[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by vishy76

Simply flush the entire system thoroughly. Remove the return line that comes into the expansion tank, and start the engine. Coolant will start coming out. Keep topping the tank up with distilled water. When you see clear distilled water coming out of the return line, you can be rest assured the system has been flushed perfectly. Drain and pour fresh new coolant in.

This is a nice and easy way to do a DIY flush of the cooling system. Never thought of this. Thanks

I would add to turn on the heater so that the old coolant in the heater core is also flushed out

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

When in doubt, Stick to distilled water. In case of an emergency (like leakages), even mineral water is okay but not for long distances. It can be used to avoid damage to the head gasket and reach the workshop safely. Stick to the prescribed coolant. It's best to get the coolant flushed now and install the correct coolant. Mixing of two different coolants can be hazardous.

Absolutely. I would go further and say that mineral water/bisleri water can be used for longer periods as well if stuck in a place where one does not have access to required spares. Someone I know of kept topping bisleri water in his Safari when there was a minor leak in the coolant system on his trip to Leh/Ladhak. He did so until he reached Bangalore and got the repair done.

This is far better than using some unknown coolant and mixing it with incompatible coolant. Most mechanics in India have no idea about Organic and Inorganic coolant and just go by Color - Green, Blue, Pink. I have not seen the nature of the coolant specified even on the coolant bottles. So the mechanics just match the color of the coolant and fill.

[NYMEX]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

E.g. Middle eastern countries have a boiling problem but no freezing problem while Iceland has a freezing problem but not a boiling problem.

The night temperature in the desert in Middle East drops below freezing point. My father's friend forgot to use anti-freeze in his Mercedes & the engine seized next morning after a few kilometers of driving. The color is an indication of the inorganic & organic constituents in the coolant. Therefore, mixing of different color coolants will cause coagulation.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

I really hope that’s not the case.

Hi, what is the update? Did you get the procedure reversed? Is the car back to its original state?

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

Hi, what is the update? Did you get the procedure reversed? Is the car back to its original state?

Yes, I had sent the car to the Merc service centre one week ago for replacing the coolant. I had also asked them to have a look at why the warning appeared in the first place.

No leaks were found, but they found an error with the radiator fan. (Code: P048300). The code pertains to a defect with the fan itself, so the whole assembly needs to be replaced. The car is still lying there, awaiting parts from Germany. Thankfully, no damage was done to critical parts of the engine and the cooling system.

Once the fan is replaced, they will also flush the coolant. I asked them about the process they’ll use. They said that they will first drain the system with de-ionised water, followed by one round of flushing with a cleaning agent (A0029864271). Once they are done with this, they will flush it with one round of coolant and then finally, they will fill the correct coolant in the correct proportion and quantity.

Quite a labour intensive process. I expect the car to be back by the middle of this month.

[akg7091]

I just checked "A0029864271" and this costs a cool 300 euro for just a radiator flush ! Takes a lot of money to maintain a merc

[drsachin]

Coolant is one aspect of the car which most mechanics,and i would say almost 90% of them have almost no knowledge. There is no guarantee that mechanics from even ASS are any better. I have spoken to numerous mechanics from both ASS and FNGs, Multi-brand workshops, almost none of them had any idea about types of coolant and the side effects of mixing coolant types. The biggest problem is most mechanics at even ASS are paid very low wages and once a mechanic gets a little experience they try to open their own garages. I always get my car service in front of me and speak to them in a friendly manner. This problem of low wages, and shifting jobs is prevalent at almost all mass Market car manufacturers such as Marutis, Hyundais, Tatas and Mahindras. Not sure if situation is any better at luxury car manufacturers. There are little to no programs run by car manufacturers to train these mechanics. Even the service supervisors are not any better. Most of the time service supervisors are just trained in milking money by suggesting useless addon works with the sole purpose of raising service bills.

