I purchased my car (01 A4 1.8t QM) maybe 3 months ago. I was looking at my engine yesterday and noticed that the coolant level is below the min fill line. And the dealer I am assuming did that on purpose, and not that the tank is leaking. My question is, is it better for you to fill the collant on our cars a little below the fill line? Or to fill where tank says? Where do you fill your coolant to? No cel or any warning of overheating. I watch my gauges.

*I am going to call dealership in a little while and ask them what brand coolant they used so I can fill up to fill line. It is the pink coolant, but I am cautious of mixing brands.

 

You need G12 coolant. I bought a 1 gallon jug from the local VW dealership for like $20. I'm sure it's more from Audi.

 

+1 Don't be cheap save $12 and spend $3000 for a new engine

 

It should be between the min and max line but not all the way to max. Use G12 Pink Coolant. ONLY get this from a VWor Audi Dealer. I also got mine at a VW dealer for 20 bucks.

Believe me, its not worth it to use the other stuff...the person that had my car before me must have because the heater core was all clogged with a brown gunk...cost me $1,200 to replace because the labor is insane.

 

like the others, get g12 from audi or an online source like purems.com

you might have a leak on your rear coolant flange.... common problem on b6's im not sure if yours is the same...

 

where might i find this coolant flange. i have a ghost coolant leak on my B6.

 

I actually noticed that the person whom did thd fluid changes prior to me purchasing the vehicle just placed the minimum at the wrong place. It is at the line (exactly at) where it says minimum (right below). When the line is actually above the limit warning. I should be ok till the good weather comes back and I will just do the DIY coolant flush. Replace it all and then don't have to worry. But I have another question. How often do you need to change the coolant? The manual says every 50k, but I am sure the enthusiests will give me different recommendations.

http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73219

 

Dont see any problems with 50k. Just as long as you use G12 (pink) or G12+ (purple) and distilled water. If you are low, just throw in some distilled water to just below the max level.

DONT EVER MIX COOLENT WITH ANOTHER. It will get thick and ruin things.

 

Thanks Cincytt. You are always very helpfull.

 

How long does that take? I had a problem about 5 days ago, where I lost half of my coolant. I pulled over, fixed the problem.. but had no coolant (it was about 9-10pm, no vw/audi places near by) so I had to walk to a gas station to get some generic coolant (pink/peach in color 50/50 with water) and had to mix it with my current coolant.. I haven't really driven the car much sinse then, but I'm also waiting for a day when it's not ice/snow/mud on the ground to flush my coolant.

I'll have a look at my coolant, but I assume I won't notice the thickness right away because it'll all be on the bottom. 25% of the coolant in my car is from some off the shelf company who pride themselves with the fact that it can mixed with other coolants. Anyway, what I'm trying to find out with this awfully long post is.. should I panic right away? I've driven about 60-70 miles. If I have to panic, I'll go to a shop to have them flush it.. but I'd rather wait a week or so (about 50-75 miles) so I can do it myself and change my oil while I'm at it.