Antifreeze/Coolant - what does B in front of part number mean?
 

Last time my E320 was flushed at dealer, they used coolant part # Q-1-03-0002 .

I bought one jug later from local dealer for top ups. It is part # BQ-1-03-0002 and spec 325.1.

Anyone know what the B signifies?

The coolant is to MB spec 325.1 - doesn't show up on Bevo. (MB gave changed their coolants, but still use same spec numbers)

What I also don't know, is whether this is 100% or a 50/50 mix. I seem to recall parts guying saying it was 50/50, but it doesn't say that anywhere. To add to confusion, my invoice says Q-1-03-0002.

By the way, this is the older coolant as used on our 98 E320 and is same spec as Zerex G05. Planning on doing flush and would like to use this jug if I can.

Some pics:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/atta...eeze-325.1.jpg

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/atta...1&d=1508201548

The B is usually just a designator that the part is an MB Accessory

B does mean it is an accessory. It seems wasteful to ship diluted coolant so I would be skeptical that it is. You can check by pouring some out and just feeling the consistency. The concentrate is really thick and oily feeling. Once diluted it feels about like normal green coolant. Does it have the mix ratio on the back? All my MB coolant jugs have that on there and I only buy concentrate unfortunately I threw out all the empties.

Picture of back posted above. It doesn't say to mix. Just says 40-55% is best.

Thinking if I buy one 3.78L jug of G05, dilute it 50/50, I get 7.56L. Then just use the MB stuff if I am slightly short and otherwise keep for topups. Might get by by just diluting the MB stuff I have, but only if it is really 100%.

I may have a hydrometer here somewhere - maybe need to find it :)

The MB coolant is concentrate. It is not pre-mixed. Buy a couple gallons of distilled water at the supermarket, and mix to the MB recommended ratio 50/50.

Like torsionbar said, MB antifreeze is concentrated.
If you are going to flush and have to buy antifreeze, why not go to the new blue longer life stuff that MB uses: BQ-1-03-0004?

The one I bought from a dealer two months ago is BQ 1 03 0004 with a Spec of 325.0. It needs to be diluted.

Look at the directions on the back of the container below "ANTICORROSION ANTIFREEZE, the third paragraph down and directly above "DIRECTIONS FOR USE." That paragraph explains that the coolant mixture in the car should be 40 to 55% antifreeze. There is also a table on the right side of the backside of the container that shows the number of quarts of anti-feeze needed to provide freeze protection for each size cooling system (a quart is roughly the same as a liter). Both show that this is a concentrate that should be diluted with water.

Not all MB coolant is concentrated:
325.1 no longer seems to exist, but may have been concentrated. So far still don't know what it's spec was and how it might have differed from the 325.0 G05 of that time. Both had the same part number Q-1-03-0002. Also not sure what is different between BQ and Q. Why is one an accessory and one not?

http://forums.190slgroup.com/attachm...3&d=1122042560

you can compare the SG of both liquids.

I have yet to buy MB coolant sold as ready to pour. It has always been a concentrate.

My cheap hydrometer reads out in temperature and gave some weird & inconsistent results. I may buy a new one, hopefully with density graduations. Used to have one like that - come to think of it, probably still have one on boat, but that is for battery acid! (just ordered a refractometer!)

By the way, our dealer has premix in their shop ready to top up cars that come in for service. Not sure if they get it that way or mix it themselves. One thing about premix, is that you know it was made using suitable water.

The dealer would buy the antifreeze in bulk barrels and use an automatic mixing machine to get what is put in the cars that come in for service. You will be getting city tap water which would not be as good as using distilled because of the minerals, an amount that can be significant in some locations.

no dealer is going to use distilled or RO water to prepare the coolant, MB suggest to use water suitable for drinking - the tap is suitable for drinking so it gets that.

The only way to ensure that you get RO or distilled is to mix it yourself with it. Or buy a coolant from a store that is sold premix. The brand owners of the coolants use RO water to premix that. But to be honest I dont like to be ripped off by buying 16 dollar/gallon water.

Not sure why you guys would say that an MB dealer might use poor quality water for coolant dilution. Do you know that based on actual knowledge of how a dealer dilutes antifreeze?

If they do use city water, I am sure that they would first make sure it complies with their own specifications. (See section 4 of pdf below). Mercedes are usually very particular about how their dealers maintain standards.

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/310.1_en.html

I have seen it first hand. water is pumped straight from the taps into the large drum used for complimentary top off.

Mechanics use an empty gallon can, fill up with water and premix the stuff right there and use an "airlift" setup to fill up the cars.

Its the same all across the board, whether the sign outside was a ford oval or the toyota thread n needle or the nissan hamburger or the mercedes star.

Interesting. I will have to ask my local dealer (who I know well) just how they do it.