I was told by the dealership that my Jetta needed to have a special type of coolant made explicitly for VWs and Audis. they said if I drive around with the wrong coolant, it would void my extended warranty. They said i need to have my coolant system flushed. is this true?
Volkswagen coolant is different, and you should use it at least during the warranty period. Depending on your mileage and age of the car, the cooling systems need flushing, usually at 50,000 miles or so. Check you instruction manual.
You can buy the coolant at the dealer,and have your own mechanic service the car, and you will be OK as long as you keep your bills.
Dealerships are in the business to make money, and at least, toping off the radiator is something you can handle if you are smart enough to get to this website. See if the corner convenience parts store sells the VW coolant and top off the radiator yourself, even if you have to buy it from the VW parts departemnt it can still be done by yourself. As long as you keep the radiator topped off you can choose when you want to have the radiator flushed. I have 225,000 miles on my Ford and have only had the system flushed twice. Be careful with the radiator if it is hot.
It sounds like the dealer is telling the OP that he needs to flush out the incorrect coolant and refill with the VW stuff. I don’t know what VW requires, but I replace my coolant every two years.
You likely need G-12. You can check your owner’s manual. You can use something else, but I don’t. The difference in cost is just not enough to take a chance.
I don’t know it it would void your post warranty insurance to use something else, but I would guess it would only void things being touched by the fluid.
There are several Vw antifreeze colors, which are:
- Blue Vw Antifreeze
- Pink or Red Vw Antifreeze
- Purple Vw Antifreeze
Vw green antifreeze part number ZVw 237 105 is no longer supplied. It is replaced by the blue, red or pink, or purple antifreeze. Note: You should not mix blue, red or pink, or purple coolant with green antifreeze. If you have, you must flush your Vw cooling system.
I would look at the specification and figure out if an aftermarket coolant meets it. There is no way I would go with a so-called universal coolant unless you know a lot about coolant (corrosion) chemistry.
Just lost my long Reply ERGH
G12 is Filled for life (never change it) , there are people who claim it makes the hoses last longer than standard coolant. Definitely don’t mix coolants.
"G12 is Filled for life " But most people would (wisely in my opinion) change it from time to time.
Yup. vehicles with lifetime fluids tend to have very short lives.