How do I know if I need a coolant flush or just to top off?
Posted by yoga_luvr@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Hey yall! I drive a 2023 Volkswagon Taos and its currently around 22k miles. about 8ish months ago, I went to the Volkswagon dealership for them to check on my coolant level bc it showed that it was low and they said there was a minor leak but nothing to worry about until the next time my coolant level is low. it did sound kinda scammy because they said that they would have to completely take apart my car n shit to fix it.
now is that time.
im getting alerts on my car for about a week that my coolant is low ( ik i shouldnt be driving ) but i dont know what to do. i keep seeing videos of people either buying premixed coolant and just filling it straightup and other people draining with distilled water and putting new coolant. it is kinda daunting for me to do a coolant flush but i also dont want to take it to the dealership if i dont know enough about cars for me to get scammed or something.
do i just go to o’riley and straightup pour coolant in there or should i take it to some professional to do the coolant flush? i dont want to accidentally ruin my car.
thank yall!
potato_potahhhtoe@reddit
Not sure about everything but imo, at 22k with a leak or need a coolant refill...lol. maybe time to think about your decisions about buying what car xD. But yes, get second opinions. Ask the shops to show you evidence if can and then let them know you'll think about it (while shopping around for prices if their evidence rings true). But 22k miles and already running into such issues (whether from shop lies/upsale or true), bummer. Newer car like that should last longer though aside from the very basic maintenances.
oppositelock27@reddit
Sounds like you need to fix your coolant leak. What did they tell you was leaking? Topping it off is just a short term solution. Flushing it isn’t going to help you in the slightest.
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
hi again, what the freak do i do tmmr bc i have work at 8am and its 10 miles out. call an uber? or do u think going to autoparts, adding coolant, and driving on it is an option. im so sorry if im a stupid dumb idiot. this is my first car and freaking out.
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
they didnt. they did say it was in some hard to reach spot where they would have to take apart the car basically to address the issue. im so sorry if this is unhelpful :(
S7alker@reddit
Take it to a different dealer then. It’s their fault for selling service adverse vehicles and not your fault corporate decided to maximize assembly efficiency over customer satisfaction. If they don’t do the right thing by writing it up when you were there then it’s a red flag to me to use that place if you are under warranty still.
oppositelock27@reddit
Well, I don’t recommend continuing to ignore it. Either get more detailed info from the original dealer or get a second opinion from an independent service shop, preferably a VW or German car specialist.
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
okay i will do that. thank you!!!
Material-Job-1928@reddit
New vehicle warranty on the Taos is 4 years, or 50,000 miles. Just go to a dealership and have them fix it (should be free). After that, flush the coolant every 5 years, or 100k miles (whatever comes first). I'm not familiar with your transmission, but flush the brake fluid either when it starts to darken, or exceeds 2.5% water (there is a tester).
https://www.vw.com/en/owners-and-services/about-my-vehicle/warranty-and-maintenance.html
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
okay sweet i will do that. thank you!
Careless-Internet-63@reddit
That's still under warranty. If there's a coolant leak they need to fix it, not yet you not to worry about it. It doesn't matter how much taking your car apart that would take, the warranty covers it
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
okay yes i will go to VW dealership then. thank you!!
Wild-Basket4939@reddit
Live somewhere hot? A bit of coolant liking it normal if you run a high temp. Top it off. No big deal. If you are doing this constantly then start to worry about it. Check for signs under car.
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
yeah i live in the south; i dont know if i should be completely worried or somewhat
Ancient_Narwhal_9524@reddit
Was your car still covered under the factory warranty when you first took it to the dealer? Make them fix it. And don’t drive your car when it’s low on coolant, they won’t cover it if you blow it up because you are dumb and driving around for a week after the warning light came on.
yoga_luvr@reddit (OP)
yeah it was and i think i will prob just take it to the dealership then. i got it like two years ago so like yeah