# Do you mix your G12 coolant with water?



## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

Or is it ok just to pour it in the way it is?


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## stevemannn (Apr 17, 2008)

mix it with water 50/50


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## jennekke (Jan 8, 2010)

distilled water not tap water


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

stevemannn said:


> mix it with water 50/50





jennekke said:


> distilled water not tap water


:thumbup::thumbup:


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## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

stevemannn said:


> mix it with water 50/50


What happens if you just pour it in the way it is? What are the pros and cons of mixing it?


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## sobe_zuki (Jun 27, 2011)

Straight coolant does not protect to -35 degrees C and does not transfer heat as well as straight water. Therefore a mix of 50/50 coolant to water will yield good heat transfer and a low freezing point of -35 degrees C.


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## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

sobe_zuki said:


> Straight coolant does not protect to -35 degrees C and does not transfer heat as well as straight water. Therefore a mix of 50/50 coolant to water will yield good heat transfer and a low freezing point of -35 degrees C.


Looks like i'll have to drain it tomorrow and do 50/50. Is there any special way to do this or just pour same amount of water and same amount of coolant and mix it. 

And im just wondering. Could anything go wrong with driving with just straight coolant and not mixing it?


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## toby lawrence (Dec 12, 2011)

MK420TH92 said:


> Looks like i'll have to drain it tomorrow and do 50/50. Is there any special way to do this or just pour same amount of water and same amount of coolant and mix it.
> 
> And im just wondering. Could anything go wrong with driving with just straight coolant and not mixing it?


If you never lived in a climate where there were freezing temperatures, you'd be best to run pure water. Ethylene glycol has about half of the heat capacity of water, which means water can hold double the heat. This is better for cooling purposes. The ethylene glycol (antifreeze) is just there to prevent your coolant from freezing in the block when it's really cold out.

Thus, you should go drain the necessary amount of G12 and refill with distilled water to achieve the proper mix.


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## sobe_zuki (Jun 27, 2011)

MK420TH92 said:


> Looks like i'll have to drain it tomorrow and do 50/50. Is there any special way to do this or just pour same amount of water and same amount of coolant and mix it.
> 
> And im just wondering. Could anything go wrong with driving with just straight coolant and not mixing it?


I have a gallon mixing container with markings on it so you know youre mixing it 50/50 so I just do a gallon at a time. The right way to do it would be to drain the whole system via the drainage port on the radiator and refill it. You can do it the way you like though.


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## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

sobe_zuki said:


> I have a gallon mixing container with markings on it so you know youre mixing it 50/50 so I just do a gallon at a time. The right way to do it would be to drain the whole system via the drainage port on the radiator and refill it. You can do it the way you like though.


Why doesn't Volkswagen already sell this fluid mixed 50/50 instead they make us do it....


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## 87vr6 (Jan 17, 2002)

MK420TH92 said:


> Why doesn't Volkswagen already sell this fluid mixed 50/50 instead they make us do it....


I know. It's soooo hard to mix it 50/50 with distilled water.


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## BassNotes (Mar 16, 2005)

MK420TH92 said:


> Why doesn't Volkswagen already sell this fluid mixed 50/50 instead they make us do it....


Not everyone mixes it 50:50. I'm running about 40% G12, 60% distilled H2O. It wasn't hard to do.


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## richardbachman (Jul 18, 2002)

MK420TH92 said:


> Why doesn't Volkswagen already sell this fluid mixed 50/50 instead they make us do it....



:facepalm: make us do it?? :facepalm: Really?? :laugh:


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## Yareka (Mar 5, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> If you never lived in a climate where there were freezing temperatures, you'd be best to run pure water.


This is true from a cooling standpoint but the glycol in coolant keeps corrosion down in the iron block and also keeps the water pump lubricated. I usually run a 75/25 mix in the summer


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## gdoggmoney (Feb 21, 2004)

Yareka said:


> This is true from a cooling standpoint but the glycol in coolant keeps corrosion down in the iron block and also keeps the water pump lubricated. I usually run a 75/25 mix in the summer


G12 turns acidic overtime and seems to help it rot. 100k/lifetime fill, sure, if you never drive it and keep it in an airtight capsule.


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## Dub-Nub (Sep 27, 2005)

MK420TH92 said:


> Why doesn't Volkswagen already sell this fluid mixed 50/50 instead they make us do it....


