Is this coolant??!

[Jonno1888]

Just found this leak!!! I am hoping its not something awful, I was told last service I had that we had a small coolant leak and it should be looked at at some point but today I've just seen this and a similar patch a few inches further back which you cant see in this photo

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Jonno

[Shoppinit]

Looks more like ATF.

[TobyRS4]

looks pinkish in colour, check your top coolant reservoir and if its the same colour id go for yes, positioning assuming the car hasn't moved or the under tray hasn't redirected it could be end of the rad.

or alternatively do the taste test! antifreeze is typically sweet to smell/taste... im talking the minutest amount by the way before you go at the puddle with a straw

[Jonno1888]

Thanks guys ill have a look. Havent seen it yet, the mrs just sent me this photo as I am at work now panicking about some massive repair bill.

Is antifreeze a completely different resevoir to coolant?

Cheers
Jonno

[Shoppinit]

Antifreeze = coolant.

If it's oily it's not antifreeze. If it's not antifreeze then it's either engine oil or ATF from the cooler which is located exactly there and which fails often.

[Mɐʇʇ]

Looks to me like engine oil. There's a cooler hose just there, too.
Doesn't look like coolant, atf or PS fluid, unless they're really really overdue a change.
Just imvho.

[simonpoulton]

+1 on what Matt said. My one peed itself just there as well and it was the long oil pipe (engine oil) that goes from left to right along the top of the oil cooler.

I thing the part was something like 220 from Audi. Which isn't too bad but it's connected to the oil cooler. Really connected. Like you will need to Dremel it off connected.

[Jonno1888]

Thanks guys. Yes ive just got home and it definitely looks like engine oil, I checked and its exactly the same colour as is on the dipstick. As soon as I turned the key and started the engine, it started leaking again, and slowed as soon as I turned it off. I am having it looked at tomorrow, its due an MOT at my local garage so will get the local chap to give me his view but im hoping its the oil pipe as mentioned by Simon as this sounds about as good as I can hope for!!

Thanks again
Jonno

[Mɐʇʇ]

Is antifreeze a completely different resevoir to coolant?

Given this, I reckon you're probably not the kinda guy who's gonna be assessing and repairing this leak yourself. I apologise if I'm incorrect.

However, on that basis, I'd strongly recommend not driving, or even starting, the car until a mechanic has checked it out. If it's on the brink of a major let go from the oil cooler hose, it'd be bye-bye to the engine if the hose disintegrates, or the motor runs out of oil due to the leak increasing, while driving.

[Jonno1888]

Thanks Matt - no need to apologise, you are about spot on!

Do you think it could be driven to a garage for inspection, mine is about 30 mins away so its a bit of a trek. I guess I am very concerned about driving it and it running out of oil during the journey as you say.

Cheers
Jonno

[bam_bam]

Thanks Matt - no need to apologise, you are about spot on!

Do you think it could be driven to a garage for inspection, mine is about 30 mins away so its a bit of a trek. I guess I am very concerned about driving it and it running out of oil during the journey as you say.

Cheers
Jonno

[Jonno1888]

OK! Got RAC booked in to take it over and get it looked at. Pain in the ar$e but we've been relatively lucky so far in the 10 months or so we've had it. Plus driving 800-900 miles in 2 weeks on family holiday so lucky in a way its happened now and not in 10 days or so.

Cheers
Jonno

[Mɐʇʇ]

Good move.

My bet is that the crimp between the hose & the union on to the oil cooler has rusted & broken.
The fix is to replace the flexi hose between the cooler and the oil filter however...

VERY IMPORTANT - it's 90% likely the union onto the oil cooler is seized on. If the mechanic manages to get it off, it'll quite likely destroy the thread and he'll (quite reasonably) want to replace the oil cooler too. This immediately becomes megabucks - there is a better way.

a. Get him to cut the union off off with a dremel cutting disk, cutting horizontally to relieve the pressure of union onto the cooler (hopefully someone who's done that will chime in - I didn't, but was lucky and didn't shear the fitting off, just knackered the thread)
and
b. If the thread on the cooler is knackered (as long as the fitting doesn't shear off - see a. above) - then see my DIY about putting a sleave fitting on the cooler to get a good thread back - and make up a custom new hose out of teflon/stainless with alloy ends.

[Jonno1888]

Thanks Matt, this is great advice really grateful

Apparently - the garage I have it at now says its just a leaking pipe, and the part is £130 approx plus labour, so I guess that is a reasonable outcome. Although half of me after reading your post just now, wonders if they actually know what they are doing. I've used them before for a few years for general servicing, but not for my RS, it just happens to be there now and they say they can fix it.

Ill see what happens tomorrow when this part is in

Thanks again
Jonno

[Human Joist]

I would bell them first thing and pass the above info on. It might save you some large amount of cash if they cause the detailed damage without knowing as you will have to pay