Leon PHEV - EV coolant refill

[adrianator]

Did anyone get a warning about EV coolant being low? I got it and it is indeed low. I checked it but there are no signs of leaks.

According to the manual, it should be refilled with G12evo which is the same coolant that the IC engine uses. The manual is also mentionenting in bold that i shouldn't top up the coolant and go immediately to a specialised workshop.

But now the question is...why is there a security seal on the EV coolant tank? Whatever safety reasons they think they got can be applied on the coolant used by the IC engine which is missing that seal.

I don't want to put the car on platform and send it to the service for a fluid refill, it's kinda stupid.

 

[RyanB]

Also had this warning light on and off recently with my Cupra Formentor PHEV. EV coolant is just below the minimum.

I can't see why there is a security seal and I am reluctant to take it to a dealership for a simple top up. Hoping someone could shed light on why there is a seal?

 

[adrianator]

Also had this warning light on and off recently with my Cupra Formentor PHEV. EV coolant is just below the minimum.

I can't see why there is a security seal and I am reluctant to take it to a dealership for a simple top up. Hoping someone could shed light on why there is a seal?

So I searched for an answer. That coolant goes to the batteries and if there is a leak there, the liquid will have a pretty high charge and you can die if you touch it.

But for the moment, I fixed it by removing the hose where the seal is located. After I removed it, a lot of pressured air came out and the coolant was back to normal. That's weird but it worked...for now. I'll keep monitoring it

 

[SRGTD]

Presumably if the security / tamper proof seal is removed by any one other than the Seat dealership and there’s no record on the car’s digital service record that the EV coolant has been topped up by a dealer, then it would give Seat an excuse to decline any subsequent warranty claims in relation to the EV cooling system.

I'm assuming that if a dealer does top up the EV system, then they would fit a new replacement security / tamper proof seal?

 

[C_ED_99]

Presumably if the security / tamper proof seal is removed by any one other than the Seat dealership and there’s no record on the car’s digital service record that the EV coolant has been topped up by a dealer, then it would give Seat an excuse to decline any subsequent warranty claims in relation to the EV cooling system.

I'm assuming that if a dealer does top up the EV system, then they would fit a new replacement security / tamper proof seal?

They'd probably void the warranty on the battery too if the cooling system wasn't maintaining it at the correct temperatures

 

[wgsg124]

So I searched for an answer. That coolant goes to the batteries and if there is a leak there, the liquid will have a pretty high charge and you can die if you touch it.

But for the moment, I fixed it by removing the hose where the seal is located. After I removed it, a lot of pressured air came out and the coolant was back to normal. That's weird but it worked...for now. I'll keep monitoring it

Hi, I'm facing this exact issue right now and found your post via Google.
To get rid of the pressure I also removed the hose and the pressure and the liquid came came back.

Has this problem reoccurred for you after this? And if so how did you solve it permanently?
I would appreciate it very much if you could reply back, since this is the only post I found regarding this issue.

Thank you!

 

[adrianator]

Hi, I'm facing this exact issue right now and found your post via Google.
To get rid of the pressure I also removed the hose and the pressure and the liquid came came back.

Has this problem reoccurred for you after this? And if so how did you solve it permanently?
I would appreciate it very much if you could reply back, since this is the only post I found regarding this issue.

Thank you!

Hi,

Since I made that post with the "fix", I haven't encountered this issue. Everything worked fine. No other issues with the car, battery or drop in coolant level.

And...sorry, but I don't have any other information about this. I wanted to ask the people at the service but...let's just say I avoided this subject of removing the hose until the warranty runs out.

 

[marcos]

Hello.

There is any risk of it spilling out coolant when getting the hose off? My leon has the same problem, the first time the dealer topped it up but they charge around 25€ just to fill 100ml ...

 

[crowedar]

Hello.

There is any risk of it spilling out coolant when getting the hose off? My leon has the same problem, the first time the dealer topped it up but they charge around 25€ just to fill 100ml ...

Hey, I noticed my coolant was below min so I undid the hose to release pressure. Turns out there was no pressure and when I disconnected the hose some coolant leaked out so I put it back on v quickly. Did you ever get to the bottom of your issue? Mine is a well below min but no warning. Thanks

 

[adrianator]

Hey, I noticed my coolant was below min so I undid the hose to release pressure. Turns out there was no pressure and when I disconnected the hose some coolant leaked out so I put it back on v quickly. Did you ever get to the bottom of your issue? Mine is a well below min but no warning. Thanks

Some people say that if there's no pressure, then the coolant is leaking somewhere. Not trying to scare you but the worst case scenario is leaking in/around the batteries. Either way, I have no other data to back up my claim, just people's comments around the internet.

