aluminum head engine will probably have premature "head gasket" problems as the result of aluminum corrosion with tap water.

No tap water...

Now, one Mercedes model (I know of) that has an inherent flaw when coolant is overlooked(the whole cooling/heating system even with the correct coolant, and correct water) is the W140. A plastic heater tee that is on the engine fire wall will fail around 100k Miles, and when it fails one has seconds before the engine is ruined for ever, so the overlooking of the cooling system is critical on the W140.

I guess nearly every car manufacture recommends the coolant cap be replaced at every coolant change.

Martin

You mentioned a difference between the two, went on to describe preventive maintenance, but left me hanging to figure out what "routine maintenance" was.

I understand your explanation. To me it's just semantics.

Preventive Maintenance includes both corrective maintenance and predictive maintenance. Corrective maintenance usually involves issues which would not pose a problem to safety, cost or inconvenience. Predictive maintenance is a system to prevent a catastrophic event. It relies on detailed historical information about the rates of failure of items and seeks to prevent the failures. Obviously, it's not an exact science but is generally cost efficient when done well.

'routine' maintenance just describes maintenance done from 'time to time' and could be either predictive or corrective.

-------------------

FYI - MB recommends tap water for modern engines when mixing coolant using anti-freeze base unless the water source is exceptionally hard (high carbonate). DI water is okay but not considered necessary. The corrosion inhibitors in the base will provide more than enough protection provided that the system doesn't leak and the coolant is flushed on the recommended 3 yr cycle.

__________________
Good luck.






1998 E320 Wagon