Repairs/maintenance never ends.....

[HotRod1200]

I was warming my car up yesterday morning and noticed a strong burning smell. I get out to check wassup and see a lot of coolant dripping under the car. Its leaking in the front near the bumper (driver side) and some white smoke/steam coming from under the engine near the oil cap side. I also noticed that the front of my radiator was wet so I'm assuming that's the problem. Could it be the one of the hoses? Water pump? Aux pump?

A few days ago my fan was making a clicking noise too. Sounded like a playing card was stuck in it. Could that have anything to do with my problem now?

I only had this car for about 2 months and already spent about 1K in repairs.

-reflashed ecu for stage 2+
-replaced 2 worn hoses cuz they were causing vacuum leaks
-alignment
-replaced all 4 tires due to bad alignment

Now this coolant leaking problem. Once I fix something, another thing goes bad. I just cant win

I LOVE MY CAR! I LOVE MY CAR!

[j_korteS4]

Could be ur aux. H2O pump hitting ur timimg belt making that clicking sound. Mske sure that it's note b4 it's drivin again

[mholme]

Could be ur aux. H2O pump hitting ur timimg belt making that clicking sound. Mske sure that it's note b4 it's drivin again

Huh?

[MacDaddy]

mabey that ECU reflash was not very prudent of you.

[SLC_S4]

mabey that ECU reflash was not very prudent of you.

I agree....are we including the price of the reflash in the $1k of repairs? Because I'm pretty sure that reflash wasn't necessary. As far as your coolant leak.....I have no idea.

[blmlozz]

-replaced 2 worn hoses cuz they were causing vacuum leaks
-alignment
-replaced all 4 tires due to bad alignment

Now this coolant leaking problem. Once I fix something, another thing goes bad. I just cant win

I LOVE MY CAR! I LOVE MY CAR!

You own a very complex german car, *lol* consider yourself lucky if thats all you've had to replace so far.

[gointoscott]

I'm assuming the reflash was included in your price so that was voluntary on your part.

What ever company you had your ecu flashed with should of explained to you about the importance of checking over your car to make sure it can handle the increased boost pressure because of flash. Our cars are getting older by the minute and that means worn out rubber that can break faster with more stress.

This doesnt mean you shouldn't of flashed your ecu, it just means you should expect to give your car the proper maintenance to handle the increased pressure on the engine components. In reality the money it will cost you to fix things if and when they break.

Does the chip have anything to do with your coolant leaking??? Good question, I would say it just happens to be a cooncidence.

About cost of our cars, they dont have to be that expensive if you can do work yourself. If you have to pay to have things fixed or replaced it can get very costly.

Hope the best for you and try and think about the times when it puts a smile on your face not the anger or shock it does to your wallet.

[JackalS4]

Coolant leak could be anything, i'd advise getting it thoroughly checked over one way or another before driving anymore if at all possible. Don't let a small problem cause a big one.

Oh, and hang in there. My first 6 months of ownership was "catch up" from the last owner and getting everything perfect, my way. Since then, it has been perfect, not that it ever caused me a problem, honestly.

There will always be maintenance, but it should calm down once you get the essentials sorted out (boost/coolant/oil leaks, timing belt, suspension etc).

Should.

[NogaroWonda00]

Don't let a small problem cause a big one.

Oh, and hang in there. My first 6 months of ownership was "catch up" from the last owner and getting everything perfect, my way. Since then, it has been perfect, not that it ever caused me a problem, honestly.

haha yeah the first 5 months of my ownership was a lot of catch up to say the least!

[Quattrocket]

I was warming my car up yesterday morning and noticed a strong burning smell. I get out to check wassup and see a lot of coolant dripping under the car. Its leaking in the front near the bumper (driver side) and some white smoke/steam coming from under the engine near the oil cap side. I also noticed that the front of my radiator was wet so I'm assuming that's the problem. Could it be the one of the hoses? Water pump? Aux pump?

A few days ago my fan was making a clicking noise too. Sounded like a playing card was stuck in it. Could that have anything to do with my problem now?

