Bag in coolant.

[varaderoguy]

Stick with G13 - it is backwards compatable with G12 and G12evo. 

[DC04R]

So who's DIY fitted a new bottle at home? Is it a simple job or risk of getting air locks in system?

[Tech1e]

13 minutes ago, DC04R said:

So who's DIY fitted a new bottle at home? Is it a simple job or risk of getting air locks in system?

You won't get airlocks as it's the highest point in the system and minimal coolant loss.

[Tivan]

There she goes...

 

Used long pliers and fingers. It was very easy to wiggle it out into the tank and a bit harder to actually pull it out of the tank. Under a minute job with tank I have.

 

[Guest J_D]

On 18/12/2020 at 16:14, DC04R said:

So who's DIY fitted a new bottle at home? Is it a simple job or risk of getting air locks in system?

 

I switched my double walled one for the single wall with no bag. Easy job, drained the expansion tank as best I could first. And then refilled with fresh coolant after fitting.

[silverden]

So, is the double walled one meant to be an updated improvement to the previous single walled one with the silica bag or is it just as liable to cause problems ? After reading this thread for the last few days I decided to have a look at mine today. I can't see or feel a silica bag inside so I'm assuming it's probably a double walled one. The tank is marked "mit silikat". Not having any problems but for the sake of £30 it may save a large bill further down the line. 

[fr1nklyn]

1 minute ago, silverden said:

So, is the double walled one meant to be an updated improvement to the previous single walled one with the silica bag or is it just as liable to cause problems ? After reading this thread for the last few days I decided to have a look at mine today. I can't see or feel a silica bag inside so I'm assuming it's probably a double walled one. The tank is marked "mit silikat". Not having any problems but for the sake of £30 it may save a large bill further down the line. 

 

Seems so, but it was found unreliable solution like the previous models, that's why at the very end VW decided to deprecate all the coolant tanks with silica bag and developed a new single walled one without silica solution in it.

[silverden]

Thanks for that. So I assume that my existing cap would still fit ok on a replacement tank ?

[fr1nklyn]

11 minutes ago, silverden said:

Thanks for that. So I assume that my existing cap would still fit ok on a replacement tank ?

 

That's something I'm also wondering as I'm about to pick the replacement tank tomorrow from the stealer. The coolant tanks are sold without the cap, so if the cap from the old one doesn't fit, I'll have to buy a cap as well.

[silverden]

Keep us posted and let's know how you got on. Cheers.

[Guest J_D]

I used my existing cap with no issues. 

[lway]

On 18/12/2020 at 08:32, varaderoguy said:

Stick with G13 - it is backwards compatable with G12 and G12evo. 

 

I'm a bit confused by this as our 2019 FL Petrol Octavia doesn't have the "mit silikat" on the tank and says G13, my 2015 diesel Octavia is the double walled type with "mit silikat" written on it and also says G13.

 

So does G13 work with both the bag and non-bag tanks?

[FrankLK]

Then it looks it doesn't depend on coolant but on the metals in cooling system. 

[varaderoguy]

Generally, G13 is backwards compatible with G12 and G12evo.  If you have a 2019 FL Octy, you will definitely have a G13 system.  Im afraid you may still have to have a look around to see if the silica bag is there.  It was in my 2019 Scout.

[varaderoguy]

On 18/12/2020 at 16:14, DC04R said:

So who's DIY fitted a new bottle at home? Is it a simple job or risk of getting air locks in system?

Definitely the easiest job, but needs to be done with care.  Get yourself some rubber surgical gloves b4 starting and plenty of paper towelling to mop up the G13.

You will also need a 1l bottle of G13.

The following process below is what I did on my VRS to fix the Silica problem (it had a double skinned tank).

 

Check out this video showing the process on a VW Golf (identical under the bonnet):

 

1) Get a cheap fluid pump....I got one from my local general store for £8.  On a cold engine, suck out all of the coolant from the header tank into a secure container (to be disposed of later)

2) Unclip the top hose and bottom hose.  Try to catch as much coolant as possible.  Leave as much coolant in the pipework as possible.

3) Remove the electrical connector (pull tab out and pull out connector).

4) Unhook the bottom clip where the tank sits.

5) Refit in new tank without the Silica bag

6) Put on the bottom hose (feed)

7) Put on the top hose (return)

8) Put on the electrical connector

9) Fill up the new tank with G13 mix or G12evo to maximum level.

10) Start up car - leave top off for the moment (this will become apparent in a sec)

11) As car starts to warm up, you will find there maybe an airlock at the top of the 'feed' (larger) hose going to the engine (noted if the coolant in the tank doesn't get warm).  Gently Squeeze the pipe and tease out the air - there will probably be a large 'bloop' and the level will drop considerably. 

12) Put the tank cap back on and let the car get up to temperature.

