Coolant around reservoir and indicator shown over heat
Engine showing hot but heater not putting out heat is a sure sign you are low on coolant! Not knowing the percent of antifreeze, I couldn't give a absolute answer but I know this... Go buy one of those coolant testers at a auto supply, test a sample of the remaining coolant. If it shows you were not protected to the very cold temperatures you can get there in Toronto, then you may be in trouble, my friend. The only way to tell for sure is to first get the car inside somewhere warm and let it thaw good. While waiting, visually check the engine, radiator, and hoses all over for signs of freezing, like holes, cracks, popped freeze plugs, etc. If you find something that can be fixed, fix it. The goal is to test for leaks. Fill car with plain water and if it's not leaking any more, run it up to temperature and see what happens. If it acts OK, at that point drain all water, add proper amount of coolant, and retest using the coolant tester tool I mentioned earlier. One thing I forgot to mention when filling vw engines with coolant. Don't know about the newer Golfs but the older rabbits had a bad problem trapping air in the head when filling coolant because the reserve tank was positioned too low. If yours is higher than the top of the engine, your OK but if not, the solution is to take loose the top radiator hose at the radiator and lift it up higher than engine. Continuing to hold it high, you then pour coolant in the hose until it comes out the radiator then quickly re-attach the hose and re-tighten it. Now, back to cooling solutions.... if you are still having same problem, check that your water pump belt is tight. When the engine just gets up to temperature, check that the electric fan is coming on. After engine is too warm to leave your hand on it, feel the top hose to see if warm coolant is flowing. If not, you may need to pull the thermostat, heat it up in a pan of water to at least the temperature stamped on the thermostat, and check that it physically opens all the way. (Use a meat or candy thermometer to check the water temp). That's about it my friend. Good luck and let me know how it goes?
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