do i have to put any kind of special antifreeze/coolant in my 01 a4 1.8?

thanks

 

Yes - the coolant is called G12, available at the dealership or through the forum sponsors. They may have a version at the auto parts stores too - I'm not positive. But if you dump normal coolant in on top of the G12 you're gonna have serious problems.

 

And for what it's worth, the power steering fluid is proprietary too - don't use off-the-shelf stuff for that either. One final incompatibility is Redline Water Wetter (an aftermarket coolant additive). I used to add that to the coolant of other cars I've owned and it made a nice drop in operating temps. It is also incompatible with the G12 coolant in our cars.

 

Audi FTW!

HAHA

Josh

 

if you wanted to run water wetter you could always switch to a different coolant. you just can't MIX g12 with anything

 

there isnt a need to add anything to g12.

 

So to clarify an apparent misconception I've had, do we HAVE to run G12, or can we fully flush out the G12 and run regular coolant? I ask because a buddy bought a 96 12v which has been running conventional coolant. I was under the impression that, for whatever reason, our engines are required to use G12. Is that not true, and it's just something that Audi doesn't readily disclose, in order to keep us buying from the dealerships? Are these cars fine on regular coolant, so long as the G12 has been fully flushed out?

 

I tried running normal prestone coolant after i did a turbo swap once (dealer was closed and i needed coolant now) and it just disappeared after about a week. I had to keep adding water since it couldnt hold the heat.

 

Have you heard of a V6 getting away with using regular coolant, since it doesn't have the turbo-associated heat?

 

I wouldnt bother with it. G12 is a lifetime coolent and even if its more, it will save you money in the long run.