1.8 VW turbo...how long will AF last?

[chet2]

it is 8 years old with 78k on it and crud underneath oil cap...my BIL doesnt give a F about maint so i was wondering how long would the antifreeze last in the turbo?...and should he change auto trans fluid too?

 

[tomcat27]

change them both. If I remember correctly, that engine uses a plastic impeller in the water pump, so that is doomed for failure also.

 

[The Critic]

At 80k, that is car is on serious borrowed time. The timing belt tensioners are extremely weak on those cars. I would purchase a complete timing belt kit from ecstunin or mjmautohaus as soon as possible and have the service completed.

 

[FowVay]

As Critic said, change the timing belt which will include all rollers and tensioners along with the water pump. Change the engine coolant with each water pump change. Use VW's G-12++ coolant.

As for oil, strongly recommend they use a synthetic 5W-40. The engines are hard on oil and a synthetic deals with the heat much better than mineral based oils.

Personally, I'd do the transmission fluid and filter on a 60,000 mile interval.

 

[Kestas]

I take care of someone's 01 NewBeetle 1.8L turbo with 112K. All the advice above is spot on. Sorry to hear your BIL is reactive instead of proactive with taking care of the car. He's in for a rough period of ownership in a few years.

The G-12 is a HOAT antifreeze. It's a long-lived coolant, but many people choose to swap it out every 3 years anyhow.

 

[wavinwayne]

I ran the AF in my '00 GTI for 90k+ miles, and 7 years. When I did the timing belt and water pump job, I changed the coolant. The old stuff didn't look bad at all, considering how long I ran it.

The water pump impellers....well, those were a different story. They crumbled in my hands with hardly any effort. At least the new WP has metal impellers.