[Jefferios]

Greetings everyone,

I am a new Volt owner, but longtime DIY-er on my previous cars. Quick question, today I got a notice from the dealer asking to bring my car in for service to check:

CHECK ENGINE, ELECTRONICS AND BATTERY PACK COOLANT AND TIRE ROTATION

All they are doing is the steps that are provided in this FAQ we have:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?119089-Battery-Coolant-and-other-Fluid-Levels-FAQ


I just need to make sure my coolant levels are at "Full" Correct?
I just want to keep my money in my own wallet and save it for real needs. Thanks.

 

[Henry_FL]

Check the level yourself, the rest is typical dealer looking for revenue mailing .. not needed

 

[Paulacton84]

Greetings everyone,

... a notice from the dealer asking to bring my car in for service to check:

CHECK ENGINE, ELECTRONICS AND BATTERY PACK COOLANT AND TIRE ROTATION
...
All they are doing is the steps that are provided in this FAQ we have:
..
... I just need to make sure my coolant levels are at "Full" Correct?
...

, yes follow the instructions in the FAQ, but you are not just checking to see if they are full, but also to record the level and see if it is slowly dropping at all. This is a big deal because if the coolant has a tiny leak somewhere, and is drying out in the electrical areas, the residue from coolant is conductive, and can cause, in rare and unusual circumstances, short circuits. if your car was made after early 2012, it has a battery coolant level sensor, but the small number of earlier volts do not, most of those have had a level sensor installed.

that all said, if you do find a need to add coolant, I recommend asking a dealer to look at it. there are also reasons to have a dealer change any of the coolant if you feel at all compelled to have coolant changed out, special equipment and sequences of actions required for refilling, purging.

 

[Jefferios]

Thank you for the guidance!

 

[SharkVolt]

Make sure you ONLY use the pre-mixed Dexcool from GM. Never add any other type of coolant or water to the Volt. You can buy a gallon jug of it and keep for occasional adding.

 

[DShields11]

Supporting SharkVolt's comment above, use the Dexcool that carries the part number 12378390. It is formulated for use in electric cars. Any other Dexcool variation is not acceptable for use in a Volt.

 

[wildgoose]

My 2013 volt is out of warranty, purchased back in 8/2013. This is its current coolant level, after more than 3 years. The dealer has not added any coolants.

I want to top it off and bring it to the new level at the top of the label. I have purchased part number 12378390 from my dealer. My question is, how do I remove the temper resistant bracket? Is it difficult? (FYI I can do basic oil changes on my car, but haven't looked into how to remove the bracket..) Thanks!

 

[wildgoose]

Make sure you ONLY use the pre-mixed Dexcool from GM. Never add any other type of coolant or water to the Volt. You can buy a gallon jug of it and keep for occasional adding.

This is not that obvious from the FAQ, which seems to say I can add regular Dex-Cool compatible coolants from any auto parts store.

To top-off, do I need to buy Dex-Cool concentrate and deionized water and mix them them?

No, there is no need to get a jug of Dex-Cool concentrate and a jug of deionized water and mix them yourself. You can buy a gallon/3.78L premixed (a pre-diluted "50/50 Premix") at almost any auto supply store, Walmart, etc. It should say it conforms to GM's Dex-Cool standard. This coolant is used in three coolant tanks: Electronics, Battery, and Engine.

When I first read it, I almost went to the auto store and bought their regular stuff. Fortunately I was busy and didn't have time (and haven't figured out how to remove the bracket), so I waited and googled more. Then I realized its best I buy the specific GM part number 12378390 (as stated in the manual).

The FAQ should be revised to state this more explicitly so people don't read it and thinking they can add regular dex-cool stuff.

 

[Gary Norton]

First two years of service are free.

 

[somms]

I have purchased part number 12378390 from my dealer. My question is, how do I remove the temper resistant bracket? Is it difficult? (FYI I can do basic oil changes on my car, but haven't looked into how to remove the bracket..) Thanks!

I just gently bent mine up enough so that it cleared the cap and I could unscrew in order to top off with the proper 50/50 GM premix then just pushed this anti-tamper coolant bracket back down over the cap easy peasy...

WOTs COOLANT LEVEL SENSOR / SERVICE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM MESSAGE DEFEAT PLUG

BTW: While you are already there you should consider installing WOT's defeat plug in order to save yourself an unscheduled trip to the GM service dept should this coolant tank sensor ever fail!

 

[wildgoose]

I just gently bent mine up enough so that it cleared the cap and I could unscrew in order to top off with the proper 50/50 GM premix then just pushed this anti-tamper coolant bracket back down over the cap easy peasy...

Cool, will try this.

BTW: While you are already there you should consider installing WOT's defeat plug in order to save yourself an unscheduled trip to the GM service dept should this coolant tank sensor ever fail!

This is definitely good to know! I think I'll order one.