What brand of coolant is acceptable?

Need to put a few ounces of coolant in the 996, but after reading the manual, it specifies a coolant approved by the Porsche dealer. My dealer has lost the master mechanic, as well as all the sales people I've dealt with. Is Prestone good enough? Or should I use a European brand like ELF?

By the way, anybody who needs to ask technical questions like these don't need to bother with Customer Commitment. Those operators did not even know that the 996 needed antifreeze!

Arthur: I'm really surprized and disappointed to hear that no one at your Porsche dealership knows what kind of antifreeze (coolant) to put in a 996. I don't either, but then I don't have a 996, and I'm not at a Porsche dealership. Your owner's manual isn't much help either. My other European car owner's manuals recommend a phosphate-free coolant which is supposed to be easier on alum engine parts over an extended period of time. I think quite a few European car mfgs (e.g., Audi/VW, BMW, Saab) have their own parts numbers for the coolant, although it's probably all made by the same company and placed in different containers. Hopefully, a more helpful response will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, hold off on the Prestone.

I called Champion in Pompano Beach, and they told me the coolant was made by ELF, the petrol company that sponsored many Renault rally events as well as F1 races. Problem is, you can't buy this "over-the-counter".

The stuff you want is called Porsche Frostschutz ( antifreeze !) . Comes in 1 qt bottles at dealerships. Usually, you dilute it 50:50 with distilled water . There are various antifreeze formulations at auto parts stores these days such as reg Prestone, Dex-Cool equivalents, etc. I'd just get the Porsche stuff , since who knows what brand it's equal to.

By the way, the Porsche stuff I have is made in Belgium by Anteco NV , not ELF.

uh..have you tried water <g> Mine has asked for a 1/4-1/2 of a cup twice over it's 27K. Can't imagine that its diluting the coolant. There was a thread a long ways back that discussed the merits of a 50/50 mix of coolant and h20, and the addition of a wetter water product. The result was a significantly cooler car on the track and in town. It's funny how we tip tow around a porsche cooling system when we've had plenty of experience with radiators on every other car. Perry

Way to go Perry! The solution is easy for someone who reads carefully; top up a few ozs (but not a qt) with H2O.

Manual says to top it of with water, BUT, to go thereafter to the dealer ASAP. I called my dealer, and they said that since the dilution of the mixture is changed, I would have to drain the system and fill it up with the proper dilution. Charge: $75.oo. Yup. I am a warranty freak. I don't know if PCNA's dealers have a specific gravity meter that can test the mixtures' SG. If I topped my reservoir off, left it alone, and 1 year from now my engine conks out for any reason, and the dealer that checks the fluid and determines that I had added water (hey, who knows?) and voids my warranty, I have nothing to fall back on. So, to be on the safe side, I wanted to be as close to the book as possible with this car as long as it still has the warranty...JUST IN CASE. After the warranty is up, then I'll fudge things a little here and there. Call me psychotic, but I've dealt with too many bureaucrats in the service department.

I appreciate your concern with keeping the warranty intact, but if that's the same dealer that didn't even know what coolant to put in your car, I'd call another dealer for a second opinion. I admit that I don't know much about coolant in a 996, but draining and refilling (at $75) after adding a few ozs of water sounds unnecessary (but profitable for the dealer) to me.