Hello All

(Skoda Octavia FSI Estate 05)

Around the beginning of 2010 I began having a coolant leak problem, although it wasn't losing that much. (Top up once every 3 weeks with water). I was getting excessive white smoke from the exhaust and a drip which formed a damp patch under the engine overnight.

Put it into an official Skoda dealer for a pressure test and they confirmed that it was the cylinder head gasket and it would only cost £990 to get it fixed!!

After shopping around I put it into an independant with a price tag of £700 around May 2010. All credit to the gararge, they called after a couple of days and said that they had spotted a potential leak at the back of the engine and had effected a repair (replacement O ring and new (G12 or G12+coolant) for next to no money. This seemed to fix things but since the weather has started turning colder the leak is back with a vengence. Got the same garage to quote for the work and the price is now £880 (grrr).

What with Xmas and having no spare cash I am keen to try K Seal to see if it will fix the problem, but I am not car smart.

Before I take the plunge, I was hoping for some reassurance that what I am about to do will not completely knacker my car.

My current plan of action

1 Use K Seal as per instructions.

2 Top up with Comma Xstream G40 coolant (VW and Skoda approved coolant) (I have puchased the coolant and one of those testers so I am happy that i could arrive at the right overall coolant mix)

3 Fix all my problems and laugh all the way to the bank!

My potential concerns

1 Is K Seal suitable for my car type

2 If K Seal doesn't work will I be able to go ahead with a cylinder head gasket replacement without additional hassle?

3 Can I mix the existing coolant (G12/G12+) and the Comma Xstream G40 or will that cause trouble? I don't know exactly how to go about draining the current coolant and I don't have the tools to raise the car up. Be able to mix coolants would make it a whole lot easier

Thanks in advance for any help

Ronnie

Edited 23 November, 201015 yr by ronnie2tone

You should be OK.

If you have to do the HG in future you will have to flush the cooling system with a flushing agent to remove all the old K-Seal. Other than that it shouldn't give you any problems. It is regarded as rather a temporary fix though... Best long term solution is a proper head gasket job.

You should be OK with Comma G40. I believe its G12++ by another name and so should be compatible with your G12/G12+.

Could the original fault have returned? maybe the o ring has failed again? If not & it is the head gasket that has failed i personally would just get it fixed properly,do you want to be stranded at the side of the road in bad weather when it fails completely? i know x mas is coming but there is never a good time to be spending £100,s on your car so id repair it before you do any more damage.

Hello All

(Skoda Octavia FSI Estate 05)

Around the beginning of 2010 I began having a coolant leak problem, although it wasn't losing that much. (Top up once every 3 weeks with water). I was getting excessive white smoke from the exhaust and a drip which formed a damp patch under the engine overnight.

Put it into an official Skoda dealer for a pressure test and they confirmed that it was the cylinder head gasket and it would only cost £990 to get it fixed!!

After shopping around I put it into an independant with a price tag of £700 around May 2010. All credit to the gararge, they called after a couple of days and said that they had spotted a potential leak at the back of the engine and had effected a repair (replacement O ring and new (G12 or G12+coolant) for next to no money. This seemed to fix things but since the weather has started turning colder the leak is back with a vengence. Got the same garage to quote for the work and the price is now £880 (grrr).

What with Xmas and having no spare cash I am keen to try K Seal to see if it will fix the problem, but I am not car smart.

Before I take the plunge, I was hoping for some reassurance that what I am about to do will not completely knacker my car.

My current plan of action

1 Use K Seal as per instructions.

2 Top up with Comma Xstream G40 coolant (VW and Skoda approved coolant) (I have puchased the coolant and one of those testers so I am happy that i could arrive at the right overall coolant mix)

3 Fix all my problems and laugh all the way to the bank!

My potential concerns

1 Is K Seal suitable for my car type

2 If K Seal doesn't work will I be able to go ahead with a cylinder head gasket replacement without additional hassle?

3 Can I mix the existing coolant (G12/G12+) and the Comma Xstream G40 or will that cause trouble? I don't know exactly how to go about draining the current coolant and I don't have the tools to raise the car up. Be able to mix coolants would make it a whole lot easier

Thanks in advance for any help

Ronnie

If you read the can it states its a permanent repair, We carry it as part of ower spares kit , I'v seen it do amazing things, the best way to use it is to pull of a hose close to suspected leak and pour into hose and re connect and shake the bottle

to death, As for draining the system you only need to drain enough to replace with Kseal out of the hose you pulled of .

That K-seal stuff is magic!

Had a major water leak problem on my old BMW 530. Would have to top it up every few days. Nightmare!

One bottle of k-seal sorted the problem.

Drove the car for another 2 years after that before trading up.

I understand that it is a permanent fix for certain water leaks.

Obviously nothing really beats a head gasket repair, but at that cost, Id always try the K-seal first!

Gents

Thanks for your replies and words of advice.

I took the plunge and so far so good, nothing has fallen off. The white smoke out the exhaust has already noticeably reduced and I will be checking on the drip situation in the morning.

I will update further if anything happens (good or bad).

Thanks again

Ronnie