ashuwm

Hello,

My Audi 2003 A6 Quattro, 178 K, leaks coolant (not in the engine though but under the car) and after a pressure test the leak became worse and I needed to refill before each time I use it. Mechanic #1 diagnosed a leaky hose (estimate about $600 including $160 for the hose). Mechanic #2 said it was leaking somewhere deeper inside and needed to remove parts to figure the leak out (no estimate as he couldn't pinpoint it).

My brother-in-law bought this car 2 years ago and spent several thousand, more than the what he purchases it for, on several issues including timing belt, oil leak, coolant leak which included a new coolant pump and other stuff he doesn't remember all. I got this car as a kind of gift from him last month. I drive about 425 miles in commute to work every week.

My dilemma is if the coolant hoses are failing they after I replace one, maybe very soon there are more hoses need to be replaced but that would get much more expensive to get them all replaced?

I found a workaround which is keeping the coolant-expansion-reservoir cap loose and since then there is no coolant leak anymore. Is it very unsafe to drive the car this way? In a way, I'm buying time, if the car runs few more months this way, I may want to spend some money on it or buy a more reliable used car. I keep 2 gallons of distilled water and some coolant in my car. Since Audi give a low coolant warning plus I keep an eye on the temperature-gauge (which always points straight up, so far, when driving), I feel its safe to drive this way until the leak gets worse, and I have water for when it gets worse to bring it to a mechanic? (This is the main question here)

Additionally, since I work part-time so can spend time on trying to fix the leak myself but I'm a novice at car repair (only have done things like fuse-replacement, headlight-bulb etc.). Does it sound reasonable for me to develop a skill to fix the leak? I couldn't find a repair manual which is not very expensive. What tools are needed? My bigger worry when thinking to fix it myself, is: I'm also looking for jobs (my current job ends in December 2017) so I am afraid if I get sucked in too much fixing it. I need a car to commute too, so only on the weekends, the can sit on a roadside with the hood popped up!

I truly appreciate any help on this. Only if I get an answer to that how risky is my calculated risk of keeping the reservoir cap loose, I would be very thankful. I also, do anticipate making some longer trips (700 miles round trips) next month with the same loose cap strategy. But the next 5-6 months going to be really cold here as I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thank you,
Ash

georgeb944

Since you are at the mercy of mechanics, get rid of it. Buy a different, more reliable car.

I'm sure that there is someone nearby who will give you $500 for a broken car, and has the knowledge to fix it.

ashuwm

Thanks, George! I appreciate your reply. Could you also kindly guide about the safety issue if I drive it with the loose expansion tank cap?

ashuwm

Thanks, George! I appreciate your reply. Could you also kindly guide about the safety issue if I drive it with the loose expansion tank cap?

Besides, I'm now planning on giving a try myself to diagnose/attempt to fix it myself.
Thanks, Ash

georgeb944

If you drive with the coolant cap loose, you can boil over your coolant if you generate too much excess heat (for example, driving at high speed or up a long hill). I would not do it unless it was an extreme emergency.

If you are going to carry around extra coolant, make sure that it is a 50/50 mix of distilled water and antifreeze. Of course, in Wisconsin, the water will freeze without antifreeze mixed in, and that would be a bad thing.

If you are going to be making a long trip, I would consider renting a car without problems, rather than driving a car with a known problem that might leave you stranded a long way from home in the worst possible circumstances.

ashuwm

OK, thank you again Ash!

clancy

Before you abandon the car I would take it to an indi Audi repair shop. I am in Colorado and have no experience in Milwaukee but did a quick search and found a few shops that I would check out if I were in your shoes. This one Autobahn Service Milwaukee | Audi dealer-alternative service - Milwaukee looked like a shop I would go to and see if they could help. A shop that is familiar with this vintage Audi should be able to give you an idea where the leak is coming from. Even if you cannot afford to have them repair it you could benefit from their diagnosis and evaluation of the car overall. I would even pay them for this. If the shop is not interested in spending time with you deciding whether the car is worth repairing then move on to the next shop.

ashuwm

OK, this sounds a very valuable advice. Thank you for searching the shops in Milwaukee. It's very kind of you. I would work on this advice. Thanks again!

meternerd

A little late replying to this one, but here's my story....had the same problem, leaking when car was running. Stop-leak additive was only a temporary fix...started leaking again within a couple of weeks. Leaving the cap loose kept it from leaking, but on a trip into town on a hot day, about 20 miles each way, I came back out to go home and there was antifreeze all over the ground under the car. Heat expanded the coolant and I lost at least a quart or 2. Had a gallon in the trunk, so I made it home OK. So....not a good idea to run that way. Mine turned out to be a leaking water pump, which I replaced when I was fixing the blown idler pulley on the timing belt. Not a job for a novice though. But now that I have it all back together, new belts and pulleys, tensioner, water pump, thermostat, and even a change of the transmission filter and fluid, I'm good to go for another 70K miles. My total cost was about $450. 170K miles on the car. 2001 A6 2.7T Quattro.