ROWE Hightec Antifreeze coolant AN13/G13

ROWE Hightec Antifreeze AN 13 is a long-service coolant concentrate meeting VW TL 774-J (G13), based on monoethylene glycol and glycerine. It is nitrite-free, amine-free and phosphate-free, giving corrosion and frost protection for both aluminium and cast-iron engines. Etron Parts & Tools supplies it in 200-litre drums.

What G13 is, and why you cannot substitute it

G13 is a VW Group coolant specification (TL 774-J), not a colour. Coolants are commonly identified by colour in the workshop, which is unreliable — different manufacturers dye different chemistries the same shade.

G13 is glycerine-based, and it superseded G12++ while remaining miscible with earlier G12-family coolants. It is not interchangeable with silicate-free OAT coolants used by other manufacturers. Mixing incompatible chemistries can drop the corrosion inhibitors out of solution — the failure mode is gradual, and it presents as water pump and radiator corrosion long after the mistake.

Nitrite, amine and phosphate free — what that means

Those three additives appear in older coolant chemistries and each causes a problem in modern engines: nitrites and amines can form nitrosamines, and phosphates precipitate in hard water, scaling the cooling passages.

Their absence is why this coolant is approved for aluminium engines, where deposits and galvanic corrosion do the most damage.

Concentrate, not premix

This is supplied as a concentrate and must be diluted with demineralised water before use. Mixing ratio follows the vehicle manufacturer's specification for the frost protection required — typically 40–50% concentrate.

Using tap water instead of demineralised is a common shortcut and introduces exactly the minerals the phosphate-free chemistry exists to avoid.

Full specification

Availability

Shipped from the USA in 200-litre drums. Smaller packaging on request.