Failed Thermostat Housing/Coolant Loss Info Gathering

[Beelz]

No Reddit, 2015 GTI with 72k, thermostat went bad, dealer won't fix it. Ended up replacing it with water pump myself

 

[Carlosfandang0]

2016 GTI S 26K

I have added about 1/3 liter annually since buying it new.

Dealer pressure tested the cooling system in January (just before the warranty ended) and it was within spec so no parts replaced but the loss continues...
"Coolant loss is normal with these cars"

These cars are passing the dealer pressure test because they all have the same small leaks in the same place and the dealership is not leaving it hooked up to the pressure test long enough to see the slow pressure drop, if they left it longer it would lose pressure completely, do what I did and get under the car and get some pictures of the residue on the thermostat housing then present these pictures to the service manager.

 

[zero10]

Oh damnit - I've had to top up my '17 twice now. I figured it was just evaporation and that the pressure cap doesn't seal perfectly, now I've got a new thing to worry about. It's even better because I just went out of warranty last weekend
Aside from the dropping coolant level what is the correct way to check for this leak myself? I have no residue on the oil pan (I was just under there changing the oil and noticed nothing). I read the reddit thread and did some light googling and didn't find any pictures of the weep hole / where to look.

**EDIT**
Researching some more this may be covered by the powertrain warranty, which I have for another 20,000km (I'm at 60,030 right now).

**EDIT 2**
I'm an idiot, in Canada the warranty is 80,000km everything, 100,000km powertrain so I'm definitely covered. Also, I have localized the leak to the upper passenger side of the radiator so I'll stop posting here because I don't seem to have this problem.

 

[Slow_Polk]

2017 SE - I got a coolant warning a few weeks ago when the temperature droped quite a bit over night. Added about 1/2 a quart and I've been monitoring coolant levels since/. I will probably take the car to a dealer for a pressure test if it continues to drop. So far the level has remained constant.

One positive is that there may be an aluminum housing coming. This was the reply I got from USP when asking about a housing similar to what is available for the Mk6.

This is currently in testing. We hope to have it released by early 2020
Phil L.
USP Motorsports

 

[jimlloyd40]

I guess I'm just lucky to have a good dealer. I only had to add coolant once and I had my car at the dealer for a different warranty repair and they told me that the housing was leaking and fixed it. Had to be a very small leak also because I only added coolant the one time in 20,000 miles at that time.

 

[MSchott]

50,000 miles. Repaired under powertrain warranty.

 

[surfstar]

Please clarify (feel free to edit your post) that it was the thermostat housing and/or water pump that was repaired under the powertrain warranty.

Our dealer claimed that only the WP was covered at 59,xxx miles.
VW care is reviewing the invoice and is supposed to get back to me soon - fingers crossed. If they say "no", I plan on referencing this thread, reddit and previous ones where the majority of owners had it covered under powertrain, specifically for the thermostat housing + thermostat.

thanks!

 

[ReadTheBook]

One positive is that there may be an aluminum housing coming. This was the reply I got from USP when asking about a housing similar to what is available for the Mk6.

I'm not sure what their reputation is with the MK6 t-stat housing part, but I haven't had good experiences with USP over the years. Not a fan of Phil's attitude. Just my .02.

 

[ReadTheBook]

Please clarify (feel free to edit your post) that it was the thermostat housing and/or water pump that was repaired under the powertrain warranty.

Our dealer claimed that only the WP was covered at 59,xxx miles.
VW care is reviewing the invoice and is supposed to get back to me soon - fingers crossed. If they say "no", I plan on referencing this thread, reddit and previous ones where the majority of owners had it covered under powertrain, specifically for the thermostat housing + thermostat.

thanks!

Both parts are covered under powertrain. 1000%. Read various threads, there's lots of reports of coverage.

 

[surfstar]

Well, the phone call to VW "care" didn't work. I forwarded them the invoice via email after the initial phone call for further review.
After a few days, they called back and said - nope, not covered under powertrain warranty.

So, I have written a letter, included the Reddit thread with highlighted posts of each person that confirmed they were covered under powertrain warranty and sent it via certified mail, hard copy. Not email. Usually old-school can help, along with threats of social media (new school) might prove helpful... we shall see.

 

[ReadTheBook]

Well, the phone call to VW "care" didn't work. I forwarded them the invoice via email after the initial phone call for further review.
After a few days, they called back and said - nope, not covered under powertrain warranty.

So, I have written a letter, included the Reddit thread with highlighted posts of each person that confirmed they were covered under powertrain warranty and sent it via certified mail, hard copy. Not email. Usually old-school can help, along with threats of social media (new school) might prove helpful... we shall see.

That's absolutely incredible since the powertrain requires coolant to operate and this is a very well known issue.

Did you speak to a regional rep or was it just the first line of CARE folks?

 

[volks6]

My water pump thermostat housing failed at 50,000 miles. Was covered under existing drivetrain warranty.

 

[RichardCranium]

My water pump thermostat housing failed at 50,000 miles. Was covered under existing drivetrain warranty.

How did it fail?

 

[volks6]

How did it fail?

Sprung a big leak

 

[Finglonga]

Absolutely a known problem, in fact there should be a recall to check the condition.