vw 2011 jetta: the temp light flashing on start up and beeps

[adidas80]

I have 2011 jetta SEL. Early morning temperatures around 50 F , when I start up machine then the red temp light flashing and beeps. My vehicle had only 6200miles on the clock. But when I turn off restarting machine, the temp lightning luminaire no longer is another. My vehicle just passed to check VW service about 3 weeks ago.

[mediumbluemetalic]

This is an issue with Volkswagen's coolant, known as G12. The coolant expands and contracts excessively with temperature change. It works wonderfully at doing its job, but it also causes the temp light to flash in cold weather because the full level of coolant shrinks to below the normal level.

This has been an issue for 10+ years in nearly all VW products that are filled with G12. The only way to avoid the flashing temp light is to *slightly* overfill the G12 reservoir. This will allow the sensor to still detect a full tank-o-G12 even on cold days when the fluid contracts.



It's a pain. I usually have to add just a drop of G12 every Winter to keep the light off in my '03. I've seen numerous posts in every forum. But G12 does its job, so I don't complain.

[radicale]

I seen this happen about a month ago. It was exactly the same issue. Now this morning it was -25C and it did the same thing.

I question the G12 coolant use causing this, because I never had this problem with my 2003 Jetta TDI. Never! Unless they didn't use G12 in that version. I now have a 2011 Jetta TDI. I have very mixed reservations about it, it is definitely not the same vehicle as the Mk4 was, so this is one more thing to sully the experience of the new model.

But thanks for the tip, I will try to fill the coolant level a little more and see if that resolves the issue. I find it doubly annoying because there is no temperature gauge on the 2011!!! So I can't really "see" what is going on there! Grrrrr

[VW Acolyte]

I seen this happen about a month ago. It was exactly the same issue. Now this morning it was -25C and it did the same thing.

I question the G12 coolant use causing this, because I never had this problem with my 2003 Jetta TDI. Never! Unless they didn't use G12 in that version. I now have a 2011 Jetta TDI. I have very mixed reservations about it, it is definitely not the same vehicle as the Mk4 was, so this is one more thing to sully the experience of the new model.

But thanks for the tip, I will try to fill the coolant level a little more and see if that resolves the issue. I find it doubly annoying because there is no temperature gauge on the 2011!!! So I can't really "see" what is going on there! Grrrrr

Yeah, your TDI had it too. G12 and now G12+ has been used in every model since like 96. What the guy said up there is correct. Its not really the coolant so much as just the amount of it. The system tend to pull out more than it should sometimes. All the light is is a level warning from the res tank.

[NotLowEnough]

I keep mine filled up to about here (at the seam) and don't have any issues with contraction triggering the low coolant light. YMMV.