Engline Coolant leakage?

[Goz]

Hi,
I have a question about the engine coolant on our new Polo Trendline 2013 Automatic that we bought in April.

What would be the symptoms of leakage in the engine coolant, besides the level of pink fluid in the engine coolant tank going down?

Recently the warning lights and beeper for this went on, NRMA came over to fill up the tank which was only a quarter full, and he told me the fluid level shouldn't change at all (aside from a bid of expansion) unless there's a leakage. Well, I don't see any wet spots under the car, but I'm sure the amazing people here know of better ways of assessing this type of leakage.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[wai]

Simple things to check would be the hose checks. Make sure that there is no leakage where hoses connect.

I am surprised the NRMA did not pressure test the cooling system. Basically, the system is pumped up and any leak should reveal itself.

It could be more serious where a head gasket has blown and this is either sucking coolant in (if the failure is near an inlet valve) and out the exhaust, or if it is near the cylinder where the cooling system is pressurised by the engine and this pumps the coolant out. This can be checked with a compression test.

Either way, it needs to be looked at. First start off with a pressure test.

[juussttin]

My coolant level was dropping. I had service late last year. They told me it could be just running hot and they looked for a leak. I had 60k a month ago and told them it dropped again and this time the coolant light came on. They pressure tested it over night and found the pump was leaking tested/replaced all under warranty.

[wai]

Yes, if the coolant pump seal has gone, this will also cause coolant to leak out.

Even though your car is relatively new, look for the build date. It may have been sitting idle for a while and the pump shaft may have caused part of the pump seal to be distorted locally. Then once running, coolant can leak out.

[Goz]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
wai> build date is Jan 2013.

Looks like I may need to have this looked at. This may be a no brainer, but when one gets a car serviced under warranty, must one go to the dealer that sold the car or can it be any vw approved service mechanic? I want to get it serviced at some place other than the dealer I bought the car from, but I want to keep the three year warranty intact.

[Diesel_vert]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
wai> build date is Jan 2013.

Looks like I may need to have this looked at. This may be a no brainer, but when one gets a car serviced under warranty, must one go to the dealer that sold the car or can it be any vw approved service mechanic? I want to get it serviced at some place other than the dealer I bought the car from, but I want to keep the three year warranty intact.

A vehicle can be serviced by any qualified workshop, even under the warranty period. It would be highly advisable that the service be carried out as per the manufacturer's requirements to minimise any delay in processing warranty claims.

For any warranty-related repairs, work must be carried out by a VW dealer if it is to be gratis.