Halfords Ready Mixed Coolant

[waveydavey]

Browsing in Halfords tha other day I noticed they do a ready mix coolant that they claim matches an Audi specification. I tried to remember the spec number but I'm having brain fade. It wasn't G11 or G12 but was of the form TT/xxxx/xx or something like that, comes in a dark blue 5l container. Sorry for being a bit vague.

Does anybody have any experience with this stuff and is it suitable for the S2 or should I avoid it and go to the dealers for some G12+ for when I replace my main rad and thermostat next week.

[s2driveruk]

I have some in my garage but never used it.....stuck with the Audi G11/G12+ instead.

David

[Jamo]

Browsing in Halfords tha other day I noticed they do a ready mix coolant that they claim matches an Audi specification. I tried to remember the spec number but I'm having brain fade. It wasn't G11 or G12 but was of the form TT/xxxx/xx or something like that, comes in a dark blue 5l container. Sorry for being a bit vague.

Does anybody have any experience with this stuff and is it suitable for the S2 or should I avoid it and go to the dealers for some G12+ for when I replace my main rad and thermostat next week.

Dealers??? Get the stuff from GSF it's well cheap.

[dan_b]

I just used 3 litres of BP stuff, should I have got some "official" coolant?

[S2 Ant]

Im about to chuck in 3 litres of that genuine pink coloured one in... cant remember which that was LOL... GSF is always cheap enough

[Jamo]

Im about to chuck in 3 litres of that genuine pink coloured one in... cant remember which that was LOL... GSF is always cheap enough

Pink be the G12 as G11 is Bluey / Green

What colour is G12+? reminds me must get some from my mate at GSF.

[dan_b]

What's the difference with all these fluids? Am I doing potential harm by not using the official Audi pink/green stuff? Scared now...

[Jamo]

What's the difference with all these fluids? Am I doing potential harm by not using the official Audi pink/green stuff? Scared now...

They are the Audi standard coolant, G11 (Blue/Green) was the original , G12 is the improved coolant (Pink) and G12 Plus is topup that can be mixed with either G11 or G12 (Due to G11 and G12 being immiscible with each other)

[Graham]

G12 plus is purple in colour, and isnt that expensive, but i hate putting it into the stained messy expansion bottle which shows your level but not how clean the system is.

[martinjs]

Dealers only sell G12+ now, it took over from G12, thats what they told me anyway.

[s2driveruk]

@ graham - ditto, I need to get a now expansion bottle, mine is rust coloured I wanted to flush 12 years worth of scale and scum out of the coolant system/block but nobody recommends you do it it would seem so i just blasted the bottle clean at Gregs meet back in Feb. Acutally the staining was far worse than the amount of gunk that came out, it was suprisingly clean in there.

[Nuvo]

I wanted to flush 12 years worth of scale and scum out of the coolant system/block but nobody recommends you do it it would seem.

I've been thinking about back flushing my cooling system sometime soon as I've noticed a rusty sediment appears when the car is started from cold.
I was just wondering why this practice is discouraged? The expansion tank will be getting blasted with warm water at any rate as it is filthy.

Nuvo.

[dan_b]

So, what's so special about Audi coolant fluid which means I should buy that, rather than use the BP stuff I just picked up on Monday and put 3litres of in to my now -de-aux-radded system?

[Pete_RS2]

I wanted to flush 12 years worth of scale and scum out of the coolant system/block but nobody recommends you do it it would seem.

I've never heard that either. I flushed mine a couple of months ago. BTW those expansion tanks are only about £20 from VAG Parts & make the engine bay look much better

[Pete_RS2]

So, what's so special about Audi coolant fluid which means I should buy that, rather than use the BP stuff I just picked up on Monday and put 3litres of in to my now -de-aux-radded system?

Probably the anti-corrosion properties.