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I have a 28000 mile , 04 plate S4 - done 10000 miles in it since i got it and in that milage it's only used max > min in the header tank once.
Topped it up the other day, now all i get when stood still out side the car and under the bonnet is a strong smell of coolant !

Are there any common issues with these cars ??

Had a quick look but tbh tere's not alot of roo to be looking about


Any help / ideas would be appreciated !


Thanks


Tom

Corroded auxiliary radiators, one each side behind the foglights, is a common problem on B6 S4. Sounds like yours may be starting to go.

BlingBling wrote:Corroded auxiliary radiators, one each side behind the foglights, is a common problem on B6 S4. Sounds like yours may be starting to go.

Ditto, the rads are £128.80 ea

I had Lincoln Audi check out my car, and the rad's are ok sadly - there isn't any obvious signs of leaking , it's booked in next tuesday for a presure test and an indepth investigation.

Fingers crossed something turns up

NotNormal wrote:I had Lincoln Audi check out my car, and the rad's are ok sadly - there isn't any obvious signs of leaking , it's booked in next tuesday for a presure test and an indepth investigation.

Fingers crossed something turns up

When you drop off the car be adamant that you want them to physically inspect the radiator as well as pressure test. This involves them removing the front bumper and looking for corrosion. A pressure test alone may not show up any leaks. You know there is a leak somewhere due to the strong coolant smell and corroding aux rads is common.

Mine is/was leaking, poddles on the floor, but due to me being abroad when the leak first appeared I had to use rad weld as a temporay fix. Anyway booked the car in with Birmingham Audi who pressure tested the system and low and behold it did not leak (No sh%t Sherlock) and because they could not find a leak the rads were not replaced. They also claimed they had inspected the rads for signs of corrosion. This was twaddle due to the time they had the car and what is actually involved with removing the front bumper to get access to the rads.

I was p1ssed but not overly concerned because the car is still in warranty and I know the leak will come back once I set about it with a jet wash.

Don't take any poor excuse. There is a leak somewhere find it, fix it.

BlingBling wrote:

NotNormal wrote:I had Lincoln Audi check out my car, and the rad's are ok sadly - there isn't any obvious signs of leaking , it's booked in next tuesday for a presure test and an indepth investigation.

Fingers crossed something turns up

When you drop off the car be adamant that you want them to physically inspect the radiator as well as pressure test. This involves them removing the front bumper and looking for corrosion. A pressure test alone may not show up any leaks. You know there is a leak somewhere due to the strong coolant smell and corroding aux rads is common.

Mine is/was leaking, poddles on the floor, but due to me being abroad when the leak first appeared I had to use rad weld as a temporay fix. Anyway booked the car in with Birmingham Audi who pressure tested the system and low and behold it did not leak (No sh%t Sherlock) and because they could not find a leak the rads were not replaced. They also claimed they had inspected the rads for signs of corrosion. This was twaddle due to the time they had the car and what is actually involved with removing the front bumper to get access to the rads.

I was p1ssed but not overly concerned because the car is still in warranty and I know the leak will come back once I set about it with a jet wash.

Don't take any poor excuse. There is a leak somewhere find it, fix it.

Thankyou for the advice, i shall be adamant. I have the advantage of being a sub-contractor @ Lincoln Audi so i shall be on site when they are doing it

I went to them today as it could possibly be the header tank cap - we've swapped it and we'll see how it goes when by next Tuesday.
They will be checking the whole system

The coolant smell was the headrer tank cap - got a new one on and no coolant smell - YAY

Good to hear.