100% coolant?

[GM]

Last year, when I purchased my car, my MB mechanic (40+ years experience with vintage Mercedes, been with him for 15+ years) flushed all my fluids, etc, including coolant and cleaned radiator. He refilled the coolant with 100% Mercedes coolant (blue) - no water. He said that in Southern California obviously we don't have to worry about freezing temps, and the MB coolant is best to prevent corrosion in the aluminum.
However, in reading posts here, comments have been made that adding water (distilled, or otherwise) improves cooling over coolant alone. Since I am concerned about overheating, living in SoCal, is there any consensus on this?
Thanks

[mrfatboy]

We here in San Diego use 50/50 MB blue coolant with distilled water. No issues.

[Pawel66]

It is clear recommendation form Daimler on the packaging: 50/50.

[GM]

Thanks, guys!

[mdsalemi]

...comments have been made that adding water (distilled, or otherwise) improves cooling over coolant alone. Since I am concerned about overheating, living in SoCal, is there any consensus on this?

I don't think you want "consensus" as much as fact: water is the best heat transfer fluid. But, that's just heat transfer; there's a host of other things to consider. Freezing, boiling, corrosion, etc. all factor in. That's why the 50/50 mix...

[GM]

Thanks, Mike.
This is all helpful - the fact that water is the helping factor in cooling vs. coolant alone is what I'm after.
I kept reading articles and posts about the percentage of water dilution tied to freeze prevention, which doesn't apply to me.
What I meant by consensus was really aimed at the endless online debate about the water used for dilution: tap, drinking, distilled (steam vs osmosis), etc.

[MikeSimon]

If you are concerned about heat transfer, ad "water wetter". We use this in motorcycle racing. You cannot use coolant fluid on the track, so we have to use plain water. "Water wetter" improves the heat transfer

https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter

[GM]

Thanks, Mike!

[thelews]

https://www.no-rosion.com/tech_coolant.htm

Take a look at this.  I'm a convert, RO water and no-rosion.  Freezing not an issue for me.

Coolant for cars is swimming in the kiddie pool for these guys.

[mdsalemi]

...I'm a convert, RO water and no-rosion...

Whoa, everyone please do your own research. RO water (water produced by a reverse osmosis purification system) is well known to be corrosive. Do a search for "Reverse Osmosis Corrosion" and judge for yourself. You will NOT find any metal fittings or pipes in an RO system for that reason. Now, that "no-rosion" additive might be compensating for that, but it doesn't change the fact that RO water can have an adverse affect on metal. The facts are pretty clear on that; not my opinion.

Want to do it right? Buy it premixed and leave the chemistry to others.

When I had a heated driveway at my former home in Michigan, I went to a specialist https://www.kostusa.com and had a special mix of 60/40 HTF created for the system, and relied on their expertise and chemists to blend it properly. The 40% PG mix would protect down to a level I could live with, and they blended in whatever they needed for corrosion protection. I purchased a 30 gallon drum, all premixed, and charged the system with 28 gallons and kept 2 gallons as a spare fluid.

[thelews]

Distilled and RO water are specifically addressed in the link I posted.  I think I'll stick with the guys who do coolant technology for trains, ships and multi-million dollar industrial machinery for guidance.

[MikeSimon]

Machinery is not machinery. You need to consider the presence of alloys in the unit. A lot of trains, ships and multi-million dollar machinery due not use alloys in their engines as weight is not a concern. Even "Simple Green" attacks aluminum. Food for thought.

[thelews]

I was not saying all engines are the same.  I was saying this firm has been providing coolant solutions to varied and large industry for 30 years or more.  Their formulas are rigorously tested on various metals and engine types.  The product offered for autos was borne of the CEO's vintage and custom car hobby.  I've spoken with and communicated with him by email extensively.  I'm comfortable with the company's expertise and product testing.  Others may not be, and that's fine.  Just put it out there as an alternative that works for me.

By the way, not near the mess of anti-freeze, can drain it down any drain, it's not toxic and good for 5 years with annual supplement of NoRo.

To each his own.

[mdsalemi]

I'm not passing judgement on NoRo or whatever. I'm saying, don't use reverse osmosis water because it is KNOWN to be CORROSIVE. Doesn't matter what you mix it with.

There are very few places in North America where you can get by with no antifreeze reliably. Even here in the Piedmont of NC, it rarely goes below freezing for very long, and if it does, it warms back up. But, we have had plenty of days where the temps outside are in the mid 20s overnight and before the sun comes up. That's a bit too risky. It also limits where you can drive; want to take your no-antifreeze car from Charlotte up into Asheville for the day? Well, just that short drive into the mountains will give you a world of difference in temps.

How many times have Orange Juice futures climbed because of a deep freeze in Florida? Or, the cherry crop in Michigan ruined by a deep freeze in May? Yeah, I'm keeping antifreeze in my car.

[thelews]

hmmm, guess they've built a coolant business giving corrosive advice.

[mdsalemi]

hmmm, guess they've built a coolant business giving corrosive advice.

No, but not all what they say is accurate. Here is something that does make sense:

   Q.  Should I use distilled water as coolant?

   A.  Yes. But only in a 50/50 mix. Distilled water should not be used as straight water coolant, because it can cause damage to system metals. The reason has to do with how distilled water is created.

So, basically--your average person is going to think that distilled water is "pure" and makes a good coolant, but as they say, only when mixed with anti-freeze.

Then they say this:

   Q.  What type of water is best to use as straight water coolant?

   A.  Reverse osmosis (RO) water. Rather than stripping impurities from water, RO filters them through a membrane. The resulting water is electrochemically stable, and not harmful to metals in a cooling    system. RO water is every bit as pure as distilled water, but without the risk of electrochemical stripping of electrons from system metals.

Yes, RO water is, in its simplest form, "mechanically distilled" water. However, their line "electrochemically stable and not harmful to metals" is pure nonsense. The science behind it is real, and it's not my opinion. However, adding their magic juice may eliminate those corrosive properties by adjusting the pH and adding buffering agents...basically unpurifying the pure water.

To each their own. I believe science...and I follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Everyone is free to choose their own magic potion. Once I recored my radiator through SL Tech, my cooling problems which plagued me early on completely went away. No magic juice.

[thelews]

I believe science...

Did you hear today that scientists now say there's more water on the moon than they thought?  (for decades)

Science evolves, it's what science is about.

To each his own beliefs.