Coolant good for only 2 years ?

[BUG*PWR]

I thought the new coolant was good for 5 years or 100,000 miles. What's up with this service special for diesels ? Replace coolant every 2 years ?

check it out http://www.montesivw.com/service_specials.htm

 

[TooSlick]

This is called the "3000 mile oil change syndrome", where your dealer tries to convince you that VWOA is wrong and they know what's best for your car. People want to pamper their babies, so they get sucked into these additional maintenance offers ...this is the reason why new snake oil additives are still popping up on the market - even as others are sued out of business ....

With the Dexcool type coolants - this is not needed - unless you drove 100k miles in two years!

2S

 

[Hyates]

My personal thoughts are that one should have ALL the fluids changed every two years. Flush out all the contaminents, and start fresh at this point. I don't believe that one could keep coolant for 5 years and NOT have contaminents in the cooling system.

This goes for transmissions fluid, power steering fluid, brakes fluid, etc.

Harry.



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'87 Golf Diesel (274000+ Km)
'00 Golf TDI GLS (3000 + Km)

 

[msauve]

How do those contaminants get into a closed system?


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Mike

 

[BUG*PWR]

Yeah, How do contaminants get into a closed system.

And check out this site. http://www.texaco.com/products/index.html
The coolant life is good for 100,000 miles so again the Dealers are trying to bone us.

 

[mickey]

The Dexcool (VW calls it "G-12") is good for at least 5 years or 100,000 miles. Do not waste your money replacing it sooner! This is called "progress", folks. Enjoy it.

Many people are also stuck on the idea that the coolant hoses should be replaced every 50K or 60K miles. This is also old-school thinking, and is no longer valid. The hoses are greatly improved these days, and the Dexcool coolant itself is much less damaging to the hoses and seals. Don't mess with the coolant or the hoses until 5 years or 100K miles! And there is absolutely no need to add any kind of "pump lubricants" or any other additives to the Dexcool. The coolant's lubricating properties do not become depleted like the silica-based additives in the "green stuff."

And do NOT add "green stuff" to your Dexcool! They don't get along well at all. They make a brown-colored sludge. Yes, I know both products say they're "compatible" with every other product. Don't believe it!

-mickey

 

[valois]

Hydraulic systems are subject to moisture contamination if from nothing else condensation in the resevoir, also actuated parts on the system degrade, slowly for sure but inevitably. The Rad system has an overflow tank which can condensate also, fortunately water is not a contaminate to this system.

 

[Hyates]

The cooling system maybe a 'closed system', but don't things corrode? As the additive package breaks down, it weakens the anti-corrosion package, and scaling occurs, lubricating properties are compromised. If the radiator were to be opened up, wouldn't the internal plates of the radiator, heater core, etc be full of scale, and corrosion.

Am I off base here, and if so, why?
Thanks,
Harry.



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'87 Golf Diesel (274000+ Km)
'00 Golf TDI GLS (3000 + Km)

 

[cars wanted]

I noticed that Montesi VW also offers a 40,000 mile interval diesel service that includes BG oil additive. They must be not very confident about the quality of the engine oil they use!
I agree that radiator hoses are much improved over the last 20 years. In my 1982 diesel Rabbit, I only changed the upper and lower radiator hoses every 6 years or so. Finally, after 13 years, one of the by-pass hoses developed a leak, and at that point, I replaced all the other coolant hoses. I used to replace the green coolant every year or 2, and I never saw any crud in it. Since the pink stuff is said to be kinder to hoses and to waterpump bearings, the 5 year/100,000 mile interval seems reasonable to me. Just replace coolant hoses every other coolant change (every 10 years) just to be on the conservative/safe side.

 

[valois]

VW indicates changing brake fluid every 2 years, and will replace it free of charge regardless of milage at the first two year interval.

 

[mickey]

Yes, the corrosion protection properties of the coolant will eventually stop working. That's why you have to change it! But the Dexcool is good for at least 100K miles or 5 years. It won't last forever, but there is no reason to change it any earlier than VW has recommended.

-mickey

 

[Stealth TDI]

Mickey (and other mighty-milers),

Will you change you coolant when you hit 100k? Or at five years? The way you and I drive, there's a big difference between the two. I'll have 200k at five years.

Scott

 

[feto]

I have a feeling that I am being scr-wed from behind if I let the dealer decide what is good for my car and I don't like that idea.....
Furthermore: why not change the hoses when they actually start getting hard/brittle instead of changing it just for the purpose of changing it? Feels like a waist of well-functioning things to me...
I used to have the same opinion a few years ago: change this & that because the servicemanual stated so, but now I have the following motto: If it works, don't touch it. Even if it is working just a little less than before.
Mr.Murphy is always around the corner!!

 

[mickey]

I'll change it at 100K whether it needs it or not. That'll be just over 2 years for me!

-mickey

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

I forgot to mention that a friend mentioned to me (before the days of pink coolant), "If the coolant stills passes the antifreeze checker test and there's no discoloration, why bother changing it? It's doing its job!" Is the pink stuff different?

Scott

 

[Drivbiwire]

100,000 will be my iterval, let's think about the heating and cooling cycles our engines are going through. How many times do you heat and cool the engine i.e. starting and stopping the engine? I would guess it would be more severe on engines that go the 5 years without exceeding the 100K. But on the other hand When you consider the coolant flowing through the system for 100K in 2-3 years what is actually harsher? I realize corrosion protection is the thing we are trying to protect our systems from freeze protection secondary. The freeze protection should not change since our systems are sealed preventing water in the coolant from evaporating, as in older american systems. I guess if you listen to the dealer on this one and in my case I will hit the 100K mark first the stuff is out of there.

To err on the side of caution all the hoses will be change I tried going to 200K on my last set I popped the top hose that returns to the coolant tank at 165K. That was the most expensive one at $135.00. I replaced the rest of the hoses for not much more than $80.00. Consider the hoses are every bit as important as the stuff flowing in them You can't have one without the other.

I just call it insurance, I'd rather replace the parts at a predicatable interval than to have the system pop a leak at some really bad time, like in the middle of the desert where my last hose decided to pop, Thank God for the coolant level sensor.

DB

 

[TwoSlick]

To tell how the coolant is holding up you need to measure the PH when new and track it over time ...a coolant tester just tells you the percentage of coolant in the system and the approx freeze point. Coolants start out highly alkaline and the PH drops as they break down, from organic acids produced within the system from the reaction of metals. "BKmetz" had an excellent post that covered this topic several months ago ...I suggest doing a search - as always his answer was very concise.

2S

 

[mickey]

Or you could just drop five bucks every 100K and not worry about it. Sheesh...

-mickey

 

[valois]

Hey Mickey,
I wonder if our engines can run on the "used" coolant?

Just recycle everything, oil, coolant, brake fluid, pour it in the tank, it will save a trip to the recycle facility.

I might open up a toxic waste disposal company. LMAO.