I noticed today my coolant was about an inch below the min mark.I know it shouldn't lose any but when the water pump was replaced 3yrs ago the dealer only filled it to minimum.My car is 1.9pd 2008 80k on the clock.The oil and water both look uncontaminated and I am thinking 1/2pint of coolant in 30000miles doesn't seem catastrophic.

I would think a head gasket leak would have got through more coolant than this.

Any thoughts would be appreciated?

Water changes volume with temperature so will show a different level hot/warm/winter cold. Also 1 inch under minimum mark is probably less than 0.25 litre. Top it up with the correct proportion of G12++ or G13 antifreeze preferably, although 0.25 litre of plain water as a one off shouldnt dilute the coolant too much and keep an eye on it. Measure under same conditions as the level does vary with temperature/system pressure and pump running. My experience shows if I fill to the max line, the coolant always drops to half a centimetre below minimum after a month or so, but doesnt drop further, seems the same on all our vag cars.

I've noticed that my coolant drips out of the expansion tank where the top half connects to the bottom half, was initially concerned aswell with the low coolant levels but this seems to be the problem, did the exact same checks as you and had same suspicions, just top it up and monitor for leaks in the joint between expansion tank top half and bottom half.

 

Mine has stayed at same level since then

Thanks for the replies my mate owns an independent vag diagnostic repair company.He said he has done a few faulty waterpumps but only 2 head gasket replacements on the 1.9 pd engine and both had over 150k on the clock.He said they were basically p*ssing themselves.My brothers old vrs used to fire water out of the expansion tank but that was a bit of a lemon.His current petrol Seat also uses coolant so maybe the closed vag system is not all that closed.

I have topped header tank up with neat G13 I figured that the mix is not that strong and could easily run 50/50

Edited 23 January, 201511 yr by seagull

Do not fill to MAX,  Just Between MIN & MAX and mark with a Freezer Marker and monitor, and dont open and shut the lid every day,

or keep topping up, but be sure it is above 'MIN'.

Because filled to MAX the level will then set its self.

(ie put some out the overfill after a good hot run.)

 

If the was a 'Fill Level'   then Decades on 'MIN'  & 'MAX' would not be necessary, 

They could just put 

'FILL TO THIS LINE'  on the Reservoir / Bottle.