VW G13 coolant ready to use or dilute? Ok to mix with G12?

[leeanderin]

Went to the dealer to pick up some coolant to top up my 08 golf tdi and was told G12 is no longer available and g13 is recommended now so bought the g13 part number G013A8JM1 had a look on the bottle but it is unclear if i should dilute it or use it straight from the bottle also is it safe to mix with the g12 that is in just now?

[nudger2000]

Went to the dealer to pick up some coolant to top up my 08 golf tdi and was told G12 is no longer available and g13 is recommended now so bought the g13 part number G013A8JM1 had a look on the bottle but it is unclear if i should dilute it or use it straight from the bottle also is it safe to mix with the g12 that is in just now?

It's OK to mix with G12 (or G12+ or G12++) according to the parts department at the franchised dealer where I bought mine.

It does need to be diluted and you can read some instructions on the back of the bottle - it gives you the relevant dilutions according to the temperatures that you want to protect against.

The trick is to peel the label off the back! It took me a while to find this out - you can peel the label off back in two stages, giving you the relevant dilution instructions in various different languages.

I am assuming that you haven't seen this because you are asking about dilution etc - I had to be shown the hidden instructions!

[leeanderin]

It's OK to mix with G12 (or G12+ or G12++) according to the parts department at the franchised dealer where I bought mine.

It does need to be diluted and you can read some instructions on the back of the bottle - it gives you the relevant dilutions according to the temperatures that you want to protect against.

The trick is to peel the label off the back! It took me a while to find this out - you can peel the label off back in two stages, giving you the relevant dilution instructions in various different languages.

I am assuming that you haven't seen this because you are asking about dilution etc - I had to be shown the hidden instructions!

Thanks for that,i hadnt seen the peel off bit! I always thought the ratio for dilution was 50:50 but the bottle gives several different ratios?

[nudger2000]

Yup - I was told to use the 2 parts coolant, 3 parts water mix for a standard UK winter use..

[DMitch16]

The ratio does depend on the local climate and a 50:50 mix although not harmful is not usually necessary for the UK but would be needed for the colder climates where temperatures regularly drop substantially below freezing. Too strong a mixture will actually be counter productive and protection compromised.

A 60:40 mix (water:coolant) as nudger2000 suggests is usually sufficient for our "harsh" winters

[niall campbell]

50 / 50 for me !! Its Baltic up here

[royclark]

Normally G13 antifreeze is to be mixed 1:1 with water to achieve the -37 Celsius (-35 F) protection. If more water is mixed, the freezing point rise up... to zero Celsius.

In normal climate, -37 Celsius is the optimal combination and perfect protection for our cars. If the freezing poit is lower than -37 (-50C...-60C for eg.) the coolant heat transfer capacity is going down, in summer time is possible to have high engine temperatures warnings, and the fan (if is electrical) will work more time to cool down the radiator.

In warm climates, the -15 Celsius is enough for protection.

In cold climates 3:2 (3 gal G13 / 2 gal water or 3 liters G13 to 2 liters water) ratio is good for protection.

It's not only to protect against freezing. It also protects against corrosion, stick with 50/50.