coolant level

[Norma Smith]

can I drive with lo coolant level...I see the message then disappears.
need to go to work 18 miles round trip then to the dealership I go
what do I need to ask them to do?

[Forkster]

Is your coolant actually low or is the coolant level sensor on the fritz? You'll have to replace the coolant sensor every 7 or 8 years on an XC70.

[JRL]

Buy some (of the correct) antifreeze, fill (when the engine is cold) up to the cold level and monitor it before you go to the dealer

[howardc64]

can I drive with lo coolant level...I see the message then disappears.
need to go to work 18 miles round trip then to the dealership I go
what do I need to ask them to do?

Coolant message on startup and then disappears is usually due to low fluid level when cold and then expanding to be high enough when warm. Take a look at the level when message appears and disappears to confirm this. If this is the case, you are not really that low. Just a little.

As for where the coolant went, I had a bad thermostat once and probably purged the coolant out of overflow. Another symptom was abnormal temperature reading on the dash. Needle for warm engine was lower then usual.

Might be other reasons... leak somewhere (mostly easy remedy unless near heater core), head gasket, radiator leak into ATF (coolant will destroy transmission)

Any wetness in driver or passenger side carpet?