Which coolant?

[dantheram]

http://www.commaoil.com/productsguide/view/6/298 or http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php? ... ts_id=1415

are these both the same apart from the marketing i.e. one is x stream?

Which is best for the gti?

Dan

[Bepe]

the best is the G12 from VW mate, its not expensive either.

[alexperkins]

I would buy neither of those

As bepe said, G12++ coolant direct from VW is the best you can get for the engine and is reasonably priced to. Youll need 2.5 litres and it comes in 1.5 litre bottes. Then just top up with water till full.

[dantheram]

i'm bleeding and flushing the whole system, is there a guide on here for that? i know its straight forward but guides usually give a few useful, time saving, tips!

Dan

[Tim_GTi]

i'm bleeding and flushing the whole system, is there a guide on here for that? i know its straight forward but guides usually give a few useful, time saving, tips!

Dan

Just remove the pipe at the bottom of the rad to flush the system. when it's drained run water through the system til the water coming out of the bottom is clear. Reconnect the pipe and refill the system. when the fluid is level, start the car up and run til it's heated up to 90. regularly squeeze the pipes. Turn the heaters on full heat then squeeze the pipes again. Top up with water if necessary.

[dantheram]

thanks for the info

[dantheram]

what is the capacity of the system? do i fill up with 2.5l of G12 then just stick water in till full?

[alexperkins]

Yep I think its 3.75 but dont quote me on that as thats just from memory

[owenjt]

My coolant level is low and i've never topped it up before - can i just go and buy some G12 and top it up? How do i know how much to put it?

[alexperkins]

Yes you can

How low is it

[owenjt]

It's a couple of centimeters below minimum - the light came up flashing the other day so i put a bit of water in it but haven't had the chance to buy some coolant. Only driven it a couple of times since and no warning light again as yet. Need to pop to GSF anyway, presume i can buy some there.

Do i just top up to mid-way between min and max just of coolant, or should i add water too? Is it ok to mix coolants if something else has been put in previously? Or is it better to be safe than sorry and drain and start afresh?

[alexperkins]

lol thats pretty low - you should have lost that much coolant! Its a sealed system, so the only way for it to drop is a leaking coolant system!

For that much lost, youll need to balance it. Pour in about a quarter of a litre of coolant, and top the rest up with water. It needs to be up to the MAX level on the bottle.

So long as its G12 which is pink or purple before, its fine to mix.

Depending on when the last change was, it might be wise to start fresh. If so, get 2x 1l bottles of G12 coolant, and then top the rest up with water

[Tim_GTi]

Yeh you may as well refresh it.

On a cold engine, unclip pipe at the bottom of the radiator and drain out coolant. Pour water into the coolant bottle and watch it come out of the bottom pipe. Do this until the water is completely clear.

Re-connect pipe at the bottom of the radiator. Then fill coolant up with roughly 60% water, 40% G12 anti-freeze.

Once at correct level turn the car on and whack the heaters on full. Keep an eye on the coolant level and make any adjustments with water. Squeeze the pipes as you wait.

After 5 minutes take it for a good spin to heat the engine up, then check the levels again, and make any further adjustments necessary

[alexperkins]

Correction to your mini guide. Before starting, put the turn the heater to full heat, otherwise the heater matrix wont drain.