Antifreeze/Coolant

[ryan5520]

Hello,

I took my partners Ibiza for a winter health check at Seat mostly because she was worried about the battery and it seemed the cheapest way to get it checked.

This was a week and a half ago. When she was on the way to work on Saturday the engine temperature light came on and the car kept beeping, so she pulled over. I met her and found the cause is Seat left the cap off the antifreeze!

After screwing the cap back on the engine temperature light comes on whenever you switch the engine on.

I’ve got it booked to go back to Seat on Thursday. However, looking again at the coolant it is below the minimum line (probably spilt out while the cap was off). Is this likely to be all the issue is? So I can just top up the antifreeze and then not mess around taking it back to Seat again?

If so, could anyone also let me know the type of coolant needed? It’s got a pink one in there currently.

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[RUM4MO]

Ideally you would just a litre bottle of G12 evo from any VW Group garage you are nearest to, or buy G13 equivalent from ECP or Halfords etc.

Edit:- so that means Comma GG40 and as Halfords sell the concentrated version in 2 litre size and it is cheaper than 5 litres of premixed GG40, then I'd buy the cheaper of the two and add it in straight to the header tank.

 

[ryan5520]

Thank you, little concerned those look to be purple liquids and the one in there now is red/pink. Do you have any idea on that?

 

[RUM4MO]

I've edited my last posting.

Colour wise, yes all a bit confusing, VW Group coolant went from G12 to G12+ to G12++ to G13 to G12evo! Adding any "same as" or "later" versions is okay, in your case, your car will probably have the G12++ or G13 version, and the Comma GG40 conforms to the version of VW Group coolant, which is also known as G13 and was used in SEAT factories from 2008 until 06/2018.

 

[ryan5520]

It is slightly confusing! Thank you for the help though. I’ve just remembered there is a VW behind my local Halfords. So I think my plan will be go to VW to get the G12 eco and if they haven’t got it then comma G40 from Halfords. I had seen a universal Prestone coolant, but it sounds better to use what you are saying.

Do you have any knowledge as to whether the coolant spilling is likely to be the only reason for the engine temperature light? Just hoping any damage hasn’t been done by driving with the cap off the coolant.

 

[RUM4MO]

If the level has dropped below the minimum level, the warning should be "low coolant level".

Remember if you end up buying from Halfords it is the GG40 and not G40 version you are buying, a few months ago, the G12evo which is the only version that any VW Group outlet will be stocking cost me £17.18 for one litre of premixed 50%. Value for money, you would end up with 2 litres of GG40 conc from Halfords for that money roughly.

Edit:- that price per litre bottle was wrong, a wrong guess, it should have been £7.13 inc VAT!

 

[ryan5520]

The coolant light just comes on the dash when switching the car on and it keeps beeping, unfortunately I don’t have a computer to read the full message.

When putting my reg in the Halfords website it says the G40 is compatible and the GG40 isn’t, which makes this even more confusing.

 

[Woody_72]

I just matched the colour with mine. The existing stuff was a strong pink colour which is G12+ so that is what I use. Mannol sell it on amazon in litre bottles.

 

[RUM4MO]

The coolant light just comes on the dash when switching the car on and it keeps beeping, unfortunately I don’t have a computer to read the full message.

When putting my reg in the Halfords website it says the G40 is compatible and the GG40 isn’t, which makes this even more confusing.

I'm guessing that your car is an early MK5 Ibiza if Halfords website is suggesting that, going by official SEAT info that is online (but how correct is that), they started using G13 during 2008.
One thing to note, if you check the coolant reservoir you will see that "a" VW Group coolant spec is printed onto that reservoir, but in my experience, VW Group just run out of stocks of one reservoir before starting to fit the next version, which is a bit silly and unnecessary - and usually advice you to check the owners handbook for the correct coolant spec - if that even always exists in the owners handbook!
Remember that GG40 from Comma is compatible with a car that has been filled with G40 - all these quoted "G" specs/types are just reflections of what the BASF products are called, it is them that manufacture for Europe, all these coolants. The only disclaimer for adding a newer but compatible version of coolant to an older but compatible version is, you will not fully benefit from the improvements that have been made to the newer version - but so what if they are compatible.
When Comma eventually market their packaged version of the latest VW Group coolant, it will get called G65 as that is the BASF product that is in it, also if you buy from VW Group today, it will be G12evo which is just BASF's G65 product.

Edit:- I'm wrong in saying 2008 > was G13, initially it would have been G12+ or G12++ which was Comma G40, then over time they changed that to G13 which was GG40, but still compatible.

 

[dm222]

put distilledwater, its a mix 50% collant 50% distilled water

putting G13 is the saffer bet, if youn put only distilled water wont kill the engine either just the mix will be a bit less rich...

 

[RUM4MO]

put distilledwater, its a mix 50% collant 50% distilled water

putting G13 is the saffer bet, if youn put only distilled water wont kill the engine either just the mix will be a bit less rich...

Yes, but if he ends up buying it from a VW Group dealership it will only ever be premixed 50-50, which for me, was a bit annoying!

 

[ryan5520]

Thanks all! I’ve just been to VW and bought 1 litre premixed G12 evo for £6.20. It’s purple but he said it’s fine to mix with the pink which as has been said above is probably just their older G13.

 

[dm222]

Yes, but if he ends up buying it from a VW Group dealership it will only ever be premixed 50-50, which for me, was a bit annoying!

I bought G13 and it wasnt pre-mixed I think.


this bottle:

 

[ryan5520]

Topping up the coolant seems to have cleared the error on the dash too, so hopefully this has sorted what really is a ridiculous mistake by my seat garage…

 

[RUM4MO]

I bought G13 and it wasnt pre-mixed I think.


this bottle: Snip!

Correct that is G13 concentrate - but, when did you buy that from a VW Group dealership as the production date on that bottle is 04 - 06 - 17, which is a very long time ago, and well before G12evo appeared.

 

[RUM4MO]

Thanks all! I’ve just been to VW and bought 1 litre premixed G12 evo for £6.20. It’s purple but he said it’s fine to mix with the pink which as has been said above is probably just their older G13.

Lucky you, I checked back my receipt and the price I gave of £17.?? was wrong, it should have been £7.13inc VAT but ended up being £5.94 as I was given a sealed box of 12 bottles for the price of 10 bottles!

Good to see that the price for G12evo is dropping though, so again it can be cheaper to check what local dealers are asking for the quantity that you require, in this case much cheaper than Comma G40 or GG40 from Halfords.

 

[dm222]

 

[Bear]

All these posts are very informative, but the fact that the SEAT mechanic forgot to screw the cap back on is utterly amateur.

 

[ryan5520]

All these posts are very informative, but the fact that the SEAT mechanic forgot to screw the cap back on is utterly amateur.

Was wondering if someone might comment on that! I’ve attached a photo on how it looked when I opened the bonnet…

 

[dm222]

at least yours has a sensor in the reservoir, mine doesnt and I would probably find out only when the engine overheated, which is likely after damage done.