Which Coolant Can I Put In My MINI?

Ensuring that your engine is protected goes much further than choosing the correct oil, which helps to lubricate the internal elements of your engine. Throughout the year, your car’s engine can experience temperatures ranging from over 100 degrees celsius, right down to minus figures in the harshest winters. If you don’t have sufficient coolant in your engine during the winter, you run the risk of the liquid freezing, potentially damaging your engine block and radiator. In the summer, the opposite can occur with the risk of boiling and damage to your head gasket. Not all engines are created equal and not all coolants are suitable for all engines. That’s why it’s so crucial to make sure that you choose the right coolant for your car, change it when required and protect your engine against potential damage from extreme temperatures.  

What’s the difference between antifreeze and coolant?

Simply put, both antifreeze and coolant refer to the same product. A brightly coloured liquid that mixes with the water in engines to either raise the boiling point to stop your car overheating, or lowers the freezing point to ensure that water does not solidify or freeze and cause damage to the engine block by expanding. As well as managing temperature at a safe level, there are additional benefits of using coolant thanks to its anti-corrosive properties, which protect metal elements from damage, and helps to prevent limestone deposits which is particularly useful if you’re using hard water and not distilled water in your engine.  

What options of coolant are there?

There are several types of coolant available on the market, and whilst most are commonly differentiated by their colours, each are composed of different ingredients and technology to provide different levels of performance and protection. When you get a new car, your coolant might be a different colour to your previous one, and though it might be tempting to use up any leftover coolant in your garage, it’s important that you don’t and make sure you use the correct fluid. At Lohen, we regularly see customer MINIs that are running with incorrect coolant, which usually means that they’ve been spec’d the wrong solution in the past.  

Why is coolant / antifreeze available in different colours?

With such a varied range of coolants available on the market, and with significant changes in both engine and coolant technology over the past 20 to 30 years, it’s understandable that there’s much confusion about which fluid is correct. It was originally intended for the different colours of coolant to help car owners identify the chemicals that the solution is composed of - usually green, red, orange, yellow or blue - and the type of technology which prevents corrosion:   Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) - usually a green or a blue colour, IAT coolants were normally found in older cars and would last around 2 years, or 30,000 miles before a change was required. Silicates and phosphates were added to help protect internal metal parts. Organic Acid Technology (OAT) - usually coloured orange, these fluids can last for longer periods (up to 5 years or 150,000 miles) but may not protect internal metal components as well due to the lack of silicates or phosphates. Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) - usually yellow and designed for newer cars, a HOAT coolant is a mix of IAT and OAT products, containing either silicates or phosphates to prevent corrosion and rusting.   These days, the colour of your coolant does not necessarily correspond with the type of technology used and you should always make sure to the correct fluid that is suitable for your engine type. Of course, this means that if you purchase a car you might not be able to tell straight away which coolant type is being used, and if you were to mix these types then it could have serious ramifications for your engine’s health. Even though you may not see any performance issues such as overheating or freezing, the real damage could be carried out internally. Over time, coolant loses the important properties that protect the internals of your engine from corrosion. That means as the coolant starts to age, the metal parts of your engine may start to corrode, for example the efficiency of the water pump will drop and eventually fail when the exposed aluminium of the water pump is not protected. The best thing we would recommend for you to do, is to book in for a coolant change where your original coolant is thoroughly flushed out and a new, compatible product added.  

Which coolant to use on your MINI & when to change it?

At Lohen, we typically use Alpine Antifreeze BT Blue from Millers Oils when changing coolant, as this is compatible with everyday driving in new MINI engines. Classed as a HOAT, this is free from nitrates, amines and phosphates (NAP free) and can offer protection of up to -42 degrees celsius when mixed at a 1:1 ratio. It’s ideal to use as it can perform well when mixed with both hard and soft water, and protects your internal engine components for around 2 years before needing to be replaced. For Gen 1 and Gen 2 models we’d recommend changing this coolant every 2 years, to ensure that your engine is getting the most protection. For newer Gen 3 F series engines, it requires changing less frequently. Whilst it is designed to be a ‘lifetime’ coolant, citing protection for up to 20 years, MINI and BMW recommend you change this coolant every 4 years to ensure that the corrosion inhibiting properties of the coolant are still effective.  

Performance coolant / antifreeze for track & race MINI’s

For those of you who are pushing your engines to the limits, you’ll need a more heavy duty coolant. We recommend Evans Waterless Coolant, which can protect as low as -40 degrees celsius whilst raising the boiling point to over 180 degrees, eliminating the risk of overheating when compared to standard water based coolants. Red in colour, this product is most commonly used for track days, racing and for MINI owners who are ramping up the output of their engine. It also benefits from producing 75% less vapour than standard, water-based coolants, which reduces the pressure on gaskets and seals and reduces the risk of fluid leakage. If you regularly track your MINI, you may wish to replace your coolant after a track season, but due to the fact coolant does not degrade, it is not required. If you are racing your MINI it is common to completely drain your coolant system after every race, some tracks may prefer you to use water in your coolant system because coolant can leave an oily residue on track if it leaks.  

How to add coolant to your car:

Adding coolant to your engine is easy enough and can be done on your driveway without the need for any tools or expertise. Ideally, you should be checking your coolant levels regularly, particularly during the summer and winter months or if you’ve been using your car for longer journeys or track days.

Here’s how to add coolant / antifreeze to your MINI

Step 1 - Park on a level surface and wait for your engine to cool down Step 2 - Open the bonnet by releasing the latch, usually locate next to the passenger door, and propping the hood open Step 3 - Local your coolant tank, which is usually towards the back of the engine Step 4 - Slowly remove the coolant tank cap, which allows any built up pressure to escape Step 5 - Fill the tank up to the MAX line by either pouring carefully or use a funnel to prevent spillage. Step 6 - Leave the car to run for a few minutes as the level can drop further once the coolant cycles through the system. Step 7 - Replace the cap, making sure it’s secure and close the bonnet  

Book your waterless coolant change with Lohen here For more assistance, contact our team on 01785 859999 or [email protected]