Alde Heating
I understand that the solution in the heating system has to be changed after 2 years as I believe it will cause corrosion if not change, is this a D I Y task or is it a job for the dealer ,My caravan is due to go into the dealer for its second service in March,if it is a dealer job any idea of the cost?
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I believe it can be a diy job but it is a right pain getting rid of the air. The dealers have a special pump, or something. Even with that we still ended up with one air lock that we had to purge from the towel rail, so make sure they give you some spare fluid, as our dealer did. Cost with the 5 year fluid was about £80. Although I believe costs can vary wildly. Even if you go down the diy route the Alde pink 5 year fluid is fairly expensive.
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It doesn't cause corrosion, it just doesn't prevent it if not changed ... just the same as with your car. If you look on YouTube there are a few videos showing how to do it. ..... I've not done myself but it looks pretty straight forward.
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When I bought my present 'van the fluid had a 3 year life according to the info I received. I had a problem with the system when the van was a year old and the dealer made an appointment for me to take the van to Alde where a 5 year solution was used.
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It was a time consuming job when i did mine, but if the dealer only wants £80 as someone mentioned then i would let them do it.
I used around 6L fluid mixed 50/50 with deionised water, took me around two hours.
I had no air locks but a day or so afterwards after any air bubbles had dispersed from the new fluid it did need a one of top up.
I would do my own again if it was cost effective.
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I have now done mine twice as the van is getting on. It is a DIY task if you are diligent enough and these days is a lot easier than it was. Easier because there are 5 year fluids that can mix with residuals of the older two year that are easily left as fully draining is IMO the greater challenge. Previously it needed a bit of system flushing doubling or more the effort.
Bleeding out the air I found easy enough, what was not so easy is to find all the various bleeders, and in my case accessing them. 5 or 6 and involved a bit of furniture dismantling; all designed for but a challenge to find out.
By far the best is to recharge with a fluid meeting VW's standard G13. Many brands have this as do Alde, but a ready and cheap source is Comma's GG40 from a local auto-factor. Don't be confused it's not called G13, Comma just use a GG40 name.
This fluid meeting G13 mixes compatibly with nearly everything that might have been used before, so if a litre is left when trying to drain it is not a great issue as with other products it can be.
Comma sell in 5 litre containers both the concentrate and a ready to use mix. I for cost reasons buy the concentrate and mix 50/50 [ie equal amounts] with deionised water. This is available from auto-factors and some DIY stores. Expect to pay £25 > £30 for 5 litres of concentrate [I do a bit better enjoying a discount].
There is a similar but not quite as environmentally kind product you can use, and save a couple of quid. Products to VW's G12++ [the two pluses being important]. Comma's G40 [as opposed to their GG40] meets this spec and it is like G13 fluids compatible with residual two or earlier 5 year products. [Well nearly all and almost certainly any european ones we are like to come across].
My van just gets away with 5 litres of concentrate plus 5 litres of deionised water, but I read others take, unfortunately, a litre or two more. Two litres of Comma products are sold.
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Thank you all very much for your advice it was very helpful.
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