Coolant leak

Asked by GuruBDGR7 Dec 08, 2018 at 10:36 AM about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDi

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Yesterday i went into a bumb and after 3
hours my coolant tank got empty i putted
300ml of coolant it came back to level again
but today again it dropped.
I cant see any leaks because its snowing and
raining
I driving a bit temperature is all good doenot
overheat or cool thermostat is all good but
coolant gets down simultaneously
Any suggestions

3 Answers

50

Check oil ... if oil look creamy brown youre headgaskets done and need to be replaced. if not. smell on exhaust, if it smells sweet and coolant leaks in to engine, same fix like above. a small hole in radiator or hose can also be the problem, then it only leaks when pressure builds up. when u been driving put a cardboard or a sheet under the car and after a couple of minutes analyze it and/or look in engine compartment for leaks squirting on hot motor and evaporates... good luck 2 u

1 people found this helpful.
90

My 2013 VW Golf begun leaking coolant in April 2019. Coolant light came on, so I bought some G13 coolant and topped it up but within a short time the coolant light had come back on and I took it to the car repairers for a fix. At first, the water pump was found to be the culprit and I got the water pump, thermostat and thermostat housing replaced with genuine VW parts. I had to wait for a few weeks until all the parts arrived because they were sourced from VW and the toothed belt housing (which seems to be the issue causing all these coolant leaks) was replaced also. From what I understand, VW is still replacing the defective housing with the original, plastic designs. I strongly urge you to ensure that this housing is not repaired by VW. It only took a month and the light was back on. On second inspection, the repairers were unable to find a cause of the coolant leak and were aware that there were other VW customers who were confused about their own heat exchangers leaking internally. Since my coolant was leaking at such a rapid pace, it would only hold a full tank for about 12 hours. Consequently, the engine light came on and it repeatedly overheated. Throughout this whole repair process, I was unable to find any comprehensive explanation online to gain a better understanding of what I should do about my problem. I have written this post in goodwill to assist with any future concerns that VW mk7 vehicle owners might have regarding their coolant leaking. I took the car to the manufacturer later in the year and paid $250 for a diagnosis which read “low compression/defective water pump” as the cause. As mentioned above, I had this replaced earlier in the year. I came in to collect the vehicle and I asked to see the mechanics. When I came into the workshop, I was immediately handed a piece of plastic and told “this is your problem” by one of the guys. Consequentially, the internal damage due to overheating of the engine would make further repairs somewhat futile for me if engine failure was an inevitable likelihood. That melted plastic (pictured) was left out of the diagnosis report but handed to me as the first finding by the mechanic. I kindly asked the VW service centre to include this as a finding on the report provided to me. I waited over two weeks whilst they told me they were amending the diagnosis report – but in the end I was told that they were unable to include the finding. Screenshots of their emails admitting about it are linked below. The discrepancy between my diagnosis report and email correspondence suggests that VW is not being honest about this design flaw and seems to be purposely misleading their mk7 owners about the melting plastic casing. As you may not already know, the new mk7.5 range has now used steel casing rather than plastic to avoid this issue. If I had known about the melting plastic sooner than I would have been able to identify the problem and have it replaced with a suitable material (i.e. steel casing rather than plastic). I hope I can show the online community concerned about coolant leaks that there is most likely an issue with melting plastic around the coolant tank, specifically encasing the “toothed belt”. Diagnosis report: https://pasteboard.co/IFZp5jk.jpg Email correspondence: https://pasteboard.co/IFZsEtI.png Melted plastic casing top-side: https://pasteboard.co/IG6hvbG.jpg Melted plastic casing bottom-side: https://pasteboard.co/IG6hQnj.jpg

9 people found this helpful.
30

My advice is trade car NEVER but another VW. I went broke in late 80’s replacing plastic coolant reservoir on VW Quantuum. VW used cheap plastic which cracked and leaked at least once a year. Parts VERY expensive due to dollar value vs German mark. We buy Toyota’s, new or used, almost NEVER have repairs, other than brake pads, normal wear and tear. VW was beautiful car but I went broke with repairs.

3 people found this helpful.

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