ThaboTheWuff

My coolant is very low, not really a leak just not topped it up in a number of years - yeah, yeah probably need to get a flush but what coolant type does this beast take? I recall it being a dealer only item or containing some type of magic fairy dust and unicorn blood?

uberwgn

Thabo: the original coolant would have been G12. Three common sources assuming we're in the USA: dealer, NAPA (Pentosin SF) and some bigger Advance Auto Parts (Pentosin SF).

There are tons of on-line places that can hook you up.

silverd2

Do NOT even consider putting ANYTHING except "G12" (pink, red or purple all OK) in there, no matter what the label says.

If it says "can be mixed with any color", it's a LIE! ..don't do it.

Even a small amount of the wrong stuff mixed with G12 will form a corrosive brown sludge...eats plastic fittings and clogs critical cooling system parts. If it happens, the system needs a thorough chemical flush to correct it...simple drain and fill does NOT work.

ThaboTheWuff

Ok will go down to the stealership tomorrow - need some for a little road trip. I assume one mixes it with distilled water?

spitanddirt

Gotta put my $.02 in here. After I changed my timing belt at 114,000 miles, I've been running Prestone Extendend Life Anti-Freeze with distilled water ever since and I haven't encountered any issues. No brown goo, no weird accumulation of crusty pink buildup around coolant drains and hose connections. Nothing. Now, I did flush out my system before I used the new coolant, maybe the reason for my good luck.

I agree that mixing different brands, types, colors of coolants is a generally accepted no-no. You just have no idea how the chemistry of the coolant mixture will interact with all the different metals of your engine.

But for me, Prestone Extended Life works just fine.

Y888

i am loosing coolant probably on oil cooler tube,i added prestone 50/50 so far one gallon in 6k miles and i think since i started adding this coolant some kind of ticking showed up from the engine when standing at a stop light with a foot on a brake pedal.
I don't know if this has anything to do with it.
In the meantime i used various injector cleaners,if i am not wrong when i use them ticking just disappeares.Weird.

the_duke

Regular coolant with G12 will cause problems. Maybe not right away but eventually. If you completely flush and then refill then no problems. Dealer will most likely sell you G13 which is the newest version. I would recommend buying a few gallons along with a few gallons of distilled water and drain the old stuff an refill it. Not very expensive and it's a good idea.

Y888

do you know how much does the system take?
I have read somewhere 12L which would be 2 gallons of coolant and 2 gal of distilled water.

2001 S8

My guess is it's a coincidence. You might have a lifter that is slightly sticking. What additives have you used? Since owning my S8, I've gone exclusively with Techron Concentrate Plus. I put in a 20oz. bottle about every two months and I only use premium gas with no ethanol added.

I will say that I agree with silverd2, and I wouldn't put anything but G12 in my coolant system.

Good luck.

the_duke

My only experience is with the D3 and it takes 2+2 to refill. I highly recommend the tool linked below. It fills the system under a vacuum and eliminates the need to bleed the system.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-D3_A8...ols/ES2712734/