antifreeze required for auckland winters?

[AllanC 4]

Hey people,

Looking at using water wetter instead of antifreeze in my coolant - any advice here? Is water wetter anti-corrosive and does it raise the boiling point like antifreeze - I presume it does?

We get the occasional frosty night still with Auckland winters, does that require antifreeze or does it need to be colder to really require it? I guess I can do a mix of anti freeze and water wetter but would prefer as much water wetter as possible (needing some additional cooling without an oil cooler or radiator upgrade).

Advice appreciated. 

[my_e36 43]

I could be wrong but I thought those two are different thing and do different job in the cooling system.

[*Glenn* 854]

You must use the genuine coolant mixed to the correct specifications on your 135i or you will risk damaging your electric water pump. BMW coolant has a lubricant in it. There is a special venting (bleeding) procedure that sometimes needs a good quality scanner to carry this out.

[KwS 2425]

Lol, "auckland winters", might as well just use straight water

Regardless, water wetter isnt an antifreeze. It can be used by its self in racing situations to improve cooling efficiency, and it does have anti-corrosive properties, but it wont stop freezing. It is really designed to aid traditional antifreeze, but as mentioned above i wouldnt bother.

[KwS 2425]

Wellington doesnt have a winter either lol, im from Canterbury so im well versed in proper cold. Kinda miss the days of the car doors being frozen shut.

[AllanC 4]

Thanks for the info, was just based off a discussion with someone else with an n54 engine who had used a different mix for their coolant than the stock mix and getting slightly better cooling results with it. 

[zero 1162]

On 8/22/2016 at 4:41 AM, *Glenn* said:

You must use the genuine coolant mixed to the correct specifications on your 135i or you will risk damaging your electric water pump. BMW coolant has a lubricant in it. There is a special venting (bleeding) procedure that sometimes needs a good quality scanner to carry this out.

Glenn, is this the same for the m54 engines with the mechanical water pump?

What coolant would you recommend for the m54's, and what ratio of coolant to water?

[Olaf 3318]

On 22 August 2016 at 6:58 PM, KwS said:

Wellington doesnt have a winter either lol, im from Canterbury so im well versed in proper cold. Kinda miss the days of the car doors being frozen shut.

just move to the north end of the hutt valley, you can fill yer boots with iced up windscreens.  Car doors frozen shut?  Surely you'd be using BMW Gummipfledge?  Stops your door seals sticking to the car in frozen conditions.

image credit:  from Bimmerfest

(I must confess, when I ordered Gummi-Pfledge from BMW Dealer when I was in the UK (circa 2000/2001), they did look at me oddly... it never arrived, and I've never bothered back in NZ)