Both ASS and FNGs suffer from a different set of problems. At ASS most workers work like government job workers. There is no incentive for them to work ethically. They have a relatively easier job then FNGs or multi-brand workshops as they are dealing with fewer models of cars from same manufacturer and even the cars are newer with little issues with them. So they deal with the problem of having a callous attitude, unless the supervisor is genuine or the worker himself is ethical. Most workers at ASS believe that servicing a car means changing oils, filters washing only. They hardly spend any time checking functioning of other aspects or there components of the car. Problem is compounded at those manufacturers such as Hyundai who adopt newer cutting edge or rather I would say bleeding edge technologies rapidly with every new model of cars. The situation is better at Maruti which is too slow in adopting latest technologies. This is one of the reason why present day Hyundai cars brake down lot while Marutis don't. The rapid changing technologies at Hyundai are not matched with mechanic training at workshops. So ASS workshops suffer from doing too little work when a car comes for a service.
The situation is exactly opposite at multi-brand car workshops. They deal with multiple varities of cars of different makes. They also deal with cars which are older or in bad shapes then the one at ASS. So the worker at a multi-brand workshop is a little better trained in car service then his counterpart at ASS. But since they deal with multiple varities of cars they have this habbit of probing your car a little too much. They would like to change all fluids, such as engine oils, coolants etc even if the change is not required. Mind you even if they are better trained but the training is still "Incomplete". So they suffer from problem of doing a little too much.

So how do car manufacturers deal with the problem of poor worker training at workshops. Instead of costly training methods they do following.
1. Marutis do that by introducing latest technologies at a snails pace. Another reason why I would shy away from buying any latest technology car(Hybrid Grand vitara) from them.
2. Car manufacturers try to introduce long life fluids such as"coolants" which may not require any changes for a reasonable life of a car. Yes they do require changes but after a "reasonable" life such as 7 to 8 years. So training in varieties of coolants is not required.
3. Toyota too introduce latest technologies slowly. They also like to introduce only those technologies which are "Too robust" or extensively tested by them. Ofcourse use of long life fluids requiring fewer changes. They also have fewer car models to deal with( Likely to change after introduction of newer car models from maruti). They also deal with fewer cars at workshop as most toyota cars are expensive. Having a little lesser load at workshop helps. Again likely to change thanks to joint development of low cost cars with maruti. That's the main reason why Toyota customers are the happiest lot when it comes to quality of service, not that the service centres or the workers are any better then other manufacturers.

So in the end would suggest following.
1. Buy maruti cars like most Indians do . Your car may not have latest technologies but it's better then having latest technology but little support from service centres.
2. Always witness your car getting service. You will know if ASS has missed a particular essential work or if Multi-brand workshop has done a non essential thing.
3. Sell your car after 4/5 years if you are too lazy or don't have time to witness your car getting a service. Better buy cheaper or older technology cars and change your car frequently like a disposable thing.
4. Become a member of "TeamBHP" , read your service manuals religiously and become a well informed car user like a pro. This will help you maintain your cars for long.

In the end i would like to share my experience from my last car "Hyundai fluidic verna".
I got it serviced at different ASSs for upto 76000 kms. None of them did anything other then changing filters and washing. Most importantly none of them ever checked any essential such as "Brakes". Almost all services were attended by me. During covid lockdown when ASS was not open and i was forced to get service at a "Gomechanic workshop". It was the first time the brakes were opened. The rear brake pads were like a thin plate, almost at the end of life. They were changed and brake calipers serviced for the first time. There was definitely a better brake experience after the service. But they did put wrong grade fluids such as "Engine oil, coolants etc". I also got clutch overhaul and suspension overhaul done at another "Gomechanic workshop" but by this time i had become a "TeamBHP member" started reading about my car service requirements. I bought Spares myself from the market saving not just money but far happier then usual ASS experience. I learnt the right time to "Sell" my car, as i now Know a lot about my car Service requiremens. So know very well when the cost of ownership of older car would be more then the cost of ownership of a newer car and the peace it will bring with it.

[Gansan]

^^That is what I like about EVs. Hardly anything to service in them, except wheel alignment, brake adjustment/repair and a water wash. No other moving parts, nothing to attend! It can be done by sending a technician to our own home, unless a visit to the servce centre is deemed necessary.

That is the model Ola scooters is following. The mechanic will visit when it is time for a service, or we log any specific request in the app.

[drsachin]

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^That is what I like about EVs. Hardly anything to service in them, except wheel alignment, brake adjustment/repair and a water wash. No other moving parts, nothing to attend! It can be done by sending a technician to our own home, unless a visit to the servce centre is deemed necessary.

That is the model Ola scooters is following. The mechanic will visit when it is time for a service, or we log any specific request in the app.

That's true hardly any serviceable or repairable part in them. Use as long in warranty and throw them off like a disposable thing once battery/warranty is over....