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Golf R going through Coolant

blitz869

Passed Driver's Ed
Randomly the other night the low coolant light came on. I checked the levels and it was about an inch under the min line. There’s no traces of it in the garage leaking. I topped up and it seems to be going through it slowly day by day.

See photos below

Couple days after top up


The next day


Any tips or tricks I should check before I booking it into the dealer?
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
That's right in the middle. The min line is at the BOTTOM of the point of the triange. If you mentioned WHERE you live we could answer.
 

GoatPowder

Ready to race!
I'm not sure where you're located but in extreme cold "cold water leaks" are a common occurrence on any vehicle. If you can't see anything wet (use a flashlight a small leak adds up quickly) look around on hot components (exhaust, side of the block, etc.) for a white crust. The only place it'll go other than out is in... Pull your dipstick and look for contamination. They call it "chocolate milk" but if you catch it early it may just look like a few brown lumps towards the tip of the stick.
 

blitz869

Passed Driver's Ed
That's right in the middle. The min line is at the BOTTOM of the point of the triange. If you mentioned WHERE you live we could answer.


It’s in the middle correct, it was topped up 3 days ago. Location is Ottawa Canada car has 30k on it.
 

GoatPowder

Ready to race!
So you've been sub-zeros as well then. Unless you have a heated garage, look at hoses connected to metal components (water pump, heater core, head). The metal contracts in the cold and the hose will be "loose" until the engine heats up.
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
While you could have a leak at the thermostat or water pump, it very well could merely be the coolant severely contracted from the cold, tripping the low coolant light. You need to check it in the morning when it's cold. I would fill it to the top of the seam hot if I lived in Canada. When I lived in PA that's where I had to keep my previous VW's bottles to avoid the light. The light is the #1 complaint at dealerships at the beginning of winter. #2 is a dead battery.
 

blitz869

Passed Driver's Ed
It is possible that the coolant contracted, but it was a good inch under the minimum line about 5 days ago. So i bought some coolant and topped it up. And since tipping it up it has started to drop again. Although nothing crazy, it still slowly dropping and the weather last couple days has been mild. The garage is not heated just a regular attached garage. I also have noticed a smell of coolant when I park after driving for a while.
 

KASPER1

Go Kart Champion
Location
AMONGST U
Sounds like a thermostat or water pump leak, there also have been a few occasions of radiator failure/leaks although that’s usually the rarest out of the 3.
 

NCM

Ready to race!
Location
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Car(s)
2015 Golf R
The thing is that many (most? all?) of these cars consume coolant, at least at a low rate. The problem then becomes figuring out whether your is in this "normal" category, or if there's an actual fault someplace that needs to be hunted down and fixed.

I have to add coolant two or three times a year, and keep a dispenser of 50/50 G13 mix in the garage for that purpose. I've found no sign of leakage or seepage, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough or in the right place?

Neil
 

ElectricEye

Autocross Newbie
Location
Central NJ
When you say you topped it off, are you keeping it in the parameters of the xxx'd area, or are you filling the reservoir up?
 

elwood1

Ready to race!
Location
Highland Park, IL
Car(s)
2024 GTI SE DSG
The thing is that many (most? all?) of these cars consume coolant, at least at a low rate. The problem then becomes figuring out whether your is in this "normal" category, or if there's an actual fault someplace that needs to be hunted down and fixed.

I have to add coolant two or three times a year, and keep a dispenser of 50/50 G13 mix in the garage for that purpose. I've found no sign of leakage or seepage, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough or in the right place?

Neil

Just curious, do you smell coolant when the level is down? I'm just starting to smell coolant, but the level hasn't changed appreciably. 2016 with about 38,000 miles. Thanks.
 

tonipepperoni77

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Mass
Just topped mine off. Second time after about 8 thousand miles. Was closer to the min mark but just added a little today


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Firstboost

Go Kart Champion
Location
East Bay Area
Mine is a tad over the min mark currently, but over the past 6 months it has gone from max to min. I do not see any sort of leak or dried coolant anywhere, but can definitely smell coolant once I pull in to the garage and shut the car off. I am going to fill it back up and monitor and if it goes back down with only a little bit of driving, I'll be going to the dealership to have it inspected. I'm currently at 10K miles.
 
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