MY12 TDI Wagon Losing Coolant

[Amalgam]

Hi All,

Our MY12 125TDI wagon is losing coolant. It has lost the volume between Max and Min mark in the overflow bottle when cold. This has been during 15000 to 26000kms. There is no obvious loss into the engine bay. There was some minor loss at the 15000km service, which was topped up by the dealer.

Should I be worried?? Can it wait until the 30000km service, if I keep an eye on it or should I bring it back to the dealer ASAP

BTW the engine has consumed 600ml in 8000km. I assume that this is OK.

Thanks in advance.

[nermal]

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[Umai Naa!!]

Book it in and arrange to have it looked at.

Better to be safe than sorry.

[Transporter]

Hi All,

Our MY12 125TDI wagon is losing coolant. It has lost the volume between Max and Min mark in the overflow bottle when cold. This has been during 15000 to 26000kms. There is no obvious loss into the engine bay. There was some minor loss at the 15000km service, which was topped up by the dealer.

Should I be worried?? Can it wait until the 30000km service, if I keep an eye on it or should I bring it back to the dealer ASAP

BTW the engine has consumed 600ml in 8000km. I assume that this is OK.

Thanks in advance.

As Umai Naa!! said get it looked at. But, keep the record of it. The cooling system is a closed one and there should be no fluid loss due to evaporation like in many other cars. If, the fluid level is going down repeatedly there is a leak somewhere.

Your oil consumption is okay.

[ganue]

I also have a my 12 tdi loosing coolant .. I have lost around 3L
in 1000 km.. I am booked in for Monday

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[Amalgam]

I also have a my 12 tdi loosing coolant .. I have lost around 3L
in 1000 km.. I am booked in for Monday

If you are losing 3L in 1000km there must be a noticeable leak and wet patch under the car. If it is lost via the engine eg faulty head gasket, there should be a noticeable deterioration in performance and water in the oil.

How many kilometres has your car travelled and when did you first notice this loss??

Good luck on Monday and please keep us posted.

[ganue]

There is generally a small patch of water under the car, I can't notice any water in the oil. I first noticed last Monday went the warning light came on. I have traveled 74000km.

Let's hope it's an easy fix.




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[Amalgam]

Hi Ganue,

How did it go at the dealers?? The repairs should still be under warranty I am hoping

[ganue]

Hi amalgam

Turns out the water pump had an internal leak.

So new water pump was needed. The timing belt was also contaminated by coolant so it was swapped out as well. It's all covered under warranty.

All good in the end


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[Transporter]

Hi amalgam

Turns out the water pump had an internal leak.

So new water pump was needed. The timing belt was also contaminated by coolant so it was swapped out as well. It's all covered under warranty.

All good in the end


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That's a good result and you don't need to worry about the timing belt at least for the next 105,000km.

[Amalgam]

As Umai Naa!! said get it looked at. But, keep the record of it. The cooling system is a closed one and there should be no fluid loss due to evaporation like in many other cars. If, the fluid level is going down repeatedly there is a leak somewhere.

Your oil consumption is okay.

Hi All,

Just got the Passat 30000km service today and mentioned the coolant loss and I got the standard BS about evaporation and that a loss of any amount within the overflow bottle was normal within a 12mth/15000km period.

They pressure tested the system, topped up the coolant and CHARGED me for it.

Not happy Jan, not happy.

Any advice/ideas

Thanks

[Amalgam]

Hi All,

My MY12 125TDI is continuing to loose coolant.

At 30000km service the cooling system was pressure tested and passed. The coolant was topped up. Now at 38000km the coolant is at the MIN mark of the reservoir. The dealer still insists it is normal and due to "evaporation". My neighbour has an MY13 Golf 110TDI with the same evaporation and I have overheard the same BS told to other owners while waiting at the dealers service department. It goes something like

"we noticed that your coolant level was slightly low and topped it up for you. If you notice that it is low or the coolant light comes on, you can come back for us to top it up or use some distilled water. There is nothing to worry about as it is due to normal evaporation"

I call BS!!! I have had multiple cars including BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Mitsubishi EVO, Mazda, Toyota and not one has lost any coolant.

I have rung VW Australia to complain 3 times and have not received a follow up call from either VW Australia or the dealer. This is just not good enough and sours my perception of the entire VAG group. The Passat will be 3 years old in July and this incident will strongly influence my decision whether to update and which brand I purchase.

All marques have build / warranty issues. It is how they respond to it that sorts out the good from the bad, the one time owner from the loyal fan.

Enough of my ranting. I have book it in with another dealer. I will keep the forum posted as to the outcome.

[tigger73]

I'd pull off the undertray and have a good look for any tell-tale pinky/white powder. If you find it, take a photo and send it to the dealer service department.

Alternatively take it to a reputable independent workshop for end of warranty inspection and tell them about the coolant losses.

You can then go back to the dealer with a list of items to fix.


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[sportpaket]

Just had my water pump replaced after losing coolant twice in approx a month. The dealer looked at it in January & couldn't find a problem, topped up the coolant & returned the car. It stayed stable for most of Feb before losing coolant quickly again, this time with some harsh metallic squealing noises on startup from cold on 3 occasions. It was a leaking/faulty water pump & VW replaced it under warranty as a goodwill gesture (warranty expired Dec 2014).

The car shouldn't use any coolant unless there is a leak somewhere. The dealer was a little coy as to whether this was a common issue, stating that many VW models use the same water pump. And yes, they do replace these on a regular basis. Good luck getting yours sorted.

[Amalgam]

Sad to say, but it is a relief to hear that I am not the only one. I am mainly concerned that my warranty is about to expire, but its good to know that there is a grace period. It still does not excuse the attitude and BS from the original dealer.

Good to know that your problem is fixed.