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The mystery of the disappearing coolant... again!

PureWhiteMk7

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Sherman Oaks, CA
This is truly a tired old subject with the GTI but just curious what the gang would do.

Bought the 2019 GTI SE in April and the coolant level observed when cold measured a hair below halfway between max and min.

Almost 5 months later it is now just above the min line when measured cold.

Take it in or forget about it?

Thanks!
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
It hasn't lost much yet just keep an eye on it since the thermostat housing is notorious for leaking. If the level continues to drop and they want to do a pressure test it's a waste of time. The thermostat housing leak almost passes a pressure test. They would need to look for tell tale signs of leaking.
 

Judas

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Tempe az
lol welcome to vw, my gti has had , waterpump replaced plus a few coolant hoses for leaks the first time(24k warranty), second time thermostat housing and more coolant leaks fixed (49k warranty), third time another coolant leaks fixed(out of warranty), then aux pump replaced plus more leaks( out of warranty), then the secondary aux pump had melted behind the firewall( out of warranty), one more leak fixed( out of warranty), now since ive owned it since 2015, its leak free lol,
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
lol welcome to vw, my gti has had , waterpump replaced plus a few coolant hoses for leaks the first time(24k warranty), second time thermostat housing and more coolant leaks fixed (49k warranty), third time another coolant leaks fixed(out of warranty), then aux pump replaced plus more leaks( out of warranty), then the secondary aux pump had melted behind the firewall( out of warranty), one more leak fixed( out of warranty), now since ive owned it since 2015, its leak free lol,

Car must have been built on a Friday. That's some bad luck.
 

imthanick_a

Autocross Champion
Location
Ohio
Look for dried coolant trails on the reservoir and around it. Especially running down the inside of the engine bay along the seam of the wheel tub. It'll look like white or slightly tinted powder. Comes from a leaky seal on the reservoir cap I guess. Mine has some of this but also leaking from somewhere else, probably the water pump, but I have only had to top off the coolant twice since I first noticed it lowering 2+ years ago
 

PureWhiteMk7

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Sherman Oaks, CA
Ironically my first 2015 GTI never leaked.
i will check it out this weekend. I am guessing the total amount leaked is probably 1/4 cup of coolant which to me sounds very trivial. It’s still above the min line.
 

timmyturbo

Autocross Champion
Location
earth
Car(s)
Audi S3
As imthanick_a said, I'll second the check around coolant resoviour. My coolant was a hair under the minimum with dried coolant trails around and down the side of the engine bay. My wife's VW Atlas had the same thing. Topped them up with OEM Pentosin pentofrost, you can get the concentrate from FCPeuro for like $10. Haven't noticed it dropping since. If you take the resoviour cap off you'll see a little drain hole on the top of the resoviour. I believe the cap does vent causing some coolant to be lost down that drain. Could be a one time thing or the cap is prematurely venting. Worth an easy look any way before worrying about thermostat housing.
 

goblues38

Ready to race!
Location
STL
Car(s)
20 GTI & 15 GTI
audi / vw coolant expansion tanks tend to vent slightly. Every audi and VW I have owned drinks coolant over time. but not more then a cup, maybe 2 over an oil change time.

if the tank is empty...you have a problem...if its just below the line....fill and forget
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
audi / vw coolant expansion tanks tend to vent slightly. Every audi and VW I have owned drinks coolant over time. but not more then a cup, maybe 2 over an oil change time.

if the tank is empty...you have a problem...if its just below the line....fill and forget

If you're leaking 2 cups of coolant every oil change you most likely have a leaking thermostat housing.
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
The funny thing is the only major problem I had with my 2001 Jetta in 140K miles was a coolant leak. :ROFLMAO:
 
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