Coolant top-up

[gravemaurice]

I'm driving to France and in the next few days and noticed that my coolant level is getting close to the min mark, so I wanted to top it up before I head off. Can anyone tell me what coolant would be compatible? I have a 2015 DS3 Nav. Thanks in advance for any help.

[lfcrule1972]

It might tell you in the handbook - I don't have one to check anymore.

My current car has these details in the handbook

[gravemaurice]

It might tell you in the handbook - I don't have one to check anymore.

My current car has these details in the handbook

Yeah, checked the handbook. No clues there, unfortunately.

[BenS]

I'm almost certain any generic "coolant and antifreeze" mixture will do. Wasn't aware there were different types.

Entering your reg on Halfords website will show you what's compatible if there are different choices.

[gravemaurice]

I'm almost certain any generic "coolant and antifreeze" mixture will do. Wasn't aware there were different types.

Entering your reg on Halfords website will show you what's compatible if there are different choices.

Cheers for that. I'll have a look.

[WTF]

A wise man once said:

The service manual calls for glysantin g33 or Revkogel 2000 but really the coolent just needs to meet Citroen's specification which is PSA - B71 5110. That is what you should be looking for somewhere on the bottle of antifreeze. If it's there you are golden

[WTF]

Also read that you shouldn't mix colours.

[BenS]

Also read that you shouldn't mix colours.

Mine's pink, is that the same that everyone else has?

[DaveB]

Why not just pop into your Citroen dealer & ask them to top it up - that's what I did!

On the other hand, for the small amount you need you could just top it up with water; the effect on antifreeze strength will be so small as to be insignificant.

[Czar]

just a quick snippet of information; antifreeze is less effective at cooling than water, too much antifreeze in your coolant mix will reduce the boiling point, even though the system operates under pressure 1.3 bar usually, which as you all should know is greater than 1 atmosphere (1 bar) which as we all know controls the boiling point of water at 100c at sea level, increasing the pressure as we do in the cooling systems, raises the boiling point of the coolant mix, which should never ever be more than a 50/50% mix, anything greater than a 50/50% mix, then undoes the work of pressurising the coolant system in the first place, as the specific boiling point of antifreeze is lower than that of water.

[Bryn]

Mine's pink, is that the same that everyone else has?

I've got yellow

[cyclone]

Back in the day colour meant something but not anymore. Antifreeze manufactures are doing whatever they want in that regard as there is no norm for what colour corresponds to what type of antifreeze. Best to find out what the car manufacturer calls for e.g. PSA - B71 5110 and get antifreeze that has that on the bottle.

[Bryn]

I'm finding that my coolant level needs topping up every week. It's usually at or just below the minimum mark, and I refill to max with plain water (yes, I know, that will be diluting the antifreeze mix and is an issue that will need to be addressed before next winter, even though I'm on the balmy (some would say barmy) south coast of England.
I also need to top the oil between services - I can't remember when I last had a car that needed that! My previous car (a C4) had two year service intervals and still didn't noticably use any oil (or water) at all from one service to the next.
A litre of oil every 3,500 miles or so seems excessive, as does a litre of water (that's a guess - I don't keep a record of how much I put in) every 2 or 3 weeks (less than 400 miles).
I can't see any signs of either oil or water leaks.
What are people's experiences of oil & water top-ups? Do I need to be concerned?

[cyclone]

Coolant is a definite concern. It is a closed system and should really not loose any significant amount.

[BenS]

My VTi guzzles oil too, but the coolant dropping is probably a leak. Easy reason is one of the radiator hoses needs a clamp tightening or replacing. More difficult would be a radiator stone chip causing a leak, you can get solutions which gunk up the holes but you should identify where the leak is first. If the head gasket had gone I think you'd already know, so I doubt it's that.

Have a look over the radiator for any chips or residues where the coolant has leaked and evaporated, and have a go at tightening the top and bottom hose clamps with a flat head screwdriver.