Car advice - coolant in brake/clutch fluid reservoir

[LikeClockwork]

Re:

Not being funny Adrian, but are you sure it was deffo the brake fluid reservoir you accidentally topped up, not the power steering reservoir?

Actually, not that it makes a lot of difference, you'd still better not drive it!

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

why were you adding coolant? is there a problem?

 

[mattr]

+1 if it's a company car, and someone else's responsibility, and probably fairly new.
Don't touch anything except the window washer reservoir.
Anything else goes to the workshop.

FFS, I've worked in the industry for the last 15 years, and at a push could probably build a car from a pile of nuts and bolts. The only thing I top up is tyres and washer bottle.
I check everything else, but if there is any issue, someone else does the job, and carries the can.
A newish company car shouldn't be losing coolant either. Most of the new cars I've worked on lately are either 3 or 5 years between coolant change. We are even putting the various caps under the acoustic covers now, to stop people putting stuff in the wrong hole.

 

[legrandefromage]

accidentally poured what I thought was brake fluid in the power steering - it was coolant for whatever reason, it destroyed the seals within about 2 miles of driving the car leaving me with no power steering whatsoever.

so good idea not to go anywhere in it.

 

[raidan73]

Re:

It's a company owned car and is 5 years old. Driving from Cornwall to Scotland today so thought I'd check the oil, coolant etc. I was looking at the brake reservoir thinking it was the coolant and thought it needed topping up as I couldn't see the pink fluid. As it turns out it did need some coolant anyway!

Cars going in the garage today and we're on the way to Scotland in the wife's car. Only 5 hours to go.......

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

Syringe the reservoir dry, flush it through with clean DOT fluid of the appropriate grade, and refill and bleed.

 

[RadNomad]

Syringe the reservoir dry, flush it through with clean DOT fluid of the appropriate grade, and refill and bleed.

Agreed.