Coolant - generic from Halfords ok in an Astra?

pinkteapot

While we go back and forth on what new car we want, we're keeping our Mk4 Astra going. On the MOT it got an advisory for having a slow radiator leak. Must be very slow as the coolant level hasn't changed in the three weeks since the MOT.

We bought a bottle of ready mixed coolant from Halfords to keep in the car in case of emergency. However, I read the Astra handbook the other day and it said you have to use Vauxhall coolant only. Normally I don't fall for this but I wanted to check as under engine oil it says that you should preferably use Vauxhall own make. But under coolant it specifically said "Vauxhall XYX Coolant only". Anyone know if the generic stuff will be ok to put in if we lose coolant while out and about?

We also picked up a bottle of Radweld. I'm a bit scared of bunging stuff into the car. Can anyone reassure me it's safe to use Radweld on the car? We'll obviously follow all the instructions on the bottle.

Debating whether to just change the radiator. Been quoted just under £250 (parts and labour) and at the start of June we're going on holiday from the south to the Orkney Islands and will cover about 1,500 miles in two weeks. I don't want to worry about the radiator leak turning worse/catastrophic en route. Anyone know how quickly minor leaks turn into major ones?

rodenal

Don't use radweld, it does horrible things to your cooling system - Generally speaking as long as your halfords coolant is the same colour as what's in the car (usually pink / blue / green) then you should be ok to mix, especially if you are going to change the rad soon anyway.

I wouldn't pay that to have it replaced - it's a very easy diy task that you should be able to do for less than £100 - Finding a decent used radiator will be the biggest part of the battle. Actual replacement should only take an hour, with most of that coming from removing the front bumper (you may not even need to with an astra)

petebates26

I've just had the radiator off mine without removing the bumper - 2 bolts and a wiring connector to take the fan off, then drain the radiator from the plug on the right hand side, then another 2 bolts to remove the radiator itself. It took less than half an hour to remove it and put it back in.

I thought I might have a leak as I spotted some corrosion (turned out to be fine) so I was pricing up replacements - the cheapest I found online was just over 43 quid.

http://www.adrad.co.uk/prices/prices.php?id=GM455&model=ASTRA&make=VAUXHALL

vikingaero

I prefer the pink coolant because it's easier to see when something goes wrong. The green or blue coolants can mask a leak or problem for a while.

Strider590

The reason for using VX coolant is because the chemicals in other coolants "might" cause damage to pipes/seals/etc. It's VX covering their back in case someone comes in for a warranty issue caused by wrong coolant.
I would use the VX coolant, it doesn't exactly cost the earth.

paddedjohn

If you hadnt mentioned the long journey then i would have said no problem with the radweld, it could solve the problem but not guaranteed to and you dont want to be caught out on a motorway 100's of miles from home. Change the rad yourself and you will save a few quid and dont worry about the vauxhall coolant just use the halfords one, if you took your car to any garage for a service apart from a main dealer then a pound to a penny says they use a general coolant mix.

johann_van_der_splat

Checking the radiator isn't part of the MOT test and you shouldn't have an advisory for it. The garage might inform you as a courtesy, but there's no way it should actually be listed as an advisory. If it has been, I'd be inclined to inform VOSA as well as having another garage check my vehicle and verify that there is actually a leak.

pinkteapot

johann_van_der_splat wrote: »

Checking the radiator isn't part of the MOT test and you shouldn't have an advisory for it. The garage might inform you as a courtesy, but there's no way it should actually be listed as an advisory. If it has been, I'd be inclined to inform VOSA as well as having another garage check my vehicle and verify that there is actually a leak.

:eek:

We had about 14 MOT advisories. The radiator was the only one marked as needing attention sooner rather than later. The car was in for a service and an MOT. Are the advisories stored on the VOSA database - i.e. if we sell/trade in the car in the future will people find them?

Bit perturbed by the above as our garage is run by a family friend so we have confidence in them.

Thanks for the advice all. Sorry, but it won't be a DIY job. We don't work on the car shy of topping up oil, screen wash and tyre air. And I certainly wouldn't attempt a DIY job before such a long journey.

What do you reckon? If the coolant level doesn't drop at all before we go away (3rd June) should it be ok? As I said, it hasn't dropped since the service/MOT...

Have been suitably put off using the Radweld.

fadetogrey

dont know if it will help but back when I was young and a leaky radiator was a common problem on many old cars we would crack a raw egg into it when the engine was running and unless it was a major leak it usually did the trick.:)

espresso

pinkteapot wrote: »

:eek:

We had about 14 MOT advisories. The radiator was the only one marked as needing attention sooner rather than later. The car was in for a service and an MOT. Are the advisories stored on the VOSA database - i.e. if we sell/trade in the car in the future will people find them?

Bit perturbed by the above as our garage is run by a family friend so we have confidence in them.

Thanks for the advice all. Sorry, but it won't be a DIY job. We don't work on the car shy of topping up oil, screen wash and tyre air. And I certainly wouldn't attempt a DIY job before such a long journey.

What do you reckon? If the coolant level doesn't drop at all before we go away (3rd June) should it be ok? As I said, it hasn't dropped since the service/MOT...

Have been suitably put off using the Radweld.

If your "family friend" garage is quoting approx £250 to fit a new radiator, then you need to find a better garage that you can trust!

datostar

pinkteapot wrote: »

:eek:

We had about 14 MOT advisories. The radiator was the only one marked as needing attention sooner rather than later. The car was in for a service and an MOT. Are the advisories stored on the VOSA database - i.e. if we sell/trade in the car in the future will people find them?

As already said, radiators are not part of the MOT test and shouldn't be put on the MOT advisory list, which is indeed stored on the VOSA database. Whenever I've had service/MOT at the same time advisories, if any, relating to MOT matters have been put on the proper form and other matters have been listed separately on the service checklist.