So I understand that it’s supposed to be g13 in my car? However it’s a pink colour which I believe should be purple? Any idea if I need to top it up a pink colour OAT for Halfords or ECP might be alright?
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So I understand that it’s supposed to be g13 in my car? However it’s a pink colour which I believe should be purple? Any idea if I need to top it up a pink colour OAT for Halfords or ECP might be alright?
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I don't believe that when mixed in the system, that you can confidently say which is pink and which is purple - which for me is a bit annoying - unless over the past 20 years I've only ever had cars with pink coloured coolant additive.
I've seen these charts that claim to let you work out which version of coolant was used at factory from a certain date, but in my experience of 6 VW Group cars bought over that period, the marking on the header tank does not agree with that "official" or maybe just official chart, and again there is what is written in the owner's handbook.
So, as far as I know, handbooks are used in sequence and placed in the car at the selling dealership, maybe I'm wrong there, but if I'm correct, any changes will only end up in the supplied handbook after the previous have run out - not necessarily when the coolant used at the factory changed.
Again, as far as I know, the point in production where there will be a change to the next version of coolant type marked on the header tank will roughly be when either the parts holdings run out or the "picking list" requires a new part number to be used - again not necessarily when the factories changed to the next version of coolant.
All of these post 2000 coolants are OAT so you have no issue there with compatibility, I've forgotten so without checking up, which was purple the G12 or G13 original coolant additive - if pink top up with pink. So far, I've only ever bought and used VW Group coolant offerings, but as only one or two companies actually manufacture the base product, Comma and probably Halfords and ECP should be okay as long as they are really sourcing the genuine BASF product or same thing that has been tested to be equivalent. I think that the Comma website has a guide to which of their products are correct for use with G12 G13 etc.
Edit:- just to make my thoughts clear - would I love to accept that VW Group and their selling agents/importers do always fit the header tank with the correct markings to all car? - YES. - would I love to accept that VW Group and their selling agents/importers do always fit the correct owner's handbook into every car that is sold new? - YES.
A few or a lot of us VW Group owners across these forums and more just want simple clarity and not a moving "correct" situation.
I've seen these charts that claim to let you work out which version of coolant was used at factory from a certain date, but in my experience of 6 VW Group cars bought over that period, the marking on the header tank does not agree with that "official" or maybe just official chart, and again there is what is written in the owner's handbook.
So, as far as I know, handbooks are used in sequence and placed in the car at the selling dealership, maybe I'm wrong there, but if I'm correct, any changes will only end up in the supplied handbook after the previous have run out - not necessarily when the coolant used at the factory changed.
Again, as far as I know, the point in production where there will be a change to the next version of coolant type marked on the header tank will roughly be when either the parts holdings run out or the "picking list" requires a new part number to be used - again not necessarily when the factories changed to the next version of coolant.
All of these post 2000 coolants are OAT so you have no issue there with compatibility, I've forgotten so without checking up, which was purple the G12 or G13 original coolant additive - if pink top up with pink. So far, I've only ever bought and used VW Group coolant offerings, but as only one or two companies actually manufacture the base product, Comma and probably Halfords and ECP should be okay as long as they are really sourcing the genuine BASF product or same thing that has been tested to be equivalent. I think that the Comma website has a guide to which of their products are correct for use with G12 G13 etc.
Edit:- just to make my thoughts clear - would I love to accept that VW Group and their selling agents/importers do always fit the header tank with the correct markings to all car? - YES. - would I love to accept that VW Group and their selling agents/importers do always fit the correct owner's handbook into every car that is sold new? - YES.
A few or a lot of us VW Group owners across these forums and more just want simple clarity and not a moving "correct" situation.
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I’ve rang a local Seat Garage and they basically just said either pink or purple OAT are the same thing so just wack whatever in, if you’ve got pink in then use that, apparently the purple is more of a VW thing to maybe get some more money, so if you buy off the shelf then pink will be fine, apparently Seat often use this themselves anyway, which is probably why mine is pink
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I have had my car diagnosed as a blocked / failed heater matrix but silica bag is still in and all intact, i am not sure when i get the heater matrix changed to also have the bag removed and just cycle in a coolant change as part of a bi annual service what are peoples thoughts?
I replaced my expansion tank on Saturday to eliminate the silicate bag. The bag on mine wasn't removable, the tank is double walled and the bag is between them but it was only £30 delivered so no real biggy. I'm just going to get my coolant changed and then do it every three years or so if I still have the car.
Mind you, the system is pretty efficient at drawing the coolant from the tank and circulating it back into the engine so by emptying the tank every couple of trips and refilling with new coolant mix, you'd get a decent turn over of coolant that way. I might do that just until I polish off my 1.5L bottle of G13 concentrate.