13) Wait until cooling fans come on and then off....then switch off the engine & let the car cool down.  DO NOT TOUCH THE HEADER TANK - HOT COOLANT ALERT!!!

14) Next day, Before you head off, check the level in the header tank again - release the pressure in the tank by opening the cap up.  Make sure the coolant level is correct.

 

Be happy you have many 1000's of trouble free motoring in front of you.....enjoy.

Edited 22 December, 2020 by varaderoguy
Clarification of instructions

[FrankLK]

What is the normal coolant exchange interval because it is not mentioned in service plan. 4 years? 

[varaderoguy]

5 years or 60,000 miles if I remember right.

[NikTheGeek]

1 hour ago, FrankLK said:

What is the normal coolant exchange interval because it is not mentioned in service plan. 4 years? 

 

It's the life of the car, there is no "normal" coolant service interval

https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/d300a459-5ef6-433f-a49f-65f3638efaa1

 

That's the point of the silica bag. If you remove it, you should then change the coolant once every 4 or 5 years (I'd say 5).

 

Nick

[fr1nklyn]

Ok, went to the stealer today. The cap from the old expansion tank with silica bag fits the new tank without the bag. Just be careful not to swap them when the car is hot. The rest is easy

 

One more thing - there is no G13 anymore, it's officially replaced by the G12Evo, so I had to buy 1 liter of it instead.. Do you know what's the difference? - For the same price you got non-concentrated liquid   So you have to pay twice for the same coolant amount now.. ( at some point I thought I entered in Audi, not in Skoda  )

[silverden]

OK, thanks for the update. I decided to bite the bullet and order one. Not sure how long it'll take to arrive but I'm not in a hurry. I see that Eurocarparts are selling a G13 compatible for £5.99 so might try that  https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/triple-qx-purple-antifreeze-coolant-g13-1ltr-523770492

[Nickj633]

As several have already mentioned, I managed to remove mine with long nose pliers, scratched fingers and patience. Wasn’t too difficult, the hard part was getting the bag safely through the neck of the bottle. Gentle movements to avoid tearing it, but success, followed by topping up with a little G13.

[varaderoguy]

Every day is a school day here:

 

Taken from a VW forum -

 

As far as I can tell, the only relevant difference between the older G12 Plus Plus and the newer G13 is that G13 is more environmentally friendly because it contains ethanediol (ethylene glycol), 2-ethyl hexanoic acid, glycerol, and some silicates. Performance should be identical. As far as I know, all G12/13 type coolants are Si-OAT coolants.

All these coolants come as a concentrate that must be diluted with water. Filtered tap water (free of particles) is fine, unless very hard. If the latter, use distilled water. Distilled water is actually not ideal, because it is more acidic than tap water. However, once distilled water gets heated, it loses its acidity. Demineralized water would be good because it cuts down on scale buildup.

Dilution: 40 parts coolant concentrate to 60 parts water is good for frost protection to ca -25°C (-13°F). 50:50 concentrate to water is standard and offers frost protection to ca -35°C (-31°F).

Do not use higher than necessary coolant concentration, because it will impede cooling.

[Obbor]

I have just changed the tank, on my 31.000mile  66 plate 2L diesel,  because  It says MIT SILIKAT and don't want to fork out for a big bill if the bag bursts.

 

 I had a furk around in the tank but due to the tank design  there is not much room to furk.

Rang the main dealer Autosales in Burntwood for a price on a new one and also asked them to check it didn't have MIT SILIKAT printed on the tank and did not contain a bag, No was the reply to both questions, so parted with £30.14 which I thought was not bad although you don't get the cap

 

So today I did the deed, it took longer to drain the tank with a turkey baster, you try getting one of them this side of Christmas, than it did to disconnect and refit the hoses. 

 

Now despite the old tank having MIT SILIKAT emblazoned on it the bag was nowhere to be found, so, either it has already been removed which I doubt, it's burst but the coolant has not changed colour, nice and pink and the heater still works or there was never one in the tank in the first place.

 

On having a closer look at the old tank it appears to be twin walled and the bag seems to be located to the left of the MIT SILIKAT printing between the walls of the tank.

Not a very hard job to do at all, hope this is of some help 

 

[silverden]

Just changed the tank on mine a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't see or feel a bag inside mine then on closer inspection saw it was the later twin walled tank and the bag is located between the walls. It might well have gone on for thousands more miles without problems but I felt for the sake of £30 and 30mins work it was better than having a large bill further down the line.

[varaderoguy]

I know folk may not keep their cars for more than 5 years from when they do the tank change - but it is important to tell the dealer/trader that you sell your car to - that the coolant silica bag has been removed.  VW/Skoda's records will still have lifetime coolant in it.  The alternative is to ask your local Skoda Dealer or VW Specialist to put a note into your car VIN's details - that coolant will need to be changed after 5 years.