I have just joined the Wasserboxer brigade

Had an air cooled one now i have a 90 2.1 Caravelle

Has a low Km motor and the bloke i bought it off "seems" to know his stuff.
He redid the head gaskets and has always used Castrol anti freeze as the fluid - Ethylene glycol ??

Just wondering what everyone else uses and how often you change it?

Barry

G11 the book says

No opinions??

So far, from talking to experts, i have

1) G11 - the blue stuff
2) G12 - the purple stuff
3) Ethylene glycol
4) Propylene glycol
5) Anything that doesnt contain phosphate

Additionally use only distilled water to mix and change fluid at least every 2 years - if not once a year

PS
This thing i have bought drives BEAUTIFUL.
Mrs Bizarre has given up the Mk 4 golf for the new purchase :sandrine

I always used the genuine VW coolant....and changed it annually.

Yep the genuine stuff is not that dear!!!

Hi Barry

Yep get the factory stuff and use distilled water. Then stick some 1.4 rockers on it to wake it up.

Steve

The VW mechanic i went topped up mine with G11 and gave me the bottle (about 2 litres worth?) with the left over, and yeah, i didn't think it was expensive at all. Don't know why you'd bother with a cheaper option.

The new coolant for all vw's is now called g12+
it super seeds g11 which was blue and g12 which was red the new g12+ is pink if you dont use the vw coolant and some other cheap brand you will end up with very rusty head studs in t3 kombis with isnt cheap to get out when broken in the block so stick only to what vw tells you.

Now why didnt you tell me that when i saw you today?? :P

Yep, G12+ is the go.....it mixes with both G11 & G12, but dont mix G11 with G12. If you have Castrol coolant in the car, drain it out and refill completely with Demineralised Water run that through then drain it out and put the G12+ in. I'd also disconnect both coolant hoses above the spare tyre and blow through them to make sure you get all the Castrol out of the system.
Mixing coolants makes a gluggy mess, so make sure you get it all out.

this is just what I call common knowledge...

Its not aimed at anyone who has already commented on this subject... concerning Volkswagens....

Coolants usually take the boiling point of water Up to a higher temperature...

and Coolants take the freezing point of water down to a lower temperature....

So, its very important to Use it even in the SUMMER...
I shudder when I see people using water to fill the radiator or coolant tank....
at service stations....

Generally,
I think calling liquid cooled engines "Water cooled" gives people the wrong impression...

I only use the pre mixed castrol coolant in My Lancer...

it may be 5 times the price of the stuff at Woolies or Big W.... but engines don't come cheap....
and its changed every year...

cheers

Lee

[ Edited on 4-11-2006 by 68AutoBug ]