For me, since I disconnected the hose and plugged it back again, I had no issue. And it's been 1.5 years since I did it.

 

[crowedar]

Some people say that if there's no pressure, then the coolant is leaking somewhere. Not trying to scare you but the worst case scenario is leaking in/around the batteries. Either way, I have no other data to back up my claim, just people's comments around the internet.

For me, since I disconnected the hose and plugged it back again, I had no issue. And it's been 1.5 years since I did it.

Thanks i appreciate the response. I'll keep an eye on it. Did some coolant come out of the hose. Some did for me and I'm not sure if that is normal.

 

[Kravanak]

Had this same issue come up today, hadn't looked into it before I went to sort it myself, stupidly yolo'd and cut the security tag off and undid the reservoir lid partially, and it started venting pressure, and the fluid level started to rise on its own, closed it back up and its been fine since then. Need to monitor it.

Odd thing is I had a local garage service it, as the main dealer wanted an arm & a leg & a kidney to service it (it's out of warranty now), they supposedly checked the antifreeze levels in the coolant but not sure how with the seal on there‽‽‽!!!

 

[adrianator]

Had this same issue come up today, hadn't looked into it before I went to sort it myself, stupidly yolo'd and cut the security tag off and undid the reservoir lid partially, and it started venting pressure, and the fluid level started to rise on its own, closed it back up and its been fine since then. Need to monitor it.

Odd thing is I had a local garage service it, as the main dealer wanted an arm & a leg & a kidney to service it (it's out of warranty now), they supposedly checked the antifreeze levels in the coolant but not sure how with the seal on there‽‽‽!!!

Same happened to me. Same behavior but I disconnected the hose.

 

[James_R]

FYI: If there is unusual behaviour on your vehicle and it concerns the HV coolant level being low, it's generally the sign of there being an underlying issue, especially when there is a lot of pressure there, there should be next to no pressure.

 

[marcos]

Hey, I noticed my coolant was below min so I undid the hose to release pressure. Turns out there was no pressure and when I disconnected the hose some coolant leaked out so I put it back on v quickly. Did you ever get to the bottom of your issue? Mine is a well below min but no warning. Thanks

Hello.
The first time it happened I just went to shop and they supposedly reffilled it. The second time it started to lower I just kept an eye on it and it stopped between the max and min and stood there until now. However when reported to shop they could find any issue or explanation to that.

 

[Rwillis18]

Fuming!
I have just had an issue where my coolant light came on.
Had a look to see it was to do with the HV ev system.
RAC came out cut the security tag and opened it up and the issue was fixed. The coolant rose back up into the reservoir. JOB FIXED!
Or so I hoped.
This went on happening again and again but by this point I was taking the lid off myself and sorting the issue.
This was until one morning I opened the lid and no coolant rose and no pressure was released.
NOT GOOD!
Called the RAC they said we can't do anything. Call local garages who specialise in hybrid cars, nope we can't help. Call Seat and they say we can't help. Who in their F**king right mind produces a car that can't be fixed by anyone.
NO ONE has said they can help and told me to contact seat. I've called the head office and they say “we apologise for this we can’t do it for several weeks as were very busy. It would cost £182 to diagnose then parts and labour on top. Amazing so my car that I can't currently drive can't be seen by anyone for over a month. In the meantime I have no car to get to work and need to hire a car. DO NOT BUY HYBRID CARS!!!

 

[James_R]

Fuming!
I have just had an issue where my coolant light came on.
Had a look to see it was to do with the HV ev system.
RAC came out cut the security tag and opened it up and the issue was fixed. The coolant rose back up into the reservoir. JOB FIXED!
Or so I hoped.
This went on happening again and again but by this point I was taking the lid off myself and sorting the issue.
This was until one morning I opened the lid and no coolant rose and no pressure was released.
NOT GOOD!
Called the RAC they said we can't do anything. Call local garages who specialise in hybrid cars, nope we can't help. Call Seat and they say we can't help. Who in their F**king right mind produces a car that can't be fixed by anyone.
NO ONE has said they can help and told me to contact seat. I've called the head office and they say “we apologise for this we can’t do it for several weeks as were very busy. It would cost £182 to diagnose then parts and labour on top. Amazing so my car that I can't currently drive can't be seen by anyone for over a month. In the meantime I have no car to get to work and need to hire a car. DO NOT BUY HYBRID CARS!!!

