Pink coolant is what your car takes. 325.5 and 325.6 is what you want. It's Zerex G40, or VW pink coolant. If you have access to either, use it.

To drain the intercooler, you just pop off the coolant hose at the lowest junction. Which is typically the auxiliary pump behind the bumper, front of the passenger wheel.

To drain the radiator, the fastest way is to just pop off the lower radiator hose. The guide up there works, but takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

You'll need about two gallons, 1 gallon concentrate and 1 gallon water, or two gallon of premixed.

 

Thank you very much for your reply. I am wondering why FCP Euro said mine should be blue, and the user manual comes with the car also says it should be 325.0/326.0, which is blue. But since it is currently has pink in it, and the car is fine, I guess it should be OK? The coolant thing is so confusing.

 

Great writeup, Deplore! 2nd your statement that the correct coolant is the pink. I am thinking of flushing mine, but was stalled by needing to pull the turbos to access the block drains...... Was also wondering about the 2nd circuit, thanks for clearing that up. Anyway, the dealer has the correct pink juice, of course.

I am in the final stages of trans fluid flush right now. About to push the 8th liter in, and noticed i was given 1 bottle of .14 along with the 7L of .15. So glad i noticed it was red and did not pump it in. That would have been a flushing job for the ages....

Thanks,
Hugh

 

I imagine the pink Zerex G40 will be the appropriate coolant for a 2013 GL450 as well? Thanks. I'll probably be changing coolant in January or February

 

Unless you "want" to do a complete flush, stick with the type (color) that's in there. The dealer tells me the coolant changed in the 2015 models to the pink. I just bought a 2014 X188 w/the blue coolant. It's got 40k miles on it, has been serviced by the dealer. Dealer tells me some folks changed to the pink on the older GL450s, but it requires a complete flush. He didn't tell me why they changed, I guess I should have asked. With the low miles on mine I'm guessing it's the original coolant.

Bilp
'99 230SLK
'05 SL500
'14 GL450

 

Likely because blue coolant was for the non-turbo M276 and M278. Pink coolant is for the turbo engines.

 

Confused. Isn't M278 turbo charged?

 

Correct, I'm referring to the M276 that come in both variants.

 

I still have not changed the coolant in my 2013 GL450. It definitely has twin turbos, but at the intake manifold under the engine cover, where some have a second reservoir, mine has an empty space. I have a 010 auxiliary pump, but no intercooler reservoir???