Mind you, the system is pretty efficient at drawing the coolant from the tank and circulating it back into the engine so by emptying the tank every couple of trips and refilling with new coolant mix, you'd get a decent turn over of coolant that way. I might do that just until I polish off my 1.5L bottle of G13 concentrate.
That's exactly how I change my coolant this time...
My work run is 98% motorway and 60miles, so swapped out the coolant in the reservoir at home, then again at work.... Did that for about a week and now I have purple G13 instead of Pink G12.....
Just to add some more info to the mix I bought a 1.5L bottle of Febi-Bilstein G13 concentrate (G13 is supposed to be purple) and it's a very luminous bright pink 
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In a nutshell - when your car does a DPF regen the DPF gets super hot (600+ degrees C), as well as the EGR. The EGR cooler uses the heater matrix circuit to cool it down afterwards and because that is blocked it basically boils the coolant and that escapes via the overflow/high pressure release under the header tank cap.
The EA288 has 3 cooling systems and the DPF/EGR run off the smaller heater matrix ("exchanger") system.
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@Brian Gordon-Stables that is a great explanation i fully understand now .
CLP in Sheffield are going to do the matrix swap for me. I am not sure how they replace it if its dash out etc? think i was told around 4 1/2 to 5 hrs to do it.
.CLP in Sheffield are going to do the matrix swap for me. I am not sure how they replace it if its dash out etc? think i was told around 4 1/2 to 5 hrs to do it.
Mmm, when I was reading up on all the G' coolants I read that G12 & G12+ were pink and G12++ & G13 were purple... Could I have had G13 in my system all along?Just to add some more info to the mix I bought a 1.5L bottle of Febi-Bilstein G13 concentrate (G13 is supposed to be purple) and it's a very luminous bright pink
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But manual does state it should be purple..!
Confusing isn't it ?. Depending on the brand of your coolant it may well be G13. G12, G12+ and G13 are compatible anyway (in terms of doing no actual harm, it's better to use one or the other ideally) so no harm either way.
I've had VW Group cars since May 2000, the newest VW Group cars that I have had anything to do with wrt under the bonnet is my older daughter's May SEAT Leon Cupra, so these family VW Group cars were May 2000 Passat 4Motion, Feb 2002 Ibiza 1.4 8V, Sep 2002 Polo 1.4 16V, Nov 2009 Ibiza 1.4 16V, Feb 2011 S4, Aug 2015 Polo 1.2TSI and finally a May 2019 Leon Cupra - now in all these cars, I've never been aware of any change in colour in the mixed coolant, which is not good, any change in colour should be obvious and I'd think that with the cars I've listed, all with their original coolant in them, I should have had at least one with the older and some with the newer colour of coolant.
@Brian Gordon-Stables that is a great explanation i fully understand now
CLP in Sheffield are going to do the matrix swap for me. I am not sure how they replace it if its dash out etc? think i was told around 4 1/2 to 5 hrs to do it.
Cool - I was only asking as SEAT quote `about` 8 hours labour and £500 in parts for a full dash removal and refit. That's about £1300 all in at stealer labour rates.
I bought a matrix for £75 and did it myself in 3 hours with a workaround from a You Tube video.
Hope it sorts the problem for you.
@Sjdickso, which engine is in your car?
The reason that I am asking is, I think that I've read, maybe in this forum, that one reason for heater matrix getting blocked is casting sand not being cleared out of the head (I think), and so during the use of the engine, coolant is freeing up any casting sand left behind and it ends up getting trapped in the small pipes in the heater matrix - although the silicate granules would do "the same job"! Anyone feel free to shoot me down if I have that bit about "left behind casting sand" completely wrong, I think that it was only an issue with one version of TDI engines.
The reason that I am asking is, I think that I've read, maybe in this forum, that one reason for heater matrix getting blocked is casting sand not being cleared out of the head (I think), and so during the use of the engine, coolant is freeing up any casting sand left behind and it ends up getting trapped in the small pipes in the heater matrix - although the silicate granules would do "the same job"! Anyone feel free to shoot me down if I have that bit about "left behind casting sand" completely wrong, I think that it was only an issue with one version of TDI engines.
@RUM4MO - I've mentioned that before based on what I've read elsewhere. The casting sand is documented as being an issue and/or contributory factor. Some blocked matrix users have reported grit/sand in their matrix when flushed (mine did) and I also had it in my thermostat housing when that got changed. There was a natural catch area that seemed to collect it.
This is with the EA288 TDI engine.
Not sure on engine code a bit new to this model its a 2013 2.0 TDI 184 done 60ish K.
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