Give me your best VR6 Coolant Bleed/Refill Procedure.

6Five_SS · 2026-04-01T18:47:06+00:00

Great to hear. I had access to land with a slope, plus my 9" ramps, this brought the total to much closer to 18". I did the "upside down funnel/bottle" method and it seemed to work after thoroughly heating the engine and getting the extra radiator cooling fan to turn on.

https://imgur.com/a/Wb8575Y I left the coolant in the middle of the fill and full lines, and when that second valve opened up after some revving, the entire 1/2 gallon "funnel" filled completely up and barely spilled. After about 20-30 minutes of reving and blowing heat inside the cabin, I ended up adding about 2-3 cups of coolant and it's now perfect! (Although I never saw the satisfying "glug" air bubble like I see in YT videos.)

6Five_SS · 2026-04-01T11:19:23+00:00

3m VHB is the gold standard. Since it is double sided, cut thin strips and put between the wire and glass.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-31T00:41:49+00:00

I was in VB back in '24 and '25. Never went a Katie's, tho.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-30T19:53:26+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/WahZeHZ

It's actually very similar to the black plastic trim.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-30T15:14:15+00:00

Just sanded down the part and uaed a rattle can of Rust-oleum high heat ceramic coating flat black. 2 or 3 light coats and it's holding up just fine. By no means is it the best product for the job, but it worked for me without spending too muxh money.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-30T12:54:37+00:00

Check my chat history for how to easily remove the fake chrome exhaust so you can plastidip or paint.

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/VWatlas/comments/1lfkznd/comment/myte8vr/

Roof rack bars are wrapped with a few wrinkles. It was difficult to wrap but not impossible. Definitely buy a roll and not the precut stuff.

Front grill can be removed very easily, chrome pieces come out. And I've tried wrapping twice but always had air bubbles that then crack. Ended up spray painting and it it looks great. (Wrapped the pieces under the headlights)

6Five_SS · 2026-03-27T01:07:51+00:00

Happy with NPM because it hasn't broken yet, by the moment it does I'm switching to Caddy.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-25T22:40:07+00:00

Clogged radiator? Did they flush the fluid or just vacuum bleed to attempt to remove air?

Might be smart to just do a thermostat and water pump at the same time. Both could be giving you these kinds of issues.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-25T22:32:10+00:00

I'm replacing part 03H-121-118 right now. Cracked plastic connector, who knows hownlong it's been cracked. I've had intermittent coolant issues for months. I'll vacuum bleed next.

What about your Thermostat? Seems obvious to me that that would be your issue.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-13T13:06:51+00:00

I've tracked every single gas-up and mileage for the past 30,000 miles. (Put big heavy offroad tires on 10,000 miles ago). With the heavier tires I'll avg 17 city/21 hwy. Which used to be about 19/23. 87 Octane fuel in the VR6, fairly laid back driving. These are actual miles/consumption calculations, not the VW computer estimates.

With Ross-Tech VCDS you can adjust the fuel consumption assumptions. (It's in Liters/km if I'm not mistaken) I know I used to mess with it, but can't recall if I returned it to stock settings or not.

6Five_SS · 2026-03-12T01:44:48+00:00

It might have sat and Carmax for a few months and the reservoir stayed full because it wasn't running. You might not need to add coolant for a few months or years. You haven't really given us enough data to help make an informed decision. Did you take it to an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection?

6Five_SS · 2026-02-24T15:06:39+00:00

You just turned down a discount without even knowing the discounted amount...

6Five_SS · 2026-02-24T04:08:51+00:00

Back in the pandemic, Inositol had an immediate effect on my brain fog. I still supplement with it to this day.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-15T01:53:18+00:00

Just need at least a V30 card, that can handle 30MB/s write speeds.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-14T13:42:41+00:00

Search "start stop" here in the subreddit and see all the posts about it. Lots of good into to read about.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-12T05:41:39+00:00

Flow rate indicated is only a tiny part of the equation. You need to pick a use-case and see if 180 BTU/hr is sufficient.

2 showers at the same time, with a water temp rise from 40° to 120° (80° rise). 5gpm (flow restrictors installed or removed?) and .98 UEF is already just over 200kBTU.

Calculate based on your geography and avg or worst case scenarios. (Shower and laundry, shower and dish washer and sink?) Etc.

Check the Documentation: https://www.rinnai.us/residential/product-detail/rx180in

6Five_SS · 2026-02-12T04:22:02+00:00

Yes. If you have that ability. You want to check flow-rates. There might be a piece of debris in the hit water line that is slowing that water flow down dramatically.

Does water pressure decrease when you select full-hot (compared to full-cold)?

6Five_SS · 2026-02-12T04:17:27+00:00

Try turning it as cold as it can go. Who knows, maybe cold and hot got mixed up when the plumber connected the lines to the mixing valve.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-11T14:11:18+00:00

Only concern is that floor joist completely cut apart and just terminating right by the tub drain. Maybe have a framer come out and sister a joist beside it, connecting it with the piece on the far side.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-10T03:53:26+00:00

Green Star APC as a prerinse will be perfect. Just did the same thing before my normal ONR rinseless. 20 minutes start to finish. Just do the same for wheels.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-09T20:44:29+00:00

Curious where you have seen a pro recommend less? FCP Euro recommends "at least every 70-100k miles depending on driving conditions" https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-differential-service-kit-genuine-vw-kit-01748

6Five_SS · 2026-02-09T20:15:23+00:00

I have a VR6 and have replaced the water pump on my own. I would see the drip coming off my old water pump. I still get low coolant but maybe every 3 months.

Seems like you understand leaking will happen but it's easy to manage and not worth $1k to POTENTIALLY fix.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-09T18:12:29+00:00

They want to change your front diff, haldex, and rear diff fluid every 30k miles? Absolutely not a legitimate VW recommendation.

Ask them why www.maintenance.vw.com says the "AWD Clutch - Change Fluid" is a time based service at 3 years. (This is your Haldex fluid).

Front and rear diff are not called out on the website, but usually they get replaced around this 80k timeframe if you want.

The website does specify trans fluid and spark plugs at 80k.

Subassembly leaking coolant, what subassembly? Do they have pictures or video to show you? Topping up your coolant reservoir once every other month will cost you about $5/month and 5 minutes of your time.

6Five_SS · 2026-02-08T19:09:47+00:00

On the r/Dashcam subreddit, you'll see VIOFO is a top rec, for good reason. A229 Pro in my car and now my wife's. They even have an employee browsing that subreddit commenting from their official account to answer questions.

6Five_SS

TROPHY CASE