Yop

Thanks again guys .Might try ringing the garage thats going to service it and see what they would have put in it ,and if they will sell me enough for the top up . Its not too unwalkable a distance. At least if I do the top up I can run the car round for a tryout and see if a leak appears, rather than do nothing and they come for it for the service and wont know without an expensive test ,whether it leaks or not.

Thanks, Ive got ionised but not distilled water here I was going to put in , I was worried about what Id read about despite the claim that G13 was backward compatible with G12, it still was far from ideal , thats why I presumed it would be better just to get the garage to put more of the correct concentrate in later ?

Thanks everyone for responses. No I dont know re whether coolant has ever been replaced as OH dealt with it all. Its done about 55k miles. I suddenly saw the symbol for low coolant flash, and a warning noise when I started car yesterday morning(so engine cold) Checked and found level about just under a cm below minimum . Only had 013ABJM1 VW's own version of G13 coolant in the garage bought in 2020 by my OH for his 2019 Superb, but didnt know whether it either could be out of date or even compatible in my cars G12 bottle , internet gave yeses and no's , Europarts said no, dealer said yes first, then to only top enough to get to garage and then theyd put the correct stuff in , so earlier just a bit bothered by topping up to see if level drops ,but will try it later . Couldnt see any leaks under car ,and no pink residue inside engine compartment or round bottle cap but presuming a significant leak as level so low and last years MOT supposedly checked level was correct . Its going in for a planned service anyway on Thurs ,so Ill get to know then I guess. Imagining water pump , radiator likely , hoping its not the metal pipes behind everything thats corroded that I read could be the issue .The cam belt and timing chain could apparently be due as well this year datewise anyway even if mileage low. Could be a mega expensive bill depending on what they find. Probably makes sense to get everything done at same time though - in the hope car stays good for many more years? Update as I failed to post this properly yesterday -- I sank a turkey baster into the bottle and drew some up from the bottom, it was crystal clear , so thats one piece of good news. Im grateful for all the imput from the forum, this and other threads Ive read , Ive learned a lot , so I might have a better chance of understanding what the garage is talking about now - Ill top up when it stops throwing it down ,drive it locally with a water bottle on the seat, and watch for a few days

Hi The coolant level in my Skoda 2009 1.9 Octavia diesel est car has gone below minimum. I know best practice is said to be draining system and starting again with new fluid , but how important is it really and what sort of costs would that incur if done during a service ? Would it be asking for trouble just topping up with a compatible ? Obvs if I ask dealers they are going to say critical ! On other hand I intend to hang on to this car since I love it and only put on new tyres last year .

Ah, thank you JR . Gives me some idea anyway . My car appeared to be first in the Q and its four hours in now and Ive heard nothing yet, so my purse is starting to tremble lol! Fingers crossed its something simple and not too expensive . Nearly melted in it the other week , so I dread to think what it must be like in France if ones AC goes. I remember from holidays the murder of getting into the car after a shopping trip till you get going and the AC kicks in . and of course its even hotter over there these days with global warming .

Sorry to cut in on OP's post , but my car is in the local garage today with my aircon being looked at . All I know about AC is what Ive just read above in this thread, so not a naturally technically minded person. Hes supposed to be coming back to me before repairing as Ive no idea of costs. . What sort of costs am I looking at for a couple of the most common scenarios of what could be wrong with it please if thats not an impossible question. When I switch on the ordinary blower on hot and cold seems ok , but nothing further kicks in when I press the AC .

thanks all.

Thanks all. Ive never driven a car with no handbrake before , my old Octavia which I still have, has one and Im well used to it . How difficult do you reckon it will be to get my head round the lack of one, in my first trip out , to the garage a few miles away ? ( I am insured for it btw incase you wonder)

Good afternoon all. Sad circumstances have led to a 3yr old little used Skoda Superb being parked up outside , untouched for about 3 .5 months. It is going to need a service and MOT after Xmas .Can anyone advise me please whether Im likely to damage anything by just starting it up to drive straight to a dealer / garage ? Ive been told by someone (not a mechanic) that its possible it should have special handling /preliminaries done first. (beyond oil tyre and lights checks ) , or I could damage the engine. It has at least half a tank of diesel in it.