Hawaiiannights

so my cars coolant level is a little below the min. line and i decided to go to the dealer to have them top it off. They tell me i have to purchase the whole gallon which is like $20 and they tell me "just add water" are they serious??
He said its a diluted coolant anyway so just top it off with water... ok now i'm confused.....so we have special "pink" coolant and must not use the normal green stuff....but its ok to use water???!!!! any advice would be appreciated before i add water to my coolant resevour...Thanks

Andy Hedin

Top it up with water....it'll be fine.

A4Driver

After putting about 44,000 miles on my '96 2.8 A4, I noticed the coolant was a little dark, so I scheduled an appointment with my dealer and had them flush out the cooling system and put in fresh coolant. They used GREEN coolant.

Now I'm reading posts saying only PINK coolant should be used. My service department goes strictly by the book, and never uses stuff unless it's Audi-approved. So ..... what's up with this?

By the way, the car is running fine, and not overheating or freezing up, etc.

dbtong

All I know is, don't use Prestone. Too lazy to go to the garage, but Audi/VW coolant is different.

EdP

sulpher and silicone or phosphate free. Anything else starts horrible corrosion internal to the aluminum parts (head). Didn't know it came in green, but you'd BETTER CHECK. It's critical.

WClark

Unless you have to add a gallon of water the freeze point wont come up enough to be a concern.

These are usually dilluted 50:50 anyway.

Prestone makes a 5/50k antifreeze that is the same thing. It is more expensive than the glycol green stuff but nothing like $20/gal. That price is the usual dealer parts counter scalp job.

WClark

the actual name is: PrestoneŽ Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant .

Here is a clip from their web page:

PrestoneŽ Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant provides today's drivers with outstanding freeze-up and boilover protection for up to five years or 150,000 miles. If you are a high-mileage driver or someone who does not have time to perform regular vehicle maintenance, you will enjoy the long-lasting protection of Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant. Officially licensed by NASCARŽ*, Prestone Extended Life 5/150 antifreeze/coolant is a silicate and phosphate-free formula, which provides extended performance and protection against rust and corrosion to all cooling system metals, including the lightweight aluminum found in many radiators. In addition, Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant meets all compatibility requirements for GM DEX-COOLŽ Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant, which is recommended for most 1996 and later General Motors vehicles. Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant can be added to all antifreezes including DEX-COOL.

Tip
If you decide to replace your existing antifreeze/coolant with Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant, make sure you completely drain and flush the cooling system first in order to gain the full benefits of the longer-lasting formula. Also, if you are currently using Prestone Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant in your car's cooling system, and you add a regular antifreeze/coolant, you will lose the extended protection.

Alf Arkin

Bentley says to use "Coolant antifreeze, Part No. G 11" ... very meaningful

Žob

Early A4s with the 12valve V6 used the green stuff. I believe once they switched to the 1.8 and 30v engines they used green. Regardless, use what is recommended from the manufacturer for the year you have. And yes, dilute it with water. About a 50/50 ratio is what you should have

Alf Arkin

Hey that's "sulfur" and no salt needed for low freezing point