Coolant level warning light....

[bam_bam]

I had same problem recently.
Turned out to be water pump.
Cost approx $1500 aust incl labour.
Sorry for bad news

So why rub it in and post twice?

Well it wouldn't be rubbing it in if he only single posted.

[Q_Cars]

I had same problem recently.
Turned out to be water pump.
Cost approx $1500 aust incl labour.
Sorry for bad news

+1 on this side of the ditch...I had very similar symptoms, and it was the auxiliary coolant pump (that kicks in after the engine is shut down and cycles coolant to avoid hotspots forming from the turbos) that was leaking (relatively common in the Audi V config engines I understand). Another Audi special of a part that costs a few bucks needing a day or more of labour to deal with the auxiliary pump is located under the inlet manifold, and it needs to come off in order to replace the pump. It was covered under my mechanical warranty which was the good news.

[55marcuss]

Thanx guys - i like the sound of the auxiliary pump - it would be far less costly than a block / head issue, and the engine runs perfectly so it sounds about right.
Am still unable to see the leaking coolant, and also not sure which route to go down when it comes to getting it fixed, - audi or independent.

[p3u]

Thanx guys - i like the sound of the auxiliary pump - it would be far less costly than a block / head issue, and the engine runs perfectly so it sounds about right.
Am still unable to see the leaking coolant, and also not sure which route to go down when it comes to getting it fixed, - audi or independent.

Like I said before, put the car up in the air and look at where the transmission mates to the back of the engine. If you see coolant all crusted up between the two its the pump. Mine did the same thing, made coolant disappear like magic, never a trace thanks to the TC spinning and throwing the fluid everywhere you couldnt see it.

[MEV]

Ive just had a warning and the level is a little low... Am I ok to top up with normal water or do I need a mix of some sort? Cheers in advance.

[sweegie]

Ive just had a warning and the level is a little low... Am I ok to top up with normal water or do I need a mix of some sort? Cheers in advance.

It should be a sealed system, so best check why the level is dropping.

If you do need to top up, normal tap water is fine as long as its a small amount. Add antifreeze to the mix if you're talking litres....

[Daveperc]

Yep - just top up with water, and then check antifreeze concentration in the autumn before the cold weather comes in.

Dave

[MEV]

Gratis! Its been a while...

[MEV]

Bloody dealers!!! I take back what I said about Newbury doing a good job! After investigating my slight but increasing fluid loss up on a ramp at a mates garage it would seem that they have put the front of car back together, after the alternator change, incorrectly thus placing the coolant pipe in the wrong place up against either the pulleys of the cam belt or aircon motor and its severing the pipe hence loss!! Anyway Im in the middle of a major argument trying to source a courtesy car which they dont have and investigating whether it should be moved as they wont pick it up! Unbelievable. Nice start to the weekend! Be interesting to see where this one goes!

[MEV]

Just got back from the dealership! To their credit they have furnished me with very well equiped and new A6 3L heads up display, etc etc for the weekend and with a full apology and intention of sorting this issue and to go over all the work and again and double check. We will see how far this goes.. I gave a good rant but what do you think I can push for realistically? The missus wants me to push for inconvience and mileage compensation etc but I dont want to take the p*ss.

[Maximo]

It's a difficult one as your main aim is to get the car back in full working order. Clearly they haven't completed the QA check's once the work was originally completed. I would expect the dealer to now resolve the problem for you at no cost and give you assurance that they've completed a full QA check by the service manager with a signed document stating what they done. Pushing for much more than that and your going to get their back's up, you never know when you may need them for something else in the future.

[MEV]

yep cheers thats what im thinking although I have suggested that the monkey that worked on my car in the first instance be sent to BMW for a month! I also said that I didnt want them to do any other additional work as Im taking the car to Camberly for a check next week as my confidence in them had gone South. The look on thier faces, other customers, sales team and coffee girls was a picture. I think at that stage I should have thought about offering on a new car!

[Shoppinit]

Useless monkeys. Your mum says "if you wanted the job doing badly you would have done it yourself". Don't know what she means.

[bilko1]

Why the hell did they take the front of the car off to change the alternator? When i did mine a few weeks back the only pipes i removed were the oil pipes from the filter housing no need to remove front end.