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• VW MKVI-A6 Golf family including Jetta SportWagen

G13 versus G12 coolant?

• Thread starter fgiraffe
• Start date Feb 13, 2013

F

fgiraffe

Member

Joined May 13, 2012 Location NorCal TDI 2012 JSW TDI DSG Hello all- I have a 2012 TDI JSW with 9700 miles, and my coolant warning light came on. I checked the level, and it is just below the lower line in the reservoir. It's going in for its 10k mile service next week, but I don't want the coolant to be low until then. Checked the manual, which calls for G12 plus-plus or G12 plus coolant. I didn't find anything with that spec at my local generic parts store. Went to the dealer, and they sold me this: (Hrm, do imgur links not work? Link just in case ) VW Part # is G 013A8J1G Which reads as G13 to me. Did this supersede G12? I didn't really find much definitive on the intertubez, so I thought I'd ask here. Did the dealer sell me the wrong coolant? I did not open the bottle to check the color, I'd like to be able to return it if it is the wrong stuff. And at $33 a gallon, I now have my welcome to the world of VW parts!

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor

Joined Dec 11, 2001 Location outside St Louis, MO TDI There are just too many to list.... ETKA shows the 'G13' starting on build date 01.06.2012 so yeah there may have been a running change. Check your car's build date on the door jam sticker. It may just be that there has been a supercession. This means that if your car was built on June 1st of 2012 or later, it uses the G13. Up through May 31st 2012, it was G12++. Last edited: Feb 13, 2013 F

fgiraffe

Member

Joined May 13, 2012 Location NorCal TDI 2012 JSW TDI DSG OK, thanks. I take it then that G13 is not recommended to mix with the G12++? My car was picked up in May, so definitely built before June 1 2012. I'd go ask the Service Manager at the dealer, but they'd prolly give me a third answer.

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor

Joined Dec 11, 2001 Location outside St Louis, MO TDI There are just too many to list.... Honestly, I do not know what G13 is *safe* to mix with. Since G12++ is indeed available, I'd probably just stick with that to be safe.

DieselZappa

Veteran Member

Joined Oct 10, 2012 Location Enon, Louisiana TDI 2001 Golf G12 part# just superceded to G13 part#...looks to be the same stuff? J

jeff@mcm

Well-known member

Joined May 27, 2010 Location Reading,pa TDI 02 a6 4.2, 99 a6 avant, jeeps and trucks FWIW our local dealer is sending us G13 in place of G12 for a few weeks now.

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor

Joined Dec 11, 2001 Location outside St Louis, MO TDI There are just too many to list.... I get my coolant in Pentosin brand from an aftermarket wholesaler, so I am not certain what Volkswagen is doing with coolant. K

Kenn JSW

Veteran Member

Joined Sep 2, 2012 Location SE WA State TDI 2013 Jetta Sportwagen I did quite a bit of research on G12++ vs G13. It appears that they are really the same thing, but G13 is produced in a slightly more "environmentally friendly" manner. It seemed to start out as Europe-only and Skoda brand only. From this research- Here’s some interesting info from a Skodaparts.com site: G13 coolant additive provides the same exceptional cooling and antifreeze performance as G12++, but is manufactured in an environmentally sustainable way, using glycerin instead of glycol. Glycerin, a bi-product of biodiesel production, is much less harmful to the environment than glycol-based products, which are produced from mineral oil. In comparison with the manufacture of traditional coolant additive, it is estimated that G13 production will produce 11 per cent lower CO2 emissions. So there is a difference in manufacture, but it may not matter in actual use, and the final product may be identical. What I suspect is that VW isn’t yet able to produce enough of the G13 to supply markets outside of Europe. It could also be that different markets use coolant sourced from different suppliers, and suppliers for the US aren’t yet capable of producing the G13. Compatibility chart: Last edited: Feb 14, 2013 F

fgiraffe

Member

Joined May 13, 2012 Location NorCal TDI 2012 JSW TDI DSG Dealer said that this was all they had now, so I used it to top off. FWIW, the new G13 was the same pinkish color as whatever I had from the factory when I took delivery in May 2012. So far so good. Thanks all for your info.

CZguy

Active member

Joined Oct 16, 2014 Location St Peters, Missouri TDI 2014 Passat TDI SEL I'm sorry for digging this old thread up, but I just ran across several warnings that stated "do not mix G11 G12 or G13 as they are not compatible".

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast

Joined Jul 2, 2000 Location La Conner, WA TDI 2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles G11 (blue) and G12 (nuclear pink) are definitely not compatible. G12, G12+, and G12++ are compatible with one another. I believe G12 (+, and ++) are not compatible with G13. K

Kenn JSW

Veteran Member

Joined Sep 2, 2012 Location SE WA State TDI 2013 Jetta Sportwagen

VeeDubTDI said: G11 (blue) and G12 (nuclear pink) are definitely not compatible. G12, G12+, and G12++ are compatible with one another. I believe G12 (+, and ++) are not compatible with G13. Click to expand...

