Prestone Antifreeze / Coolant - is it safe?

[sxmwht]

Hi all, engine coolant level light came on the other day in my Mk7.5 GTI. Much to my bemusement, the level is way below the minimum line. Ok, my fault for not keeping up on it, but is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

Anyway, the easiest place I can pick up coolant is my nearest tesco, and they have Prestone Anitifreeze/Coolant which is apparently safe to mix with all brands, engines etc. Is this true, or should I go the little bit further and find somewhere that might actually stock G13?

Cheers

[geeman237]

I have a 2017 Golf 1.8TSi estate (US spec), so not sure if its the same engine, but my coolant level ran low. Turned out to be a leaking waterpump and its a known issue. Have a look from under the car if you can, and up to the underside of the waterpump. Mine was all crusty and weeping coolant. I would advise only using the VW spec'd stuff. VW in the US will do a warranty replacement of the waterpump and it's quite a job I believe.

[Challo]

sxmwht said:

Hi all, engine coolant level light came on the other day in my Mk7.5 GTI. Much to my bemusement, the level is way below the minimum line. Ok, my fault for not keeping up on it, but is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

Anyway, the easiest place I can pick up coolant is my nearest tesco, and they have Prestone Anitifreeze/Coolant which is apparently safe to mix with all brands, engines etc. Is this true, or should I go the little bit further and find somewhere that might actually stock G13?

Cheers

I would be mindful of mixing coolants. Just top it up with water for the moment, and then order the right stuff for your car.

[Matt Cup]

Just an fyi but there is a common issue with these engines where the thermostat housing/water pumps fail. This is why you may be suffering low coolant. So it may not necessarily be just a top up you need.

[shtu]

G13 isn't hard to find, any halfords or ECP will have it, as will parts factors

You don't have to buy VW-branded stuff, there's lots of own-brand.

[RazerSauber]

I've used that Prestone stuff in my Mazda 6 for ages. Never had even the slightest issue. Can't guarantee that 100% for you but I'm inclined to believe the blurb on the bottle. Worth noting that Toolstation has the 1L bottles in a little bit cheaper than Tesco if there's one nearby.

[Evanivitch]

Challo said:

I would be mindful of mixing coolants. Just top it up with water for the moment, and then order the right stuff for your car.

This.

[Sebring440]

sxmwht said:

t is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

The safety net is usually a warning light.

[Monty22]

I topped up my R56 Mini with the Prestone coolant 1 year ago and its still running.

[Piersman2]

Sebring440 said:

sxmwht said:

t is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

The safety net is usually a warning light.

Exactly my thought when I read that line!

[ImDesigner]

Yep, it'll be a water pump or thermostat housing. Top up and watch the level to establish how soon you need to do some work.

[Haltamer]

I've mixed it with Alfa, Jaguar and Honda coolant and none of them have turned to sludge and they all survived the big freeze

[Pica-Pica]

Piersman2 said:

Sebring440 said:

sxmwht said:

t is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

The safety net is usually a warning light.

Exactly my thought when I read that line!

Usually an orange warning light is ‘oops, something is not quite right’ a red warning light is ‘you are about to enter trouble’

[Mineral1]

Prestone is universal and compatible with the VW G13 coolant, it specifically lists it on their website as guaranteed compatible.

[Collectingbrass]

I would also get the Torque Pro app and a blue tooth code reader (if you're quick you should be able to get one from Amazon before any long drives at Christmas) as this will show you a more accurate set of Engine temps than the dashboard gauge will

[CraigyMc]

Mineral1 said:

Prestone is universal and compatible with the VW G13 coolant, it specifically lists it on their website as guaranteed compatible.

Universal?

There are coolants that turn other coolants into -effectively- chunky soup.

• IAT (Inorganic Additive Technology) – Silicates – Green
• OAT (Organic Acid Technology) – Organic Acids – Orange
• HOAT (Hybrid OAT, Phosphate-free) – NAP-free – Turquoise
• HOAT (Hybrid OAT) – Silicates and organic acids – Yellow
• Si-OAT (Silicated HOAT) – Silicates and organic acids – Purple
• P-HOAT (Phosphated HOAT) – Phosphates and organic acids – Blue or pink

OP: use the right one.

[Krikkit]

Prestone is just Ethylene Glycol coolant with no additive packages, just a little dye, which is why they say it's "universal"

[sxmwht]

Piersman2 said:

Sebring440 said:

sxmwht said:

t is it really too much to expect the warning to come with some level of safety net?

The safety net is usually a warning light.

Exactly my thought when I read that line!

What I'm saying is, the warning light should surely come on when the coolant level is at minimum, no? That's why it's called "minimum". If the warning light only comes on when your level is way past minimum, that's not any good.

Imagine these BMWs that don't have a physical dipstick only came on with an oil light once the engine had grenaded itself. Or if your brake pad wear sensor only came on once you had rear ended another vehicle.

[sxmwht]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm aware of the water pump being a failure point on these vehicles - I've just checked and there are some very suspect-looking deposits on the driveway Luckily the car is booked in for a service tomorrow, so I'll top it up with some water to get it there and let them take a look.

[Mineral1]

CraigyMc said:

Universal?

There are coolants that turn other coolants into -effectively- chunky soup.

• IAT (Inorganic Additive Technology) – Silicates – Green
• OAT (Organic Acid Technology) – Organic Acids – Orange
• HOAT (Hybrid OAT, Phosphate-free) – NAP-free – Turquoise
• HOAT (Hybrid OAT) – Silicates and organic acids – Yellow
• Si-OAT (Silicated HOAT) – Silicates and organic acids – Purple
• P-HOAT (Phosphated HOAT) – Phosphates and organic acids – Blue or pink

OP: use the right one.

Yes, universal.

Thanks for the list there, whilst interesting it has no bearing whatsoever on the question of whether prestone is a universally suitable coolant or not.