coolant question help?

recently purchased a 996 cab with 17 k miles coolant light comes on intermittently shop said was down a small amount and added 4 0z. what is the correct coolant type, the operators book says only porsche approved coolant I was told I must use a phosphate free type what names do these type go by are they the same and can I top off with water thanks for your help David

If it needs a small amount then use water. Porsche $ells 1 liter bottles of coolant. It use to have the Arteco brand name on the container. Arteco is a joint venture b/w Texaco and the euro chemical company Elf. I asked US Chevron/Texaco if I could buy an equal product at any normal car parts place. Chevron contaced europe. Havoline and Chevron Dex-Cool extended life meets the requirements of Porsche but "are not yet approved." Like Porsche is ever going to approve something something I can buy at any parts place for a fraction of the cost. In the UK Mobil sells a coolant approved by Porsche. Do not think Mobil sells coolant in the US. Guess Mobil got the approval because they already pay Porsche for the Mobil 1 sticker under the rear trunk lid.

Jeff, in the UK, Porsche sell the exact same stuff as shown in your picture. The coolant is supposed to be a once only lifetime fillup, so I believe. I guess it would need topping up every now and then though but I would suspect something if it takes a lot and is frequent. I would also guess they (the dealer) would replace the coolant at service intervals.

please, let's get this straight before somebody damages their car: NO COOLANT IS LIFETIME!!! i've seen several people post this opinion over the last few months, but it's incorrect. the older, short-life coolant is ALWAYS green. it has a life of 30K miles or 3 years. the newer technology, long-life coolant is orange, pink, or red (very occassionally blue). it has a life of 150K miles or 5 years. i've heard of owner's manuals that even say it's lifetime (scary). that's like saying gasoline will last forever when you leave it in your tank. any fluid that you leave in your car will degrade over time and/or miles. you MUST use the long-life coolant in cars designed for it. DO NOT use the short-life coolant. you can use either type of coolant in a car designed for short-life coolant, as long as it's a newer car, but not older cars (see below about acids). you can switch from short-life to long-life coolant when you flush the coolant. DO NOT MIX THE TYPES. however, either type can be mixed with water. what makes them different: long-life coolant has newer organic acid technology that depletes slower than the older coolant. this means that manufacturers don't need to add supplemental coolant additives to prolong coolant life. however, this makes the newer coolants more corrosive, so keep them away from silicon, brass, and all metallic surfaces that you can. most engines today are made to accept this coolant, even if they don't come with it from the factory. older engines can get corroded because they're not designed to work with the harsher acids and you can destroy your cooling system. newer coolants don't have to use as many silicates (or phosphates) in them, which are the particles that clog your coolant system. hence the longer service life. i hope this helps shed some light on the subject!