P300 MY 2023.5. 15,000 miles on it
Just got a low engine coolant alert, checked fluid level and it is below the minimum line. I’ve read threads here about leaks and made a service appointment to investigate this

swung by the dealership today to top it off and discuss w service department. He popped the hood and looked around - didn’t see any obvious leaks or smell anything and thinks it’s fine to keep driving. He said to keep the upcoming appointment but said “this is not uncommon. These engines really run hot and go through coolant. It’s not uncommon for people to be coming in every 6-12 months for a top off”

im no mechanic but in 30+ years of driving I don’t think I’ve ever put engine coolant into a vehicle. Are you guys having to frequently top off the engine coolant? Or is he blowing smoke?

(and the coolant isn’t something you can buy at your local auto shop for those of you that haven’t had this come up yet)

 

The coolant for these is readily available. Not the OEM one made from distilled unobtanium but plenty of options that meet the required spec.

Yes. I top mine off infrequently over 55,000 miles.

 

Where is the coolant actually going? I mean, it's a closed system so it seems like it would either have to be getting burned up or it would have to be leaking out. Right?

 

yeah he said “its injected into the engine and it runs really hot” indicting it gets vaporized or burned off? Seemed a little suss

and Gavin thx i’ll look around for this. I was in the colorado mountains at a very limited Napa. Didn’t have it. Google says this Zerex is $16?? FYI the dealership offered to sell me jug of unobtainium for $99. “But you dilute it 50/50 so you get 2 jugs”. Ugh

 

I had my second appointment to check for leaks again, but traded my p300 in last week. in the previous year of ownership I had to refill the tank 4-5 times. I took it in once and they told me that they didn’t find any leaks, but if I had kept it I would press them to do a more thorough search. There’s plenty of reports on the forums from people having the same issue - leaks were found in various locations. I wouldn’t think you should be losing more than a few % a year.

 

He’s blowing smoke, definitely. Remember, he is a service advisor. Doesn’t necessarily mean he is/was a former mechanic and has an intricate understanding of what goes on under the hood. They are typically salespeople, earning more for each upsell they complete. His job is not to look out for your best interests or pinch your pennies, just to separate you from your dollars. Having owned over 40 vehicles I have rarely had need to add any appreciable amount of coolant, maybe a a cup or two here and there over the years. In a closed loop system there theoretically should be no loss, although small amounts could be expected over time. His explanation, “it’s injected into the engine” shows his complete lack of understanding of how an engine is cooled. Proof enough.

 

My experience with dealer-bros is that the vast majority of words out of their mouths fall into a few broad categories.

• Complete nonsense
• Ignorance based misleading information
• Blatant lies

The injected coolant hypothesis could be filed under any of these categories depending on the motives or skill set of your service advisor.

Sounds like they would be well suited to work at my local dealership. It’s best to simply not listen.

 

Keep your appointment and let them run a pressure test overnight. Some of the 23 models had a very hard to detect leak in the water pump. It took 3 visits on mine to finally determine the water pump had a tiny leak.

 

Our 2023 had 3 different slow coolant leaks over 18 months and 40K miles. One at the upper radiator hose, one where the lower radiator hose meets the engine block and a third at the intercooler where an o-ring failure is rather common. Never saw a drop of coolant on the ground from any of these, just kept watching the expansion tank level go down.

 

THIS is why I love this Forum. Gospel from @WTFChuck , @GavinC , etc. Any noticeable loss of coolant is due to a leak somewhere in the system (worse if into the engine). Just because a casual observation doesn't notice a leak doesn't mean that it isn't there. I can GUARANTEE that SA's are highly motivated to have a more robust investigation if it was on your dime. Be persistent. Be patient. It will be found. If it's a minor amount - it may continue to be a minor amount and perhaps not worth the headache. My experiences with automobiles is that minor problems develop into major problems. Good luck with your Defender and keep us posted.