[aaad2]

Hi,

I bought an Audi A5 in December with 96,000 miles on the clock and plan on servicing it this spring/summer (oil, oil filter, coolant, brake fluid, air filter etc)

The manual states: "The cooling system is filled for life at the factory, so the coolant does not need to be changed".
Should I change the coolant? If so, it states it uses G12++ so would G12+ be fine too (more readily available)?

As for the brake fluid, I normally change it every 2 years but noticed that it hasn't been changed for the last 4-5 years.
The manual does not state if I should use DOT 4 or DOT 4 ESP?
I only heard about ESP version yesterday on the internet. Should I just go with normal DOT 4?

Thanks

 

[DrGER]

Re coolant, current ETKA spec G12E050M2, but here, that PN is NLA, replaced by GA137741G (G13). This site tells us that VAG coolants are backwards-compatible (i.e., G13 > G12++ > G12+ > G12 and so on): Audi VW Coolant/Antifreeze - Genuine VW GA137741GDSP

Re brake fluid, ETKA spec is B000750M1, which appears to be equivalent to DOT 4:

Go with DOT 4... --g

 

[aaad2]

@DrGER
What is your view on the manual stating the coolant is "filled for life at factory"?

Also, do you think it would be fine to drain then fill with non Audi G12+ coolant?

Thanks

 

[DrGER]

@aaad2 : The catch here, IMO, is the phrase "for life", without defining it properly. Consider the service schedule for MY2015: https://www.audiusa.com/content/dam...i-Maintenance-Schedule-Model-Year-2015-v2.pdf
This goes up to 135K miles (205K km), and doesn't mention coolant service, but it does spec brake and auto transmission fluid services. But it doesn't mention timing chain/tensioner inspection/service, either, and we know that timing chain stretch occurs in the 2.0T petrol engine, becoming an issue around 100K miles.
Now, I don't doubt that OE G12++ coolant is likely good for 10-13 years (depending on operating conditions), but 20 yrs?
You don't say which engine is in your A5; e.g., ETKA tells us that the coolant for our '14 CAED petrol engine was G12E050M2, which was dropped from the catalog in Nov '19 (without replacement). I read that to mean "replace with G13 spec", which is VAG PN G013A8JM1 (TL 774 J).
So, if we needed to refresh the coolant (say, due to piston/ring replacement), I'd replace with G13 (e.g., Pentosin Pentofrost E or equivalent).
Another data point: AoA replaced the piston/rings in our previous A4 under warranty due to excessive engine oil consumption back in Dec '14; the invoice shows they replaced coolant with PN G-013-A8J-1G (G13).
So, get a jug of G13 and you should be good "for life". --g

 

[aaad2]

@DrGER Thank you for the explanation!
I have a 2.0 TDI diesel engine in my 2010 A5. I will replace the coolant at some point this summer, hopefully it's not too difficult. I used to have a BMW 3 series and wasn't too bad on that.

Thanks

 

[DrGER]

@aaad2 : VW specs G13 for our '11 Golf wagon 2.0 TDI (CJAA) but G12++ for our '14 A4 2.0T petrol (CAED), which is NLA. So we keep a can of G13 in the garage now to cover top-ups for both, as needed. --g

 

[findalex]

Both brake fluid and coolant are cheap. I try to replace coolant every 3 - 5 years. My understanding is that after a while, the coolant becomes corrosive and will start to corrode the aluminium and slowly through the heater core, coolant passages.

For brake fluid, I bought a DOT 4 brake fluid tester off of Amazon that tests the water content. Mine is still well within spec since I live in Los Angeles and never sees any rain. However, I still try to replace it every 3 - 5 years.

I did a lot of preventative maintenance on my car during the pandemic lockdown in the past 2 years. I'm almost at 115K now and the car doesn't leak, same MPG as new, and revs freely with no oil burn. I think the key to make these German cars last is to change out the fluids no matter what they say about "lifetime" fluids. My '01 Golf TDI (made in Brazil) was well on its way to 20 years without any major engine/transmission work required before it passed in a car accident. The only thing I couldn't maintain on that car were the rubber trim around the window as they shrunk and hardened over time.