I'm going to point out the blatantly obvious here and be quite blunt.

Opening the HV coolant bottle cap to relieve the pressure within was not the cause of the issue or the fix for it, it's was a symptom of an underlying fault and to do this several times expecting a different outcome was not a good idea.

The first time the issue occurred should have been when you made contact with a repairer.

Why the RAC didn't stipulate you have the issue investigated ASAP is beyond me.

So, realistically, the lesson here is there is no issue with having a hybrid car over an I.C.E (you'll probably find you have a similar issue having diagnostic work carried out on a petrol or diesel engine these days too, lead times are at an all time high), but should you have a problem, you're better off having it investigated in a timely manner to prevent an inevitable component failure.

At a guess, the pressure will have been air con gas filling the HV cooling system due to a failed HV chiller unit. It's becoming a regular occurrence.

The knowledge and equipment required to carry out that particular repair should be within the scope of any half decent garage.

 

[Rwillis18]

I'm going to point out the blatantly obvious here and be quite blunt.

Opening the HV coolant bottle cap to relieve the pressure within was not the cause of the issue or the fix for it, it's was a symptom of an underlying fault and to do this several times expecting a different outcome was not a good idea.

The first time the issue occurred should have been when you made contact with a repairer.

Why the RAC didn't stipulate you have the issue investigated ASAP is beyond me.

So, realistically, the lesson here is there is no issue with having a hybrid car over an I.C.E (you'll probably find you have a similar issue having diagnostic work carried out on a petrol or diesel engine these days too, lead times are at an all time high), but should you have a problem, you're better off having it investigated in a timely manner to prevent an inevitable component failure.

At a guess, the pressure will have been air con gas filling the HV cooling system due to a failed HV chiller unit. It's becoming a regular occurrence.

The knowledge and equipment required to carry out that particular repair should be within the scope of any half decent garage.

I understand that when it kept happening I should of had it checked and I didn't inquire to a few garages in my area and all of them said they aren't specialised and I needed to go to the main dealership directly. When the RAC open it up and you see that it sorts itself out by opening the cap and they say all sorted very minor you assume if it happens again you copy what he did. I'm not a mechanic and I just did whatever RAC recommended and showed me. The biggest issue is being told by 12 garages I called which included SEAT perrys is that they can't help as they aren't specialised. What do you mean? This is your car. Imagine being told by the company you bought the car from they don't know what to do. Its crazy to me that I have a bog standard car they're the same as Golfs, A3s and Skodas and yet its like no one knows what to do, that is scary. If when it happened someone said oh yeah thats a normal issue we can get this done, I wouldn't be on here. This due to the sheer lack of people who could help.

 

[mty12345]

I understand that when it kept happening I should of had it checked and I didn't inquire to a few garages in my area and all of them said they aren't specialised and I needed to go to the main dealership directly. When the RAC open it up and you see that it sorts itself out by opening the cap and they say all sorted very minor you assume if it happens again you copy what he did. I'm not a mechanic and I just did whatever RAC recommended and showed me. The biggest issue is being told by 12 garages I called which included SEAT perrys is that they can't help as they aren't specialised. What do you mean? This is your car. Imagine being told by the company you bought the car from they don't know what to do. Its crazy to me that I have a bog standard car they're the same as Golfs, A3s and Skodas and yet its like no one knows what to do, that is scary. If when it happened someone said oh yeah thats a normal issue we can get this done, I wouldn't be on here. This due to the sheer lack of people who could help.

My mates owned a garage for over 30 years and he just refuses to deal with hybrids full stop. Plenty of other work out there so not many garages are going to want the hassle/risk of messing about with any part of a HV system.

Modern ICE cars are complicated enough, and hybrids just add a whole extra level of complexity and danger to mechanics and the garage premises on top of that.

 

[James_R]

Private businesses are generally put off with the additional costs of training and equipment. Although the likes of the IMI and government have been subsidising the training for quite some time. That can be completely free training up to level 4.