Using Demineralised water to top up coolant level?

Mat- say that to my dad and watch him have a mini explosion.
It cost him $3800 because he put tap water (high iron content) in his radiator. -2003 ford courier with the factory rubbish radiator
I think as the radiators get thinner and thinner walled so the need to be careful what you put in em increases.

michaelqian -I apologise for repeating myself but I kinda lost focus on the point I was making to you.
That being -its a 20k BMW with a rep for sensitivity to its cooling system.
It has a definite fault-ie loosing water.
Im saying DON'T risk further damage by driving the car at all be it with correct coolant,bore water,tap water or even urine for that matter because you have a high chance of causing a lot more damage by continueing to drive with a beemer with a leaking cooling system component.

Just topit up withantifreeze / wateratrightmixture- usually30%anti freeze70% waterOn BMW s. . be awaredont fill it to the topthe mark ison thesideheader tank,if it is low the coolant warning will come up on the display .I have yet to hear of anycar makerstipulating demineralised water in rads .The anti freeze containscorrosion inhibitior

Ok the next drive will be to the mechanic, which is less than 2km away. Did a short drive this morning and now there is another puddle of coolant under the car. The temperature gauge never went above its normal position so far which is good.

It will be the poxy plastictank,only fix isreplacement .

Yes, its progress, just like buying the proper ink cartridge for your printer as opposed to dipping your typewriter ribbon in whatever you have handy.

Modern cooling systems are far superior, but the same modern materials that make them light, efficient and cost effective also require that you use de-mineralised water so they don't suffer premature failure.

Unfortunately it's the "chuck anything in" attitude of many in this country that cause them to have problems with their vehicles, of course they never blame themselves though. its always the badge on the front.

Its just like the rough kid who can't have any nice toy's because they break them doing stupid things.

BTW, sorry if this sounds harsh, it just annoys me that so many not only seem to know better than the manufacturer but take the piss at the idea that their instructions should be followed. Not necessarily getting at you there purple, just the attitude to this sort of thing in general.

I take your point there,my comment was more of a critique on modern tech in general. Although I don't know if I would call a coolant system that is so finicky "far superior" to a system that will keep an engine cool even when the radiator is only 1/2 full. Like adding more gears to gearboxes so they can narrow power bands and make drivelines less sturdy. Don't get me started on self parking, I still think unlocking my old Toyota with a button fob is pretty neat but I still prefer my old Jag, right down to the windup windows.
It doesn't seem that long ago that I could have fixed 90% of the vehicles on the road and today I would be lucky to find the spark plugs on many cars. Oh sure they seem way more reliable but woe betide you if they break down in the middle of nowhere.
As you can tell not all of the dinosaurs have died out . . . . YET

be carefull if water is :hard:clogs up quick