Before tackling a long trip I checked my fluid levels and noticed that the coolant in the HT Coolant Reservoir looked low. The HT Coolant Reservoir is number 1 with the blue cap in the pic below from @Rok_Dr's excellent guide:
With the engine running, I noticed green coolant dripping from multiple locations around the middle seam of the HT Coolant Reservoir - not good. Here's a screen grab from a video I took showing one drip location:
My dealer is Regal Ineos in Roswell, GA, and, after I brought my vehicle in, they confirmed it could not be repaired and needed to be replaced. It took approximately four weeks for the new HT reservoir to arrive after they placed the order. After it arrived, Regal installed it in short order, under warranty, and all appears good to go now.
My speculative theory on the seam failure is that whatever sealant was used between the two halves of the reservoir was not well suited for the hot and humid summer weather in Alabama, which is what I also blame for the rubber door seal delamination I experienced.
We'll see how the seam in the replacement tank holds up in August. Hopefully, they are using a better sealant these days. It's too bad they did not design the reservoir in one piece rather than pressing two plastic pieces together.
Through this process (and thanks again to Rok_Dr.'s guide!), I learned that Valvoline's Zerex HT-12 Coolant (I bought it at O'Reilly Auto Parts) is what I needed to refill my HT reservoir so I could still take my trip.
Hopefully, my reservoir's failure was a one-off, but it's worth taking a look at yours the next time you are under the hood. I did not notice a puddle under my vehicle, and it only seemed to start leaking with the vehicle running. Regal said they had not had other reports of this type of failure.
With the engine running, I noticed green coolant dripping from multiple locations around the middle seam of the HT Coolant Reservoir - not good. Here's a screen grab from a video I took showing one drip location:
My dealer is Regal Ineos in Roswell, GA, and, after I brought my vehicle in, they confirmed it could not be repaired and needed to be replaced. It took approximately four weeks for the new HT reservoir to arrive after they placed the order. After it arrived, Regal installed it in short order, under warranty, and all appears good to go now.
My speculative theory on the seam failure is that whatever sealant was used between the two halves of the reservoir was not well suited for the hot and humid summer weather in Alabama, which is what I also blame for the rubber door seal delamination I experienced.
We'll see how the seam in the replacement tank holds up in August. Hopefully, they are using a better sealant these days. It's too bad they did not design the reservoir in one piece rather than pressing two plastic pieces together.
Through this process (and thanks again to Rok_Dr.'s guide!), I learned that Valvoline's Zerex HT-12 Coolant (I bought it at O'Reilly Auto Parts) is what I needed to refill my HT reservoir so I could still take my trip.
Hopefully, my reservoir's failure was a one-off, but it's worth taking a look at yours the next time you are under the hood. I did not notice a puddle under my vehicle, and it only seemed to start leaking with the vehicle running. Regal said they had not had other reports of this type of failure.
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