Coolant / Anti-Freeze - how to add to car?

DIYhelp76

Hi,

We have a VW Polo. After having the timing belt replaced it kept losing coolant. It stabilised for a while but we now need to add more.

VW gave us a bottle of "G13 coolant conentrate".

Please does anyone know what quantitites we need to mix this with water, before adding to the car?

Do we just pout it directly into the plastic reservoir which has the "min/max" coolant level indicators on it?

Thx in advance - haven't done this before.

wongataa

DIYhelp76 wrote: »

Hi,

We have a VW Polo. After having the timing belt replaced it kept losing coolant. It stabilised for a while but we now need to add more.

VW gave us a bottle of "G13 coolant conentrate".

Please does anyone know what quantitites we need to mix this with water, before adding to the car?

50:50 coolant water ratio usually.

DIYhelp76 wrote: »

Do we just pout it directly into the plastic reservoir which has the "min/max" coolant level indicators on it?

Yes. That is where coolant is always added.

Norman_Castle

This?
http://vwmotorparts.com/genuine-vw-g13-coolant-concentrate-1-x-1-5ltr-p-3.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Merchant%20Feed

It states 40-60%.

Although this uses it straight from the bottle. (Narrative may advise otherwise but no sound on my pc)

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/how-to-guides/how-to-check-your-coolant

DIYhelp76

Many thanks to both.

Yes, it is the purple lidded G13 bottle and the video you sent is great, apparently this stuff is pre-mixed so I just need to pour it straight in from the bottle, no mixing required. I don't think it says this anywhere on the bottle itself though, which would have been helpful.

As usual, it's the wonderful MSE forumites to the rescue!!

Thanks again!

reeac

DIYhelp76 wrote: »

Many thanks to both.

Yes, it is the purple lidded G13 bottle and the video you sent is great, apparently this stuff is pre-mixed so I just need to pour it straight in from the bottle, no mixing required. I don't think it says this anywhere on the bottle itself though, which would have been helpful.

As usual, it's the wonderful MSE forumites to the rescue!!

Thanks again!

The stuff is termed "concentrate" and the instructions mention mixing which clearly entails dilution. Best way would be to pour some into a jug and add an equal amount of soft water ...then pour into the reservoir. Repeat if necessary.

molerat

The proportion of coolant additive to water must be at least 40 per cent and must not exceed 60 per cent. Hand-held refractometer T 1007 A is suitable for checking the ratios
An excessive proportion of coolant additive (more than 60 per cent) can result in bursting pipes and the engine boiling, while an insufficient amount (less than 40 per cent) can cause cracks in the cylinder block/head or in the cooling system through expansion of the coolant

So 50/50 looks good to me.

kingstreet

After having the timing belt replaced it kept losing coolant. It stabilised for a while but we now need to add more.

How long since the timing belt change?

Did you have the water pump replaced at the same time?

Anything under the car after it has rested all night, such as drip marks?

If you look under your oil filler cap, does it appear normal/dark, or are you getting any white deposits?

DIYhelp76

Many thanks for the replies.
The bottle I have doesn't have any instructions about diluting or proportions which is why I asked. Weird that VW's own video (link in post above) says to just pour this straight from the bottle - unless the bottle they are using is not the "concentrate" but one you can buy which is already diluted. Who knows!

Re timing belt, I just put some more oil in today and didn't notice anything strange around the oil filler cap. The surface the car is parked on won't alllow me to tell if there are any drip marks (it's on a muddy verge). Timing belt was around 6/7 months ago. I did have water pump done at same time and when I noticed the water level was very low after VW returned it to me, they said it was because of an air bubble when they refilled the reservoir. They re-filled it at the time and it has been fairly constant since then, but it looks like it is low now and needs another top up.

mchale

I would suggest you pour it into the rad/filler reservoir neat, not diluted with water.

Car_54

mchale wrote: »

I would suggest you pour it into the rad/filler reservoir neat, not diluted with water.

And I would suggest you ignore that suggestion.

First, a simple Google search would tell you to dilute it 50/50, and

Second, the word "concentrate" on the label is a clue.

mchale

Car_54 wrote: »

And I would suggest you ignore that suggestion.

First, a simple Google search would tell you to dilute it 50/50, and

Second, the word "concentrate" on the label is a clue.

Yeah, not withstanding it will dilute when mixed with the water in the rad if put in neat, bear in mind coolant concentrate is only a posh anti freeze. Do you honestly think main dealers & garages faff about mixing it when adding the coolant/anti freeze.