Coolant liquid for battery and EV empty/leaks

XAVFR · Mar 4, 2018

Hello all E tron user

Im the owner of a 2015 e-tron , 54000km on it. Overall I was happy with it until past week :
--> red alarm requiring engine stop, with low level coolant liquid.

It the small coolant reservoir, and yes it's almost empty...
I had to send the car to Audi, and they told me they cannot just "refill" it, they need to perform an entire check as its not normal to have the empty reservoir ( probable leak and dangerous as its used to cool down the battery or electric engine module..)

Of course my car is not longer under warranty...Still not have the final diagnostic.
Did this happened to any of you?..

Thanks
reservoir : https://ibb.co/gBDjNn

hangtime10 · Mar 5, 2018

Hi XAVFR
I have a '16 model with over 52,000 km. The issue you've experienced hasn't happened to me.
Definitely will be keeping an eye out though. I have my next service appointment within 1,000 km (probably 3 to 4 weeks) and I'll have them check.
I thought the warranty was 3 yr/60,000 km or 4 yr/80,000 depending on location?
It's 4 yr/80 here in Canada.

XAVFR · Mar 6, 2018

Thanks for your feed back
I got the garage on the phone, and they told me there was a leak on some coolant hose, "might be caused by some rats or rodent...:s"
The bill will be around 500euros for this "small" joke.

Adding this to a creaking,noisy front suspension on each speed bump... really not happy with the quality on such a "young" car
Warranty in FR in 2yr...

hangtime10 · Mar 6, 2018

I'm sorry to hear that. There has been cases where rodents "snuggle" inside the engine bay of cars and chew at parts/wiring.
The creaking noise is odd. I'm sure the suspension parts should last much longer than 54,000 km. I don't know what the conditions of the roads are in France (really hoping I'll be able to visit there one day) but here in the Toronto area, it can be pretty ugly. Potholes everywhere, especially now in the latter part of winter.
I hope you get the issues resolved.

Suesetron · Apr 17, 2018

I just had this issue with a 1yr old etron. Car is in the shop. Interested in the outcome you had and if it has happened again.

tchu619 · Jun 4, 2018

I have a 2016 A3 e-tron with 18650mi (30,000km) and this actually happened to me as well. I was on my way from Los Angeles to Oregon, had driven about 652miles (1049km) and the red light popped up. I was in the middle of nowhere around midnight so I really had no help I could run to. What's worst was that I was completely by myself. So what I did was I pulled into the nearest rest area off the highway and pour filtered drinking water into the little reservoir. This occurred last October, which was 7 months ago. I know this might not be the correct way to deal with this but I did what I had to do to get myself back on the road. I figure if it continues to leak, then I would take it to a dealership the next business day. The light never came back on again since then. What I think had happened was maybe because I had driven the car for a prolong period of time that maybe it over boiled the system. Not sure if that was the case but 7 months later the car is still fine.

Sherv · Feb 15, 2020

Hi guys.
I had my AC condenser replaced, and the mechanic told me that some battery coolant leaked out in the process, and that I’ll need to top it up. Having a heck of a time looking up what kind of coolant to buy. Any ideas out there?

Sherv · Feb 20, 2020

Quick update on refilling the coolant:
The A3 E-Tron takes R13 coolant. It’s pink, and super expensive from the dealer, but there’s an aftermarket brand on amazon called OEM. It’s the same stuff, but a fraction of the price. Anyway, the car takes R13 in both the engine coolant reservoir and the battery coolant reservoir. Now, the battery coolant reservoir has a seal on it because it is supposed to be serviced by the dealership only, and it will void your warranty if you open it. The reason is that the electric motor sits directly underneath it, and if you happen to spill any coolant, you might short the motor and possibly start a fire. Be extremely careful if you decide to do this. I recommend using a large funnel or transfer the coolant to a jug with a precise pour. That being said, both reservoirs have a min/max line, so it’s pretty straight forward. There’s no air purging process either, you simply fill to the max line, leave the caps off, and let the car run for a bit. It’ll circulate the coolant and the level will begin to drop as the air comes out. Just keep topping it off. After 10 minutes or so you put the caps on, close the hood, put the car in “battery hold” mode and take the car for a spin around the block, not too far, just enough to get the engine running. Pop open the hood again and check your levels, top off as necessary. Obviously, this should be done by the dealer, especially if you’re still under warranty, but just wanted to do a write up for any gear-head DIYers out there.

