Possible coolant issue

[Steve_11]

Good morning all,
I am unfortunately not mechanically minded in the slightest so hoping to get some opinions from people in the know (taking it to mechanics today)

I purchased my 2011 polo TDI in Feb 2014, freshly serviced, ran out of coolant in September and roadside assist towed it to the dealership where they pressure tested and determined that the system was all good. They topped up the coolant and I was on my way. I got a logbook service in January this year. Last night the dash lit up again and the coolant was well below minimum (almost empty). Maybe I should check under the bonnet more often, but am I correct in thinking that losing all of my coolant every 4 months is not normal? Just don't want to be palmed off by the mechanic if there is going to be an ongoing problem.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[Guest001]

An idea of the kms done in the time between occurrences may help ,

I check fluids every week whether the cars are used or not. If a damaged seal or other problem occurs you then find it before it costs a lot. of money.

Its called preventative maintenance.

[Steve_11]

In September, it had approx 43000kms and it is now at 52000kms with a service in between. If I was to purchase the VW coolant, would it just be a case of topping it up and monitoring it? Or would I need to flush the radiator? Only VW service team have filled it so no mixing of brands.

[h100vw]

Yes you can do that. The coolant is supposed to be mixed with water, so you should do that in the correct proportions before topping up.

Could be the cap has a damaged seal which is allowing the coolant out?

Gavin

[Steve_11]

Yeah cheers guys...they want me to fork out another $150 for another diagnostic test which will probably come up with nothing again. So I'm going to race down to the parts department and get some coolant and top it up, write down my kms and the date, and just monitor exactly how it goes. If it starts chewing through it quickly I'll definitely book it in ASAP.

[brad]

Why not find a decent independent VW specialist & get them to look at it.

They'll put a pressure tester on the system to see if there's a leak - probably for $0. Constantly topping up is just a bandaid

[Steve_11]

Yeah brad I agree with you but the terms of my extended warranty don't allow me to take it to other mechanics from what I gather, so doing this is not so much a bandaid but I want to closely monitor and be 100% certain there is a reason to spend $150 to get it sorted...the whole thing in my opinion is a bit of a rip off, but this was my first car purchase and I have learnt many lessons from it.

[Guest001]

Take it to a radiator repairer and get him to pressure test it. At a guess the waterpump may be leaking

[brad]

Extended warranties that are tied to a dealership aren't worth the paper they are written on. I assume they also want you to get the car serviced every 10,000km/6m rather than 15k/12m?

[tomh24]

Take it to a radiator repairer and get him to pressure test it. At a guess the waterpump may be leaking

I agree with the above.

I used own a Mazda and had problems with the coolant getting too low.

Took it to my mechanic, they did a pressure test and all it needed was a new radiator cap. It was a cheap and simple fix.

[maxrob200]

The coolant bottle on my Jetta was faulty and I was losing a lot of coolant. Coolant light was coming on regularly at that ime. I would fill it up and the level would drop after a few days. Mechanic replaced the bottle and level has not dropped since

[pontiff]

I am going through the same sort of thing... car went through a reservoir of coolant (suspect water pump as its on the drop tray under it) but since filling up, has not lost a drop (now watch it lose it completely as is murphys law). I'm going to order a new water pump and will change it out none the less, but just saying.. its not out of the realms of possibility that it could lose coolant then stop

[brad]

My waterpump was leaking. When they pressure tested it, something (an o-ring I guess) was forced back into place and it stopped leaking for 9 months until I removed the pressure cap to add about 50ml of coolant and the "thing" moved again. Boy did it pour out after that.

My suggestion -
if the coolant level is around where it should be then don't remove the cap.

if you do have to top up, don't just go to the mid-point of the bubble - go about 20mm above that (overfil).

[piston broke]

The radiator on my GTi failed at around 42000kms, started with the coolant indicator activating, refilled it with the VW coolant and monitored it. I could see coolant residue around the engine bay but couldn't pin it down. I thought it may have been a hose leaking. After a couple more days coolant was down again. Ended up calling VW assist and having towed it to the closest dealer where they diagnosed the radiator. Replaced under warranty, the day before it ran out, usually these things happen the day after.