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I've never used Mercedes coolant, only Saab coolant for the two years it was installed in my four new cars, and have never had a cooling-system problem in any of my five Saabs owned in the past 20 years. One exception:
My '95 Aero's original thermostat stuck open late last year and was replaced.
Early in the life of the "extended-life" coolants, probably the mid-'90's, I installed Texaco Dex-Cool in my '91 9KT, and since then my choice has been Prestone Extended Life. Before that it was Prestone green. Keep in mind that Mercedes coolant is (was?) ethylene glycol with no green dye added to the formula. Is the anti-corrosion package better than anything else? Show me evidence.
I don't buy Mercedes coolant, but I've heard the latest generation is orange in color. Do you think Mercedes has a coolant factory that they run themselves? I think not, and like Saab or any other OEM it is contracted out to a set of specs to a coolant manufacturer. So is the additive package better than anyone else's? I don't know, and I've never seen evidence that it is. Also, if Mercedes coolant was identical to Prestone, for example, do you have any doubt it would cost $4 more than that brand?
Please be patient with this analogy: People who drink wine tend to be more cognizant of their diet than do beer drinkers, which skewed health statistics to suggest that wine was better for your health than beer or other alcoholic beverages. It was later found that this factor influenced the results, and it is now believed that any alcoholic beverage consumed in moderation is healthful, not just red wine. Along the same lines, those who install Mercedes coolant *may* be more vigilant with cooling-system maintenance than the average driver who uses whatever their local shop puts in, and they may miss a change or two in between. My point here is that Townsend isn't making a scientific analysis of this issue, but are presumably reporting that there is a link between frequency of maintenance and the type of coolant used. Do they site the change intervals used for all types and all situations? How do we know if the parameters are the same, or even similar?
I'm the type of fanatic that would use Mercedes coolant if I really thought it was better than what I now use, but I haven't seen evidence that supports that option. I invite it, as I'm eager to learn. That's why I post here.
posted by 68.11.251...
, Fri, 7 Mar 2003 12:44:51
, Fri, 7 Mar 2003 08:32:24, Fri, 7 Mar 2003 14:44:23
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