Topping off Audi VW Coolant Antifreeze

Is your Audi or VW coolant level low? Did the coolant warning light start flashing? We show you how to confirm the coolant level and demonstrate the steps of adding antifreeze to your Audi or VW coolant system. The proper Audi VW G13 and G12 coolant specifications are also explained when filling the coolant reservoir tank.

VW Audi coolant antifreeze topics discussed in this article:

  • Explanation of low coolant level lights.
  • How to check your coolant level.
  • How to add or top off the coolant reservoir tank.

This video shows a 2019 Jetta 1.4T. However, this information can also be applied to most VW and Audi models. This is because Audi and VW cooling systems have many similarities in their basic design and function.

There are two ways to know if your coolant system is low and that you will need to add coolant to the system.

  1. The first and most obvious indication of a low coolant level is the low coolant warning light on the dash or instrument cluster.
  2. The second way is visually inspecting the coolant reservoir tank (aka expansion tank) and seeing that the coolant level is low. The coolant reservoir tank is in the engine compartment.

Audi VW Low Coolant Level Warning Light

The low coolant warning light on the dash or instrument cluster is the first and most obvious indication of a low coolant level. See the video for what this light looks and sounds like.

Visual Inspection of Coolant Level

To pop your hood, you can pull on the hood release until you hear the hood release. Next, release the hood latch and, in this case, support the hood.

Locate the coolant expansion tank. The VW Jetta (shown in the video) coolant reservoir tank is on the engine compartment's passenger side. Typically, all Audi VW coolant reservoir tanks are always transparent tanks with either a blue or black colored cap. You can also reference the tanks with the coolant logo on the lid, which will have the same logo as the warning light on the dash.

Once you have located the coolant expansion tank, you can look at the coolant level on the side of the tank. You will look for the minimum and maximum marks on the side. You will need to add coolant if the level is low or below the minimum level mark.

Topping Off the Coolant Level

The first thing you can do is remove the Audi or VW coolant cap in a counterclockwise direction. You always want to do this while the engine is cold and never when the engine is hot. If the coolant cap is removed while the engine is hot, the pressure from the coolant system will end up pushing the coolant out of the tank, and you could severally burn yourself. Never remove the cap when the engine is hot.

Next, you can top off the coolant level by filling the expansion tank up to the maximum fill line. As shown in the video, we used RAVENOL G13 VW specification coolant, which is made in Germany. This is a great convenient premixed ready-to-use Audi VW G13 coolant option.

When filling the VW or Audi coolant reservoir tanks, you never want to exceed the max level. This extra space in the tank is for the coolant's expansion while the engine is running. Once the coolant reservoir tank is filled to the maximum level line, you can reinstall the cap (clockwise) until you hear or feel the click.

Next, you can close your hood and confirm it's latched.

We recommend keeping some coolant in the trunk if you need to top off the coolant system while away from home or on a road trip. It is also good to have it in the trunk to ensure that you have the correct coolant specification on hand in case you have another low coolant level situation.