which coolant/antifreeze to use?

[yorkshireTraction]

hi all i have just bought 1986 1.9 petrol and just wondering which coolant to use,would the halfords advanced coolant&antifreeze be ok do you think?

[Ian Hulley]

Unless you're 100% confident that you'll not have to drop the antifreeze for several years (and you should every 2 anyway) I'd put Comma blue in, available from most local motorfactors (except perhaps Halfords ) much cheaper and far exceeds the spec VW dictated from new. 50/50 with clean tap water.

Ian

[California Dreamin]

The Wasserboxer engine design means that coolant comes directly in contact with the engines head bolts. Not a particularly smart design as it has become common for those bolts to corrode and the resulting rust expands and causes coolant leaks. If this wasn't bad enough this often leads to broken head bolts when the owner strips the heads to make good the leaks.
Now much of this issue is caused by poor servicing, namely, infrequent antifreeze changes which allows this situation to occur (old antifreeze degrades with age and mileage, the corrosion inhibitors then cease to work allowing this internal corrosion to occur)
Whilst the politically correct antifreeze would be VW's own G12++ it is quite acceptable to use other quality brands as Ian points out....the complexity and age of these cooling systems means you rarely go a full year without the need to drop the coolant for some reason or other.
Expensive organo acid technology (OAT) LONG LIFE antifreezes are the best but the real trick here is regular changes.
OAT antifreezes have less frequent change intervals but cost more...tis up to thee.

Martin

[kevtherev]

Regular coolant changes stop the pitting on the head mating surfaces caused by a build up of phosphates, and consequently gasket leaks and weeps
I just thought Id chuck that in as well

[ghost123uk]

Ah, I was looking for one of our antifreeze threads to use

Now up till recently, Comma "Extreme Red" was listed as a pink G12 product and all the specs made it look just fine for our WBX engines. I have used it for 7 years on our van.

However I need to fit a new rad (O.E. @ £134 from Brickwerks = not too bad) and I find that the Comma "Extreme Red" is no longer made.

A bit of research followed, and I find that this = Xstream G48 Antifreeze & Coolant Concentrate ( = http://www.commaoil.com/productsguide/view/6/353/XSG5L" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) is recomended by Comma for our WBX engines.

I note it says
"Silicate based - Comma recommends this product for applications requiring: AFNOR NFR 15-601, Exceeds BS-6580-1992, VW code G11"

I note the reference to G11 at the end of that C&P

The old Extreme Red definitely said G12 on the bottle, I wonder if this stuff is OK for us ?

~~~~~~~~~

E D I T = Maybe not good as this advert for an often recommended brand says
"1.5L bottle of Pentosin purple G12 coolant / antifreeze
Volkswagen specifies phosphate/silicate-free antifreeze in all their vehicles."

So VW want us to use Silicate Free stuff but the Comma recommendation says "Silicate based"

Doh, might just go to VW and max out the credit card

[California Dreamin]

It was mine understanding (from reading what others have said on here, that it is the phosphate deposits that cause head pitting) so I think you are correct with that conclusion although I'm sure there are other suitable products to use.

I just found this bit of info on an Audi forum...interesting.

Q: Does Prestone® Antifreeze/Coolant contain phosphates?
A: Some European automobile manufacturers request that a phosphate-free antifreeze be used in their vehicles. This issue is related to the extremely high mineral content of the water in Europe. If you were to mix an antifreeze that contained phosphates with the type of water they have in Europe, it may produce deposits that can settle in the cooling system and promote corrosion. However, in North America we do not have this type of water problem. Typical North American coolants have contained phosphates (which is part of the corrosion inhibitor package) for many years. Therefore, the question of phosphates is a non-issue here in North America. Prestone® Antifreeze/Coolant is completely safe for use in both foreign and domestic vehicles. For those consumers who would feel more comfortable using a phosphate-free antifreeze, our Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant is phosphate, silicate, and borate free. This coolant uses a special chemistry and technology that extends the life of the corrosion inhibitor package so that it lasts for five years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first), and is safe for all cars and light trucks (old or new). Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant has been approved by General Motors under their DEX-COOL® specifications and is compatible with other DEX-COOL® approved coolants.


Martin

[WPKenny]

Just reviving an old thread rather than create a new one.

I've just changed the water pump on my early watercooled model 1985 1.9 DG T25 and I'm wondering about coolant.
The Haynes manual says G11 so a quick google brings back halfords selling some G48 which is approved and G11 spec.
However the mechanic I had over today to help with the water pump says the G48 is the wrong colour (blue) and it can corrode aluminium parts in the engine in the long term.
He recommends red coloured coolant which as far as I can tell means G12++
So another quick google brings back G40 at halfords being the equivalent. (link: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255224 )
The specs on this however say it's designed for cars after 2005.

Long story short, which coolant from halfords should I be using? Or should I really go the extra mile and get the official stuff from VW? Even so the question remains? G11 or G12++?

[Ian Hulley]

Just use a good quality antifreeze ... like the Comma Frostmaster (blue) but make sure you swap it every couple of years. Usually some cooling system component will ensure this gets done anyway

Ian

[WPKenny]

Thanks for the speedy reply. If I go as swap the g48 (g11 spec) for the g40 (g12++ spec) will it be any worse?

[Ian Hulley]

Thanks for the speedy reply. If I go as swap the g48 (g11 spec) for the g40 (g12++ spec) will it be any worse?

Save the money, it'll most likely end up on the road at some point anyway