A3 coolant leak

[FLENG2008]

i have a 2.0 tdi cyl head for sale if anyone needs one
thanks

[mrbutts]

I have a Audi A3 2.0 sport, just out of warranty and its developed a coolant leak about a week ago and I've had to top it up a few times. I have had a good look all around and can’t see where it is coming from at all. I see a few people have had the same problem.

I've got the same problem on my 05 plate 2.0 TDI A3 Sport which now has 60k on the clock. The coolant level was dropping slowly at first but the rate has increased over the last 500 miles. It’s now dropping from high to low after about 50 miles.

Initially I had it into the garage (not a dealer) who took its nappy/drip tray/muck guard off and took one look (in front of me) before declaring the radiator was going to need replacing. This annoyed me because there was no clear sign of where it was leaking from, just drips of the red coolant liquid on the lowest part of the radiator. I had expected some kind of diagnosis involving perhaps pressure testing to see if it was a hose or connection leak.

Could those of you in the know advise me on the relative merits of these options available to me:
1. Get the radiator replaced asap (at a quoted cost of just less than £300, labour and new generic radiator included).
2. Get a second quote from a garage that will take a detailed look at it and identify where the leak is before carrying out the work.
3. Use a radiator sealant and hope this solves the problem, at least until option 1 becomes necessary. What are the risks with these treatments – could it all suddenly go wrong on the hard shoulder? Do they even work on these plastic-ended radiators?

If replacement of the radiator ends up being necessary would anyone care to give their opinion on where to source the parts. I’m told by my garage that the part they’d fit is designed exactly for my specific car but does not come from Audi (perhaps generic but compatible?). I’m aware that the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of all the car’s parts is not actually Audi themselves but suppliers like Valeo and possibly others who supply the VAG group. But are there others who are good or is Valeo the part manufacture I should insist on getting? Presumably it will only cost me more to actually get the parts from the Audi dealer and could well be the same part anyway at a higher price – is that right?

I know there are plenty of knowledgeable & experienced people out there who can tell me these things – just hope you’re reading this!

Thanks in advance!

[s4-matt]

You seem to be loosing a lot of coolant for it to be leaking by the head or through the EGR as some of the other cars in this thread. Would seem to me most likely the rad but this should be fairly obveous on inspection.

Audi state quite clearly you shouldn't use rad sealers so for a few hundred quid it probably isn't advisable to risk knackering your cooling system. If you don't think it is the rad and aren't out of pocket in doing so then getting a second opinion can't be that bad. If you do the work yourself best get the part from Audi. I'm guessing the garages quote includes a mark up on the part anyway and you would probably get the part for around the same form Audi and save the labour if you are mechanically minded enough to do the job.

[valeodude]

Bad news to you all....the head is cracked. Very very very common fault in early 140cv tdi engines BKD engine codes.
To check if your car is affected, open bonet, remove engine cover, to the right of the cylinder head, there is a small code upside that ends in a letter. A is 2005 and will crack most surely, B is 2006 and has a good chance of cracking, C is the latest modified and should not crack.

Audi charge 2000€ for the repair, and problem is all over the place.

[FLENG2008]

i have a cylinder head for a 2.0tdi if anyone need a replacement..

[krisdoz]

hi all. im new to this but thought i would give some help to this problem.

i to have had this problem and it was only loosing water every 3-4 weeks but it wasn't mixing with the oil which made me think it wasn't the headgasket but recently it has got worse and just started to make the oil go abit creamy so i was told by a mechanic that it is def the headgasket need replacing and to do the cambelt an water pump at the same time.

hope this helps in some way.

[norinrad]

Has anyone tried any of those cooling system leak repair products or know if they are worth their salt?

I have a leak on my 4 year old A3. Cant see where its coming from, but I can see drips coming from under front and center.

e.g. Halfords do this one
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...Id_165750#dtab

Bars Leak Radiator Sealer 135ml stops radiator and cooling leaks.

One bottle treats a 6,8 or 10 cylinder cooling system.

• Seals Leaks
• Conditions cooling system
• Inhibits rust and corrosion
• Lubricates water pump seal
• Helps control Electrolysis

or there is this one
http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page46.htm

[andre 2000]

Is it me or do these 2.0TDI engines seem less reliable than the old 1.9?

Has anyone managed to get a 2.0 over 200k miles without any major work?
I've got a company A3 with a few months to go til it goes back. I was contemplating buying it but with 85k on the clock and these sort of horror stories I think I will let it go!

Anyway, I digress, another thought is that it could be a dodgy core plug, but as with most external leaks there would likely be visible signs. I've not seen this on VW/Audis as such, but have on a Peugeot.

norinrad, I guess if it's a crack in the head it's probably asking too much of a rad sealer, I always thought that these are meant more for pin hole size radiator leaks and are hit and miss then depending on the size of the leak. Personally i'd be a bit wary of adding these just in case it had any adverse effect on the water pump, but others may see differently.
I think at best you are looking at a temporary fix and that assumes the "gunk" can bond to plastic.

Does the new head come with new camshaft, valves / injectors or is it the bare bones casting?

Andy

[whitegoosedown]

I had a slight coolant leak like the one described above and it was fixed by changing the thermostat. See if your coolant temp doesn't get up to 90 and this could be the same problem. Should be about £60 to change the thermostat rather than £3000!