Cuase they will probably do the same thing as Prestone. Have a 50/50 mix already and charge the same price as the pure G12. This means you will probably double the money spent


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## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

sobe_zuki said:


> Straight coolant does not protect to -35 degrees C and does not transfer heat as well as straight water. Therefore a mix of 50/50 coolant to water will yield good heat transfer and a low freezing point of -35 degrees C.



How does the coolant not protect against that but water does????? Doesn't water freeze faster than the coolant?


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## MK420TH92 (Nov 3, 2011)

87vr6 said:


> I know. It's soooo hard to mix it 50/50 with distilled water.



What if someone doesn't have hands...... it might be hard for them


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## gdoggmoney (Feb 21, 2004)

MK420TH92 said:


> What if someone doesn't have hands...... it might be hard for them


Feet are acceptable alternatives. 

Sack up. 


This guy thinks you are full of malarky.


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## userpike (Oct 21, 2010)

Here is the easiest DIY for adding coolant to an empty cooling system...pour in the whole container of g12 and fill the rest with distilled water. A VW tech at the dealer told me this. It will yield a 50/50 mix. Don't forget to check the fluid level after you drove it for awhile and finish it off with distilled water also. This is for the 1.8t only.
The g12 coolant not only keeps the coolant mix from freezing but it raises the boiling point of the mix also. There are chemicals in the G12 used to help with preventing corrosion and electrolysis between the iron and aluminum parts of the engine that the coolant flows through.(that's the crusty pinkish material that collects around a leak. common areas are the plastic fittings used, they crack and deteriorate within a few years of installation)
I have found that the parts from Beck/Arnley are made of nylon and not the fiber impregnated plastic crap that you get from the dealer which seriously only lasts a few years tops.... pay attention to the plastic cooling system parts it'll save you from an overheated engine.
I have been thinking about changing the rubber hoses to silicone but none have failed yet... only those plastic parts.


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## babarber (Nov 3, 2008)

i run 30-35% antifreeze the rest water i dont ever see under 5*F here so i think1 -10* protection is suitable for me


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## 031.8wolf (Mar 16, 2010)

userpike said:


> Here is the easiest DIY for adding coolant to an empty cooling system...*pour in the whole container of g12* and fill the rest with distilled water. A VW tech at the dealer told me this. It will yield a 50/50 mix. Don't forget to check the fluid level after you drove it for awhile and finish it off with distilled water also. This is for the 1.8t only.
> The g12 coolant not only keeps the coolant mix from freezing but it raises the boiling point of the mix also. There are chemicals in the G12 used to help with preventing corrosion and electrolysis between the iron and aluminum parts of the engine that the coolant flows through.(that's the crusty pinkish material that collects around a leak. common areas are the plastic fittings used, they crack and deteriorate within a few years of installation)
> I have found that the parts from Beck/Arnley are made of nylon and not the fiber impregnated plastic crap that you get from the dealer which seriously only lasts a few years tops.... pay attention to the plastic cooling system parts it'll save you from an overheated engine.
> I have been thinking about changing the rubber hoses to silicone but none have failed yet... only those plastic parts.


 not if u have gallon container...just eyeball it and it should have mix chart on back label which gives mix suitable for your climate.... and if it seems too much for u take it to a professional


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## userpike (Oct 21, 2010)

031.8wolf said:


> not if u have gallon container...just eyeball it and it should have mix chart on back label which gives mix suitable for your climate.... and if it seems too much for u take it to a professional


 As far as I know, the dealer only sells the g12 coolant in one gallon containers. You can get the g12 equivalent from Pentosin or Luk in 1.5 liter containers.
The tech told me to pour the whole 1 gal container in and then top it off with only distilled water to get the 50/50 mix. This only works for the 1.8t because the other engines have larger coolant capacities.
There is no chart on the back of the genuine VW/AUDI brand G12 coolant container.


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

userpike said:


> As far as I know, the dealer only sells the g12 coolant in one gallon containers. You can get the g12 equivalent from Pentosin or Luk in 1.5 liter containers.
> The tech told me to pour the whole 1 gal container in and then top it off with only distilled water to get the 50/50 mix. This only works for the 1.8t because the other engines have larger coolant capacities.
> There is no chart on the back of the genuine VW/AUDI brand G12 coolant container.


