Water in the Coolant Compartment of a Dacia Sandero

So today started off quite well, except for my 2-year-old getting up at 6am, I managed to get him back off to sleep until 7.30am and then we got up. We had a pleasant Sunday Morning, played some games, watched some films. Well some bits of some films, we watched half of Inside Out, some of Cars and some of the Lion King. He is 2 he gets bored easily. Then he went for his nap and slept which hardly ever happens anymore.

So, I got him up from his nap, gave him some lunch and we decided to go out to the garden to play on his slide as it was Sunny. I thought I would hoover the car while he played. It may sound strange that I can hover my car while in the garden but my house is a strange layout and my Garage is between the house and the Garden.

What might also sound strange is that my next-door neighbour was in my garden doing some gardening, but she is my landlord’s mum and the garden used to be hers. She loves gardening and we don’t have the time to do it so she keeps it tidy when she wants to.

Anyway, I didn’t want to leave my son in the garden with my neighbour as I didn’t want her to think I was expecting her to watch him, as I could see him from the car but I know she would worry. So, I stayed in the garden with them for half an hour or so and played ball and all the slide.

Then he started helping her with the gardening, just picking up the leaves and putting them in the bucket, that sort of thing. While he did that I managed to hover some of the car. Then my neighbour decided it would be fun to get my son to help wash the car. Well I wasn’t even planning to wash the car but it did need doing so I agreed.

He did a very good job for a 2-year-old and left the wheels alone as instructed. He got bored quick so it was a struggle to finish and watch him but we managed.

I then thought I should top up the windscreen wash as it had been empty for too long and with the weather warming up the windows get dirty quite quickly.

I opened the bonnet and looked around for the washer fluid compartment, while trying to keep an eye on my son. My neighbour looked as well but we couldn’t see anywhere obvious where it went. There was a compartment with a picture of steam and a hand and I thought well steam comes from water maybe it’s there. Thinking straight now that makes no sense as there is no reason the windscreen washers would get hot, but being distracted by a 2-year-old does funny things to your head.

So, I went ahead and poured it in, it was at this exact moment that my neighbour found the right compartment. We both panicked a bit worrying that I may have put it in the oil compartment but we followed the pipes and we’re sure it was the radiator.

I did a bit of searching around online and I shouldn’t have done any damage but I guess I won’t know until I drive it. I will try and top it up with neat coolant as soon as I can to elevate any potential damage I may have done.

I am going to drive it on the nursery and work run tomorrow so fingers crossed I don’t break down as I live in the middle of nowhere so that would be disastrous.

Wish me luck.

 

P.S The image is of the bottle ca I removed to add the water, that is not where the water is meant to go. That is where the coolant is meant to go.