I only had this car for about 2 months and already spent about 1K in repairs.

-reflashed ecu for stage 2+
-replaced 2 worn hoses cuz they were causing vacuum leaks
-alignment
-replaced all 4 tires due to bad alignment

Now this coolant leaking problem. Once I fix something, another thing goes bad. I just cant win

I LOVE MY CAR! I LOVE MY CAR!

Like they said before the re-flash isnt really a repair, and the alignment thing happens on every car, same as the tire wear, and the hoses are cheap but unfortunately boost leaks are a problem on any turbocharged car.
It's like they say, "You gotta pay to play." If your not willing/able to put the money/work into the car then I would sell it and get a japanese N/A car because this one will sink you.

[EUROTEK//S4]

Tell me about it...latst week I did @ Audi stealership

1-Cam Seals
1-TB Job
1-Timing Belt Job
Misc. Parts

$2700 - aftermarket warranty co.
$700 - me

Next is front brakes,tires,..

[Dimcorner]

I was warming my car up yesterday morning and noticed a strong burning smell. I get out to check wassup and see a lot of coolant dripping under the car. Its leaking in the front near the bumper (driver side) and some white smoke/steam coming from under the engine near the oil cap side. I also noticed that the front of my radiator was wet so I'm assuming that's the problem. Could it be the one of the hoses? Water pump? Aux pump?

A few days ago my fan was making a clicking noise too. Sounded like a playing card was stuck in it. Could that have anything to do with my problem now?

I only had this car for about 2 months and already spent about 1K in repairs.

-reflashed ecu for stage 2+
-replaced 2 worn hoses cuz they were causing vacuum leaks
-alignment
-replaced all 4 tires due to bad alignment

Now this coolant leaking problem. Once I fix something, another thing goes bad. I just cant win

I LOVE MY CAR! I LOVE MY CAR!

Alignment and 4 worn tires could have happened to any car. Also if you only had your car for 4 months you should have been able to tell the tires were worn when you bought it so the tires would be in the list of "to buy soon".

[sCeRaXn]

I spent almost $3k in maintenance/repairs in the first 3 months of owning the car. Thats not including the springs/struts, spacers, tint, dv's, boost gauge and pod, etc....thats just in repairs and maintenance. Consider yourself lucky! lol

Hang in there man. Im sure youll have to spend another $1k before getting it right, but its worth it in the end. I almost gave up on it a few times and im glad i didnt. Of course it really helped that i also have some Japanese reliability in my driveway as well, so i always had another option.

As far as your coolant leak...it could be so many things so i dont really know where to start. If you cant find the leak then id take it to a competant mechanic. Good luck man!

[HotRod1200]

Well I knew what I was getting into when I bought the car and how EXPENSIVE it was to maintain. I'm playing the catch up game just like how some of you said.

I started my car up yesterday to trace the source of the leak. Let it idle for several minutes and NOTHING! Couldnt see anything leaking...so Im like

Today, I went to the shop and told them about my coolant problem and to check the cooling system for leaks. I also instructed the tech might as well check for any other leaks while the car is up. About half an hour later he calls me out to the bay and shows me whats going on.

Turns out my aux water pump is bad. He also pointed out an oil leak coming from my crankcase vent valve and the oil cooler seal He told me the labor would take about 5 hours for this job. Does that seem right???

[Quattrocket]

Do you guys really find these cars expensive to repair??? I find things like turbos expensive but parts are considerably cheaper or on par with my wife's Ford Escape.

[mholme]

Do you guys really find these cars expensive to repair??? I find things like turbos expensive but parts are considerably cheaper or on par with my wife's Ford Escape.

I think it's the frequency at which some people have to repair things on these cars that gets em..It nickels and dimes some..

[MacDaddy]

Do you guys really find these cars expensive to repair??? I find things like turbos expensive but parts are considerably cheaper or on par with my wife's Ford Escape.