^^^ or you could just break out an old milk jug, fill it half with water and half G12. pour it in :thumbup: *after you rinse out the milk of course


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## userpike (Oct 21, 2010)

Big_Tom said:


> ^^^ or you could just break out an old milk jug, fill it half with water and half G12. pour it in :thumbup: *after you rinse out the milk of course


 I just buy a gallon of distilled water for 89 cents at the grocery. I pour the whole gallon of g12 in there then follow with the gallon of distilled water. 
there's less chance of a mess and old milk is nasty!!:thumbdown: I see what yur sayin though.


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## Rac_337 (Sep 24, 2004)

I do the same as above.

1gallon = 4 quarts

1.8t coolant capacity is 7.5 quarts

so dump the whole gallon of g12 in, then fill the rest with water. pretty much 50/50 :thumbup:


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

userpike said:


> I just buy a gallon of distilled water for 89 cents at the grocery. I pour the whole gallon of g12 in there then follow with the gallon of distilled water.
> there's less chance of a mess and old milk is nasty!!:thumbdown: I see what yur sayin though.


yeh, i suppose just buying a gallon of distilled water would be better :beer:


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## 031.8wolf (Mar 16, 2010)

Rac_337 said:


> I do the same as above.
> 
> 1gallon = 4 quarts
> 
> ...


 
which 1.8t..i have a haynes it it show approxiamately 5 quarts.. 2 gallons of coolant usually in a truck


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## 031.8wolf (Mar 16, 2010)

userpike said:


> As far as I know, the dealer only sells the g12 coolant in one gallon containers. You can get the g12 equivalent from Pentosin or Luk in 1.5 liter containers.
> The tech told me to pour the whole 1 gal container in and then top it off with only distilled water to get the 50/50 mix. This only works for the 1.8t because the other engines have larger coolant capacities.
> *There is no chart on the back of the genuine VW/AUDI brand G12 coolant container*.


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## 031.8wolf (Mar 16, 2010)

after reading previous post i couldve been misleading... the chart is to show what temperatures the coolant will be ok in


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## wagner17 (Oct 20, 2009)

i use g12plus pentofrost 50/50 mix


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

gdoggmoney said:


> Feet are acceptable alternatives.
> 
> Sack up.
> 
> ...


LOLZ


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## vDubDevil (Feb 8, 2011)

Sorry to bump this back up but what is the reason for using only distilled water? I drained the coolant when swapping my ko3 and didnt have g12 so ive been running with almost pure water for about a week now. havent had any issues and im not worried about freezing since the weathers been nice. Any issues I should look out for? I will be switching to a 50/50 mixture when i do my timing belt


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## radlynx (Jan 4, 2007)

this is to avoid contaminants. water in the faucet is not pure clean water. it has ingredients that kills bacteria. 

for my car, i just use the faucet water. But, it's a water that went thru a reverse osmosis system that I have for drinking water. I let my car drink that too. 



vDubDevil said:


> Sorry to bump this back up but what is the reason for using only distilled water? I drained the coolant when swapping my ko3 and didnt have g12 so ive been running with almost pure water for about a week now. havent had any issues and im not worried about freezing since the weathers been nice. Any issues I should look out for? I will be switching to a 50/50 mixture when i do my timing belt


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## vDubDevil (Feb 8, 2011)

Thanks for the info... i figuredit was just a matter of purer water. My faucet doesnt have a cleansing system like yours so i will be flushing the system asap.


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## gdoggmoney (Feb 21, 2004)

Distilled water only. Even RO/DI water can be contaminated with organics if it is not up to par and will scale.


Went through this with my reef tanks.. RO/DI is ok if the unit is maintained but the channels can grow fungus/organics that will break down and scale up.


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## BassNotes (Mar 16, 2005)

Distilled water is pure because the water has been evaporated--leaving the impurities behind--and then condensed back into liquid. The issue with non-distilled water is more with dissolved minerals and salts, even trace amounts. These impurities may help cause corrosion or scaling on metal surfaces, or even electrolytic action among dissimilar metals. When the water evaporates, such when you have a leak or have the coolant cap removed for some time, and you replenish it with more non-distilled water, you're gradually increasing the concentration of the impurities.

Faucet water in some areas has greater mineral content than in others. I live in southern California, and our tap water is relatively high in dissolved mineral content, even if it's been filtered with activated charcoal or RO. Lime-Away and CLR are household staples around here.


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