Nuje · Aug 6, 2020

I'd still check with your local dealer (VW) to see what kind of price they have on the coolant.
We don't have an Audi dealer where I live (closest is ~100km away), but last time I bought some coolant at VW (we own a couple VWs as well), I got 4L of undiluted G13 for $22CAD. The OEM-brand stuff I see at Canadian Tire here is diluted 50% already, and is around $19 for 4L.

iang · Nov 2, 2021

I’ve had my check coolant alarm light going off intermittently for a little bit now. I bought some oem fluid from crappy tire and topped up the engine coolant to no avail. Then I found this post and realized it was the electric coolant reservoir that was low. Debating now doing it myself. My warranty is out but the battery warranty is still good so I’m concerned it would impact that..

Gflo · Aug 10, 2024

Sherv said:
Quick update on refilling the coolant:
The A3 E-Tron takes R13 coolant. It’s pink, and super expensive from the dealer, but there’s an aftermarket brand on amazon called OEM. It’s the same stuff, but a fraction of the price. Anyway, the car takes R13 in both the engine coolant reservoir and the battery coolant reservoir. Now, the battery coolant reservoir has a seal on it because it is supposed to be serviced by the dealership only, and it will void your warranty if you open it. The reason is that the electric motor sits directly underneath it, and if you happen to spill any coolant, you might short the motor and possibly start a fire. Be extremely careful if you decide to do this. I recommend using a large funnel or transfer the coolant to a jug with a precise pour. That being said, both reservoirs have a min/max line, so it’s pretty straight forward. There’s no air purging process either, you simply fill to the max line, leave the caps off, and let the car run for a bit. It’ll circulate the coolant and the level will begin to drop as the air comes out. Just keep topping it off. After 10 minutes or so you put the caps on, close the hood, put the car in “battery hold” mode and take the car for a spin around the block, not too far, just enough to get the engine running. Pop open the hood again and check your levels, top off as necessary. Obviously, this should be done by the dealer, especially if you’re still under warranty, but just wanted to do a write up for any gear-head DIYers out there.

Hi thanks for the Heads up. I can’t find that coolant u explained on Amazon. Are you sure it’s the right name?

MitchH · Aug 11, 2024

I was interested in this too. I searched for “R13 coolant” and filtered results for compatibility with my A3 etron and found this “OET” (not “OEM”): https://a.co/d/hMPwOsX

Gflo · Aug 11, 2024

Thanks and this is for the reservoir that has the lock on it? If I remove the lock will the warranty be voided? Because my dash light went on that it was running low.

Nuje · Aug 13, 2024

I think it's actually "G13" coolant that you're looking for.
G12, G12++, G13, G12evo - those are all VW / Audi coolants that have been used in the past 20yrs.
Never heard of an "R13".

That locked reservoir is what cools the high voltage system, and if it's low....you got more problems than what coolant to use - no way that system (or the regular unlocked reservoir for that matter) should be "using" coolant. If it's low, you have a leak - you need to get that addressed, even more urgent if it's in the high-voltage system.

jacuzzisweets · Aug 13, 2024

XAVFR said:
Thanks for your feed back
I got the garage on the phone, and they told me there was a leak on some coolant hose, "might be caused by some rats or rodent...:s"
The bill will be around 500euros for this "small" joke.

Adding this to a creaking,noisy front suspension on each speed bump... really not happy with the quality on such a "young" car
Warranty in FR in 2yr...

i also have creaking from my suspension, front and rear. it started around 65,000km. i live in toronto. large speed bumps cause the most noise. they tried lubricating the bushings, and said it would take about 500km for the lubricant to penetrate, but that didn't work. now they're saying i would need to replace the control arms, which each cost about $1700CAD to replace. apparently it doesn't affect performance...

jacuzzisweets · Aug 13, 2024

XAVFR said:
Thanks for your feed back
I got the garage on the phone, and they told me there was a leak on some coolant hose, "might be caused by some rats or rodent...:s"
The bill will be around 500euros for this "small" joke.

Adding this to a creaking,noisy front suspension on each speed bump... really not happy with the quality on such a "young" car
Warranty in FR in 2yr...

i also have creaking from my suspension, front and rear. it started around 65,000km. i live in toronto. large speed bumps cause the most noise. they tried lubricating the bushings, and said it would take about 500km for the lubricant to penetrate, but that didn't work. now they're saying i would need to replace the control arms, which each cost about $1700CAD to replace. apparently it doesn't affect performance...

Jacks A3 ET · Aug 14, 2024

As for suspension issues - noise - remember this chassis is identical to a VW GOLF. Spring rates may be different due to weight, but lots of parts are the same. You may save $ by looking for an independent VW Shop to repair & service it and they may offer ways to repair control arms rather than replace them. The VW Golf is so common that after market parts are often cheaper.

Coolant liquid for battery and EV empty/leaks

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