I posted a compatibility chart just a few posts above! G13 is compatible with the G12++.

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast

Joined Jul 2, 2000 Location La Conner, WA TDI 2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles I missed that! Thanks. So it's basically saying that new coolants are reverse-compatible with old coolants, except for G12 and G11, which don't play nicely with one another. Last edited: Nov 16, 2014 K

KCCats

Veteran Member

Joined Nov 20, 2008 Location North Central IL TDI 03 Jeta Wagon Sorry for digging this up once again, but why can't I just flush with water and use standard anti?

ATR

Top Post Dawg

Joined Jun 18, 2005 Location Baltimore TDI 2011 Golf TDI 6MT

KCCats said: Sorry for digging this up once again, but why can't I just flush with water and use standard anti? Click to expand...

One thing I've learned working with different car makes is to listen to the OEM's recommendation on use of antifreeze. In the case of the MKVI the best thing you can use is G13 OEM fluid. If you can't find any locally try IDParts: http://www.idparts.com/g13-coolant-gallon-p-1974.html This must be mixed 50/50 with distilled water.

vanbcguy

Veteran Member

Joined Feb 22, 2013 Location Vancouver, BC TDI '93 Passat - AHU mTDI with GTB1756VK

KCCats said: Sorry for digging this up once again, but why can't I just flush with water and use standard anti? Click to expand...

The VW stuff will last a lot longer. K

KCCats

Veteran Member

Joined Nov 20, 2008 Location North Central IL TDI 03 Jeta Wagon I don't think at this point I care!

Manu

Veteran Member

Joined Jun 29, 1999 Location Simcoe County, ON, Canada TDI 2010 VW Golf Wagon 6MT Highline TDI Had to top up the coolant this morning as the warning light came on, it was a bit below MIN. G13 Cool-Aid by MANU01, on Flickr ...and the owner's manual for my 2010: G12 Plus or Plus Plus by MANU01, on Flickr https://www.wolflubes.com/EN_EU/Blo...to-know-about-G13-antifreeze-and-coolant.aspx Last edited: Jan 6, 2018 I

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/

Joined Aug 16, 2004 Location South of Boston TDI '97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW I've never found the descriptions of coolant by color useful. They're all too similar to me, with the exception of G11, which is clearly blue/purple. If you take G11 out of the equation (there are probably about 5 cars left with that in it, anyway), all VW coolants are compatible: G12 through G13. However, I personally would not mix G12 into a car that was manufactured with G13, there's no reason to. But I would top up a car with G12 in it with G13. Last edited: Jan 6, 2018

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg

Joined Nov 18, 2014 Location maine TDI 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke

IndigoBlueWagon said: . However, I personally would not mix G12 into a car that was manufactured with G13, there's no reason to. But I would top up a car with G12 in it with G13. Click to expand...

That's interesting- why would you add g13 to g12, but not vice versa? G12++ and G13 are essentially the same- except G13 contains glycerine. I topped my '11 up with g12++ after the timing belt service. Not sure what was in there from the factory, though the chart above seems to indicate it was g13. The color looked closer to g12++, but I agree the difference in color is pretty subtle. I

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/

Joined Aug 16, 2004 Location South of Boston TDI '97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW If you can top up with the same fluid as the original fill, why not? There's no harm in using G12, +, or ++, but I'd be more comfortable with not mixing. Maybe after the car has a few hundred thousand miles on it I'll feel different. I'm also using the last of my OE VW washer fluid concentrate in that car. Love that smell.

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg

Joined Nov 18, 2014 Location maine TDI 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke The problem I had was determining what the OE coolant actually was in my '11. I initially thought g12++, the expansion bottle is marked g12, and everything I've seen since indicates it should have been g13. Since glycerine in the coolant was new to me(and maybe a little suspect), I opted for g12++.

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg

Joined Nov 18, 2014 Location maine TDI 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke Here's a link to another coolant compatibility table that made more sense to me: http://www.underhoodservice.com/volkswagen-engine-coolants-tech-tip/ E

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg

Joined May 27, 2012 Location Battle Ground, Wa TDI 2002 jetta Wagon Thought I would give this thread a bump as I went to VW today g=to get some coolant and they seem to have gone back to G12 and are amending G13 for the 2015 TDI's only with an additive, Has anyone heard about all this? I

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/

Joined Aug 16, 2004 Location South of Boston TDI '97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW Yes, it's called G12 Evo, I believe. It can be used in TDIs but when mixed with G13 I've been told it will turn brown. We've decided not to sell it because we think we would get a lot of phone calls about the coolant going brown. I certainly wouldn't like that. Just use G13. You must log in or register to reply here. Share: Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Tumblr WhatsApp Email Link

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