Mercedes charge an arm and a leg for their coolant in Germany - shocker. About 50% more per litre - and you have to take your own container to put it in! (Very un-German, that is).
So, I did some research on BASF coolant and found a few good bits of info mixed in with some advertising, I am sure. I found this:
In order to prevent the engine from overheating, the cooling system has to be capable of absorbing the heat generated in the engine and releasing it to the to environment, but this is more difficult during hot weather. The cylinder head in the vicinity of the exhaust valves are particularly prone to overheating. Motorists are therefore recommended to use a high-performance engine coolant. “BASF has been supplying Glysantin* for 77 years. It has an excellent reputation, and it has continually been modified and adapted to fulfil the stringent demands of automobile manufacturers”, said Ralf Strauss. Glysantin increases the boiling point of water to around 110 °C if it is diluted with water in the correct ratio of 1:1. The coolant can absorb more heat than water alone without boiling. Glysantin also prevents deposits from forming inside the radiator. Deposits can quickly block the fine cooling channels in the radiator and impair the release of heat to the ambient air, with the result that the engine can easily overheat during hot summer weather.
The engine coolants supplied by BASF do more than just cooling the engine. Glysantin protects all the metals in the cooling circuit, such as cast iron, aluminium, steel and brass, from corrosion. The presence of water and the high temperatures inside the engine combine to create a very corrosive environment. Corrosion can cause deep holes to be formed in the metal, which can cause the water pump or the whole cooling system to fail and can even cause the engine to seize up. The corrosion inhibitors contained in Glysantin reliably prevent corrosion by reacting with the surfaces of the metals with which they come into contact in the cooling system to form a very thin layer that is extremely resistant to corrosion. Glysantin also prevents parts made from rubber and plastics, such as the header tank, overflow tank and radiator hoses, from being attacked by the coolant.
The high quality of Glysantin has been regularly confirmed by specialists. DEKRA, the international testing and certification company, has awarded its “Highly recommended” seal of approval to Glysantin on several occasions since the award was first made in 1996. The automobile industry is also convinced by the high performance of Glysantin from BASF, because it has more approvals than any other coolant.
Leading automobile manufacturers have confidence in Europe’s best selling engine coolant. Glysantin Alu Protect/G 30 has been specially developed by BASF as a premium product for use in all conventional engines and in modern, high-performance aluminium engines.
“Glysantin meets the challenges posed by today’s and tomorrow’s engine technology”, said Axel Kistenmacher, sales manager for Glysantin in Europe. Glysantin has already been approved by Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, MAN, MTU, Opel, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, VW and other motor manufacturers. Glysantin ensures that motorists reliably reach their holiday destination, whatever the weather.
...which seems to have the advertising bit built in, and then this post, which talks about phosphates and what they can do to your car. Don't know if any of it is true, but I'm sticking with my BASF coolant rather than the $20 per litre-bring-your-own-coke-bottle MB variant of probably the same thing.
http://stason.org/TULARC/vehicles/vw-technical/15-I-want-to-flush-my-cooling-system-Where-can-I-get-phosph.htmlJH
