Adding Coolant Frequent on a 26k miles car

[AutoRacer100]

Hi All,

I have a 2010 A4 with 26k miles on it. I am the first owner of this car.

I noticed the rate of missing coolant has been increased lately. I don't even drive the car everyday and only once in a while on weekends.

The car only has 26k miles on it. I had to add a half quart of coolant every two weeks. There is no leak on the floor or any where in the engine compartment.

[pierreb]

are you sure there's no leak? any flakes in the engine compartment? if you're missing coolant and don't see an external leak, then you're likely burning it...have the oil changed and they should be able to tell you if there's coolant in it.

Take it to a mechanic. You should never have to refill coolant.

[van462]

Look closely on top of your water pump. Look from the drivers side, below the intake manifold. The black plastic housing with the hoses going to it and look for a anything pink colored. It will usually weep out and evap off not leaving a puddle but just the pink crusty additives. This is the most common leak spot on the 2.0T.

[lpowers]

Look closely on top of your water pump. Look from the drivers side, below the intake manifold. The black plastic housing with the hoses going to it and look for a anything pink colored. It will usually weep out and evap off not leaving a puddle but just the pink crusty additives. This is the most common leak spot on the 2.0T.

Agreed, this has happened twice to me, my third OEM Audi water pump failed after less than 12K miles. I'm on my 4th now in 90K miles. I have pictures of how the gasket fails, if the leak is bad enough, you'll notice some coolant on the noise insulation/plastic cover underneath the car that you remove when you change the oil. The coolant can leak on sensors too and cause all sorts of error codes.

I remember the Audi dealership told me it was normal to burn some coolant and that they would top-off for free. Don't let them tell you that BS if you're under warranty, any coolant use is abnormal and signifies an external (most common) or head gasket leak.

[AutoRacer100]

Hi guys,

I found lots engine coolant by the engine section under the intake. The car is 2010 A4 and only has 27k miles on it.

So the water pump needs to be replaced and maybe some hoses and seals? How much would it cost to fix this?

Thanks

[van462]

The water pump runs about $220. Coolant around $15. Likely 2 to 5 hours shop labor rates from $90 to $160 per hour. I don't recall if the intake manifold has to come off. If it does expect to be upsold a carbon cleaning (not a bad idea actually)
See this DIY http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...mp-Replacement

[JD23]

I have to add coolant approximately once a year. Most people say that the car should use zero coolant, but at this slow rate it is difficult to justify replacing the water pump.

[AutoRacer100]

I don't drive the car much as you can see from the mileage. I bought the car brand new. And I have to add coolant every 100 miles I drive.

It seems the cost of replacing the water pump can be high (may go over $1000) and the repair doesn't guarantee that the water pump is not going to break again.

How do I determine the water pump replacement will fix the coolant leak vs. simply seal/gasket change to stop the leak?

What is the long term affect on the car if I don't fix the coolant leak?

[AutoRacer100]

Hi guys,

It makes wonder whether my water pump needs to be replaced or just coolant leak from the coolant tubing and flange. I noticed the coolant level drops a little after 200 miles of driving. Is there a way for me to check where is the source of coolant leak?

Last time I looked briefly and I saw some liquid under the intake near by the water pump. But I recall the liquid color isn't pink, but more like motor oil color (rusty coloring). I am going to take off the engine cover and give a thorough check again.

I've contacted two shops for quote on water pump replacement. One shop quoted me $850 while the other one quoted $1175. It is insane!