I just ask for the orange coolant.

 

Three points:

1. The BMW plastic cooling systems parts have short life spans ... watch them closely!
2. Our cars hold very little coolant (probably about 2 gallons total - and that's a 50-50 mix) so while coolant purchased at a dealer parts counter can be more expensive than some universal product at Autozone I feel it's the best way to avoid mixing incompatible coolants. I don't know who makes BMW's coolants but this eliminates any guessing for me.
3. DO NOT USE TAP WATER [too many chemicals and minerals] to mix your stuff 50-50 ... buy a gallon of DISTILLED WATER.

Keep your cool when the summer arrives

 

dexcool? thats for gm cars

personaly i'd buy the bmw coolant. its blue in color.
or if i was in a pinch, buy the yellow prestone.

 

Coolant brand/color doesn't matter. Only important thing is that the coolant is phosphate free. Virtually all coolant is these days. All coolant brands and types are compatible with each other. However, mixing normal with long life will render the coolant normal life for all practical purposes. BMW coolant just gives you blue coolant.

 

well, true. but if you dont want muddy looking coolant, i'd try to stick with the same color.

 

Snagged this from Prestone's website,
That said, I guess if I was doing a full flush and refilling with new coolant and distilled water guess there wouldn't be any problem. However, if the original coolant / water was being topped off I wonder if the phosphate issue would surface. Anyway, netting it out for me, $8.00/gal for Prestone or $11/gal for the BMW stuff ... I think I'd go hog wild and blow the extra $3.00. But that's just me. Whatever the color ... remember use DISTILLED Water

 

no need to mix when you buy premixed stuff

 

Thanks all it fixed. After I installed the tank by myself, I put like 2gal market coolant in. few days later, the light warning said "the coolant level is low". Then I bring it to the dealer, said to them I already put 2gal "not type of BMW coolant" in it. After 20mins my car out and very clean, He gave me the key and said its done. I asked "where I can pay for", he said "there are nothing to pay". Im like ("o") really?
spent 65$ for the tank, and 200 for the NAV 2011 for that day and solve the problem.