After a disastrous HG/front cover experience with a formerly well regarded local indy shop, I wound up getting an oil change at a non-LR specialist shop that specializes in BMWs (and hey, the D2 was a BMW production...). When I picked it up, they said "Your expansion tank was empty, we topped it up".

Um. With BMW Blue Coolant.

Not what you want to hear at 5:00 on Friday.

A few panicked calls later, I get opinions that this probably isn't going to kill me over the weekend, and secure a promise from the shop owner to do whatever it takes to make it right.

My question: what exactly should that be??

I have no idea what coolant was in it, most likely the cheapest Dex-Cool the shop I won't name could find.

Should I have them flush and take me back to the factory spec (but not well regarded on this board) Dex-Cool? Should have have them flush and convert me to the blue BMW coolant (they say that use it in everything the service except newer Mercedes which take their own special kind of coolant)?? Should I just say screw it and go back to air cooled engines?

I'm sure you guys have opinions, let's have 'em.

Thanks.

P.S. In my nearly 15 years of owning Rovers, I've never had this happen. Even the franchise while-you-wait oil change places don't do that. I am impressed by the new shop owner's admission of fault and willingness to make it right, and eagerness to learn about LR service (possibly even hiring an LR Master Tech), but damn... why does his learning curve have to happen on my truck?

 

I'd say drain it and refill with green universal coolant.

 

I did not know there was a well regarded indy shop in Portland that still uses Dex!

 

I have no idea if the blue BMW coolant is compatible with Dex-Cool or not. If not, you should change all coolant out, but if it is compatible, forget about it and keep moving along----however, I suspect that it probably isn't compatible with Dex-Cool. Dex Cool is known to do long term damage to some plastics and gaskets; it definitely gets thick, like a milk shake, when exposed to air in the coolant system; it has other problems that you will learn about if you do little Dex-Cool research online. Personally, I couldn't wait to get it all out of my Rover; that is precisely what I did, replacing it with green colored genuine Prestone, the one that says formulated for aluminum engines; compatible with ALL other coolant brands. Haven't had a problem with coolant system since, and engine stays cool (using 180 degree common Chevrolet V8 thermostat inline conversion, which works beautifully). I am in Oregon, same as you, so I suggest you do as I have done to my coolant system, to avoid overheating issues with Rover engine, long term---worked for me!

 

well, blue sounds like a nice color. and apparently it's made for aluminium engines.

btw- your comment got me thinking a bit, I wonder how many of the guys on here are just about as qualified as an LR master tech? (certainly not this kid, ask me how many times it takes to burp my cooling system, or why its important to inspect transmission gaskets when you mate the two pieces together!)

 

dexcool and standard coolant = slud reaction.

I'd ask for the bottle of what they used to see what kind of chemical it is and what it contains and compair it to standard green, dex and universal ingredients... could be no harm no foul, could make some nice orange brown gummy crap.

edit:
another big issue, why was it low! keep an eye on the level extra carefull for the next few days for sure.
second if they admitted it, thats good buisness practice, people **** up at least he didnt try to hide it. id also ask a land rover dealership about it, and if they say dont use the blue, id go back to the shop and say i asked the land rover dealership and they said its a no go, and request they drain and refill for you at thier expense. if they play hardball and refuse id look to get things in writting and play the "i'll forward it to my attorney" ball rollin... but i find being understanding but still conserned and considerate gets thigns done faster then demanding things they may say they will do it IF down the road you start having cooling problems, but if thats the case get THAT in writting too.

 

@Dave03S - note that I said "formerly". Which I didn't realize at the time the truck was dropped off late last summer (yeah, I just got it back)...

@grandkodiak - yes, figuring out where the leak comes from is next on the list. I'm afraid that the list of things these guys screwed up is probably getting longer, to the point that I may have a head gasket leak after just getting them done. I hate this having to second guess all the work done stuff....

I've done a lot of on-line research today and consensus is that the BMW blue stuff is very good. The big downside is that it's not readily available.

They have already agreed to do whatever it takes to make it right, so a complete drain / flush / refill on their dime is forthcoming. I just want to make sure that I put the right stuff back in when they do so. They're lobbying for BMW blue, won't do Dex-Cool at all, don't like the Prestone green stuff particularly either.

I'm trying to stay on my side of the river (Vancouver, WA) for anything that doesn't take a black belt in Testbook T4 (and I'd certainly welcome being able to keep all my service over here).

 

plus its a cool blue color, too. that would be enough for me

 

BMW blue coolant would be an excellent choice. It is a hybrid organic coolant, meaning it contains organic acid like dex cool, but also some extra additives which make it more compatible with older engines.

Other HOAT coolants are Valvoline Xerex G05, VW G12+. Everyone is using them now, as they have the long life of Dexcool but fix some of the problems that had.

I'd trust it much better in the LR than the green stuff. I used it in my Jaguar V12 after a lot of research. Basically it's about the best coolant you can get.

I like your shop, they seem to know what they are talking about.

It's also highly unlikely that there would be any negative consequences of mixing Dexcool and the BMW blue.

 

"dexcool and standard coolant = slud reaction." This is an old wive's tale.

What is a HOAT coolant (hybrid organic acid technology) if it isn't a mix of dexcool and standard coolant?

Dexcool contains sebacate and 2-EHA (2-ethylhexanoic acid) as the corrosition inhibitors.

BMW Blue contains sebacate, 2-EHA, and silicates as the corrosion inhibitors.

To quote from Wikipedia :

"HOAT coolants typically mix an OAT with a traditional inhibitor, such as silicates or phosphates."

Everything you never wanted to know about coolants :

Antifreeze - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia