TTmini

HELP!! coolant warning light going off. check coolant and its low...... in fact it is different everytime i check it. after a long drive it was right below the MIN line. after sitting for awhile (few hours) it was way below the MIN line, then after another long drive it is right above the MIN line. i have a few questions.

1. where do i get G12 coolant and how much is it.
2. where is my coolant going, why is it low. is this normal. i just had a coolant flush 5000 miles ago and it has been fine until now.
3. should i just top it off, and where do i fill it to. and do i do it when the engine is cold or warm?
3. is this a sign of a bigger problem?

car is a 2002 TT with 57000 miles

please help!!

blackfnTTruck

vehicle and the coolant would go down. Are you seeing any white smoke from the exhaust? That would be a sure sign of a bad head gasket. G12 is usually sold only by VW or Audi dealers, from what I have read or on line.

Kenghh

sure if they still carry it, though.

TTschwing

ie: up to the mid point of the bottle when cold. It's an expansion tank so the level will rise and fall dependent on the coolant fluid temps. Keep an eye on it. Probably no big deal.

TTmini

isnt it a closed system. if so where is the coolant going? could it be related to the water pump?

i do not notice any white exaust smoke. plus car drives perfectly fine. i just dont want it to be anything major.

and if i top off with water....cant that freeze in the cold cleveland winters. its gets to 5 degrees here.

TTmini

and if i top off with water....cant that freeze in the cold cleveland winters. itse gets to 5 degrees here.

MCPaudiTT - DEFCON 1

you had some air in the system. That air could have been flushed out with fluid bringing the overall fluid level down. Per Steve's suggestion, fill with the addtion of enough water to bring you mid-point between min and max on a cold engine. This should be added to the fluid overflow reservoir (where the min/max level indicators are). Check the engine in the same condition (either hot or cold, cold at the start of the day would be easiest) over the next week or so to see if the fluid level (when checked at similar conditions) remains at a consistent level.

TTschwing

of Pentosin antifreeze and water. A few ounces of additional water is not going to upset the ratio or level of freeze protection...

TTmini

just checking. if you say its ok ill have to belive you. it looks like i could fit about 8-10 ounces of water in ther to get it to the right level.

TTschwing

That's really up to you, but I have had 50+ cars, a good number of them water cooled, and this is no big deal...honest