Ford dealers are pricey. as an example, the ford dealer i worked at charged $110/hr for gasoline engine vehcinles, and $115/hr for diesel.
The dealer in town that does only jaguar/Land rover/bently/Aston Martin charges $109 hr, and your car gets treated alot better and comes out detailed by the wash kids.

[sCeRaXn]

$110/hr is fucking insane. I was a tech at a Ford dealership for 8 months and i believe they charged $85-90/hr, and that was considered high for the area. I think id actually get violent if someone quoted me $110/hr to work on a Ford lol

I think my problem is that im coming from mostly Japanese(mostly Honda) cars, so im used to dirt cheap maintenance/performace parts. I also have alot of experience with Mustangs, which are also known for having relatively cheap maintenance and performace parts. To me, $3000 for a big brake kit is just assinine. I got a bbk for my Honda thats actually race ready, and for all 4 corners i spent less than $1500. Its the astronomical mark-up for Audi parts that gets me. Even the dealers are bad. I know ive complained about this alot...but they wanted close to $150 for a set of freaking trans bolts. Thats just plain retarded lol.

[AudiSportB5S4]

Huh?

lol, x2... Not even in that vicinity

[EUROTEK//S4]

$110/hr is fucking insane. I was a tech at a Ford dealership for 8 months and i believe they charged $85-90/hr, and that was considered high for the area. I think id actually get violent if someone quoted me $110/hr to work on a Ford lol

I think my problem is that im coming from mostly Japanese(mostly Honda) cars, so im used to dirt cheap maintenance/performace parts. I also have alot of experience with Mustangs, which are also known for having relatively cheap maintenance and performace parts. To me, $3000 for a big brake kit is just assinine. I got a bbk for my Honda thats actually race ready, and for all 4 corners i spent less than $1500. Its the astronomical mark-up for Audi parts that gets me. Even the dealers are bad. I know ive complained about this alot...but they wanted close to $150 for a set of freaking trans bolts. Thats just plain retarded lol.

audi dealer is $150 hr

[s2the4]

I was warming my car up yesterday morning and noticed a strong burning smell. I get out to check wassup and see a lot of coolant dripping under the car. Its leaking in the front near the bumper (driver side) and some white smoke/steam coming from under the engine near the oil cap side. I also noticed that the front of my radiator was wet so I'm assuming that's the problem. Could it be the one of the hoses? Water pump? Aux pump?

A few days ago my fan was making a clicking noise too. Sounded like a playing card was stuck in it. Could that have anything to do with my problem now?

I only had this car for about 2 months and already spent about 1K in repairs.

-reflashed ecu for stage 2+
-replaced 2 worn hoses cuz they were causing vacuum leaks
-alignment
-replaced all 4 tires due to bad alignment

Now this coolant leaking problem. Once I fix something, another thing goes bad. I just cant win

I LOVE MY CAR! I LOVE MY CAR!

in all honestly maybe you have a crack in your radiator? or one of the hoses sprung a leak! is what I got from reading your troubles. How many miles on the S4?

[///M3 TO S4]

Could be ur aux. H2O pump hitting ur timimg belt making that clicking sound. Mske sure that it's note b4 it's drivin again

yeah....except your aux. coolant pump is UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ...more crappy advice from people who don't know what they are taking about in our B5 forum....hooray!

[s42k5b]

yeah....except your aux. coolant pump is UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ...more crappy advice from people who don't know what they are taking about in our B5 forum....hooray!

Scary..

[///M3 TO S4]

Scary..

tell me about it..

[HotRod1200]

in all honestly maybe you have a crack in your radiator? or one of the hoses sprung a leak! is what I got from reading your troubles. How many miles on the S4?

86K on the clock

[pzp107]

actually if he did the relocation kit it would be near his alternator, so that person isnt that stupid if you thought about it. This is assuming he is meaning that based on the relocation kit. Dont jump to conclusions.

[mholme]

actually if he did the relocation kit it would be near his alternator, so that person isnt that stupid if you thought about it. This is assuming he is meaning that based on the relocation kit. Dont jump to
conclusions.

You're assuming a lot in that case considering the o.p. didn't make one mention of a relocation kit.