A couple years ago a family member gave me a bunch of BMW products for X-mas including the BMW soft top cleaning kit for my Z4 along with detailing sprays, a scratch repair kit and some BMW windshield wiper fluid concentrate. I have no idea how much the BMW wiper fluid cost, because I've always used whatever seems best at the local gas station or home improvement store.

We live in WI where temps can frequently get well below zero during the winter so today I bought some wiper fluid that claims to be good up to -35 below (F) at the gas station near our house. I used the entire container to fill up my wife's car and figured that it would be a perfect time to mix some of the BMW wiper fluid concentrate now that I have an empty plastic bottle.

While reading the back of the BMW bottle it has several different recommended concentration levels to mix with water based upon the climate. Reading down the label I notice that even at the highest concentrate that the fluid ISN'T good below 3 degrees (F). What gives? Why would the dealer even sell it in this region? I suppose that I could use it during the summer months, but now I have to make sure that I flush out the system come winter?....no thanks. I'm out of warranty so I don't take my car to the dealer anymore unless absolutely necessary, but I can't imagine that they're filling up their customer's cars with this type of fluid.

I guess I'm sticking with the cheap stuff at $2/bottle. Anyone interested in the BMW fluid can find it peacefully sitting at the bottom of the trash can in my garage

 

hahaha. ya i find that extremely strange. why would this dealer even supply that product when it says its not good under those conditions...weird. good thing you read the directions.

 

The -3 rating ... was that celsius or Farenheit. If it's a German product, might well be scaled in farenheit.

Just checking as you put an F after the temp and +3 Farenheit equates to approx -16 celsius.

 

I think my CPO came with the BMW windshield washer fluid because after it got low I added the cheap stuff and it did not atomize as well.
I do not know how expensive the BMW fluid is but I like it enough to pay a little extra for it.

 

Never had a problem with the BMW concentrate even at -15F

 

Since when did the Germans use farenheit?

The US yes, the UK sometimes, Europe its always Celsius.

 

Over a lot of driving years, I've tried a lot of fluids from cheap to expensive. The best IMO is Rain-X. Its not a concentrate, is yellow in colour and is good to -40C or -40F.

 

+ works for me but I haven't had temps much lower than -5 degrees. And I like the smell too !!

 

Thanks for the heads up.