Use Water for the Demonstrated Older Demo Radiator
In the demonstrated older Nomad Drive demo, water fills the radiator even when the objective calls the fluid coolant. Bring a water container to the installed radiator and use its contextual transfer interaction. Separate test-version footage contains a distinct coolant item, so the older water method should not be presented as an untested rule for every later build.
The wording caused real confusion in the older demo. In a Steam discussion about searching for coolant, several players explain that they used water successfully after looking for a separate coolant container. One player specifically says the instructions made them expect a different bottle.
Community demo footage supports that limited answer: a player fills the installed radiator from a water container and then proceeds with the starting vehicle.
Transfer the Fluid into the Radiator
For that older-demo method:
- Locate the radiator and make sure it is attached to the vehicle.
- Bring a container that actually contains water to the radiator's fluid interaction.
- Follow the displayed transfer prompt. In the recorded example, the player uses E to transfer.
- Check the radiator's displayed fluid state after the transfer.
This is different from leaving a water jug in the cabin. The fluid needs to be transferred through the interaction, and an empty container cannot supply it. The recorded opening uses the level information rather than establishing one exact number of bottles that every vehicle requires.
Keep some drinking water for your character as well. The demonstration's player runs into thirst while spending time preparing the van, illustrating why vehicle fluid and personal supplies need separate attention.
Do Not Mix the Older Demo with the Test Version
In a separate Nomad Drive test-version playthrough, the player finds a coolant container at the starting property and transfers it into the radiator. During a later vehicle swap, they describe a different radiator and add coolant to that larger vehicle too.
That footage explicitly identifies itself as a test version rather than the original demo. It establishes a change in the available equipment and fluid context, not a universal mixing rule, coolant recipe, or guarantee that the same container is present in every start.
Indie Devil later replaced the old demo with a reduced-content version of a newer build before Early Access. Check your installed build's item descriptions and prompts if they differ from the older demonstration.
Monitor Cooling After You Start Driving
Filling the radiator is part of keeping the vehicle running, not a reason to stop checking it. The official Nomad Drive update notes describe a reworked engine heat model and retuned radiator cooling, alongside changes to fluid consumption in the demo updates.
Read the vehicle's temperature and fluid information during the trip. If the engine is overheating, check the cooling system's actual state rather than assuming that a completed opening objective means it can never run low.
Some older comments mention driving with no coolant or propose trying other liquids. Those remarks do not establish that an empty cooling system is intended or that milk and other contents are valid substitutes. The supported method here is water in the demonstrated older demo, with the separate test-version coolant evidence kept distinct.
FAQ
Why can I not find a coolant bottle in the older demo?
Players in the collected June discussion had the same confusion and used water instead. The recorded older-demo opening also demonstrates radiator water transfer.
Which key transfers the water?
The recorded older-demo example uses E. Follow the contextual prompt in your installed build rather than assuming the binding is unchanged.
Does this prove water is the correct fluid in every version?
No. Separate test footage shows a distinct coolant item, and the original demo was later replaced. Use the fluid and interaction identified by your current build.