The other day I was under the hood of our '13 2.5i and noticed the coolant resivior was almost dry. I contacted the dealer they pressure tested for and hour with no lose. I posted about 3 years ago about the coolant level being between the full and low marks and the dealership said all is normal. In fact after I picked it up the next day the coolant was filled at the same level. I asked so where did the coolant go if it's not leaking? Service manager said "coolant like oil needs to be topped off every now and again. " I don't know I have a had plenty of cars and I never had to top off the coolant. What do you guys think? Until the year we didn't really drive it a lot. It has about 23k miles and the warranty ends in July.
My 2012 has had to be 'topped up' a couple times. The dealer does it at no charge if I mention it during other maintenance items.
I assume you realize that the level in the resiviour constantly goes UP and DOWN as the engine heats and cools. Each time the engine gets hot, a little steam is expelled into the atmosphere. Over time, this makes the overall level go down. . Depending on your driving conditions, this may be as much as a cup a year.
As long as you keep adding ASIAN BLUE antifreeze, you will maintain the long-life of the fluid. If you search, you will find a thread dedicated to the ASIAN BLUE antifreeze and its acceptable substitutes.
Minute steam particles get released which is normal. Over a couple of years this results in low coolant. That is why you need to check it every so often. No need to worry. Just check it every now and again. Plus your mech should be checking it during a service.
brucep
When I went to pick up my new Outback I purchased a gallon of this antifreeze. It's not too pricey, and it's cheap, in my mind, if it keeps they system going for over 100k miles. Because of my messed up back, I can no longer change my own oil. So from now on, when I'm at the oil change place, I'm going to make sure to tell them to leave the antifreeze cap alone, LOL!
Speaking of this thread. I had to top of the tank yesterday. It was only a few Oz low, but it was low none the less. It has 5,500 miles on it so that's about right for average consumption. It felt good to have the bottle handy.
That was my next question can it evaporate? I check it when I check or change the oil. Sounds like I have nothing to worry about. I also thought maybe from the factory not all the air was bled out cay singing it to get low over time. Thanks again.
I noticed I lose a bit of coolant over time, based on the design of the recovery tank and hose, plus my experience with many other cars, these Subarus do use slightly more coolant. But, it's not going anywhere but outer space (joking) I bought a jug from my dealer's overpriced parts dept and keep in the good range whenever I am doing my regular maintenance inspections, easy.:nerd: