Are BMW Antifreeze and Coolant the Same Thing?
3 Answers
BMW antifreeze and coolant are not the same thing. The differences between automotive antifreeze and coolant are as follows: 1. Coolant refers to the liquid that can lower the engine temperature; antifreeze, whose full name is antifreeze coolant, is a liquid that prevents the radiator from freezing and cracking and the engine cylinder block from freezing in cold winters. 2. Coolant only has a cooling effect, while antifreeze has both cooling and antifreeze effects. For example, coolant can be water or antifreeze. 3. If the coolant is water, it will be affected by cold seasons. Antifreeze is a coolant with antifreeze function and can be used all year round. 4. Coolant is composed of ethylene glycol, dye, pure water, and coolant additives.
I've been driving my BMW for seven or eight years, and I know that antifreeze and coolant are actually the same thing. In summer, it's called coolant, specifically for cooling down the engine; in winter, it's antifreeze, preventing freezing and expanding that could damage the radiator. Every year before winter, I go to the 4S shop to test the freezing point, ensuring it can withstand the local weather of minus 20 degrees. BMW's dedicated coolant is blue, so don't mix it with other colored liquids. Last year, my friend mixed in green coolant, resulting in sediment that clogged the pipes and cost over 3,000 yuan to fix. Additionally, this stuff slowly depletes—when I check the fluid level every month, I notice it drops by two or three millimeters. If it goes below the MIN mark, it's time to top it up with the original factory product.
As a frequent visitor to auto repair shops, I believe that the antifreeze and coolant in BMWs are essentially the same fluid. Its main component is an ethylene glycol aqueous solution, suitable for both winter and summer use: it doesn't freeze at -40 degrees Celsius and doesn't boil at 110 degrees. Just last week, I helped a customer deal with a coolant leakage issue caused by aging rubber hoses. BMW's cooling system has special sealing requirements, and it's recommended to replace the entire system every 40,000 kilometers. Never use tap water as a substitute—tap water can cause scale buildup, reducing cooling efficiency by 30% in just six months. Performance enthusiasts should take extra care; vehicles with ECU tuning run at higher engine temperatures and require BMW HPF high-performance coolant.
