Moe

I have a 1998 A8 and have had a small coolant leak. I loose about a quart of coolant every 3 weeks and it drips (see it on the driveway). I took the car in to get checked out at the local dealer here in San Jose. The dealer came up with the diagnosis that â€oeoil cooler” is having a leak and $2340 to fix it (half for parts, the other for labor). The extended warranty folks (National auto care) have balked at paying for this. My Audi 100 experience was that the oil cooler was easy to replace and it was where the oil filter would attach to. I know that A8 oil filter is different, so I am not sure where the cooler is located and why it would cost ~$1000 and 8 hrs of dealer mechanic time to replace. Please advise on repair cost as well as any inputs on extended warranty's lack of coverage. Thanks

Dave G

go to an independent Audi mechanic

cad

it was the tube and seal in a place that was hard to get at. Parts were about $50 and labor was about $800 or 8 hrs. It seems like a common problem on the 98 A8 @ about 60K miles. Mine only leaked when parked after running and was leaking on the passenger's side. Do a search on the problem for more information. Depending on your mileage you may want to do the timing belt,water pump, etc while they have it apart. Good luck on the second opinion at an independent repair shop.

TwinCitiesS8

I just finished doing mine and if I were in Cupertino I would use my brother's shop so I could help you do it. But I live in MN and my bro's shop only specializes in Porsches. Needless to say, it is a PITA to get at. Since I was having the same leak you describe but was also aiming to do my timing belt, I followed Paul's procedures on audipages.com to remove the entire front end. This makes getting at the timing belt, water pump etc... very easy. In fact, it makes getting at the oil cooler also fairly easy. There is a ton of time involved in this job, and as mentioned in other posts, only about $50 worth of parts for the 3 o-rings, 1 figure-8 ring and the tube needed to fix the leak. I am sure you could find an independent to do the job for you cheaper. Hell, for I would fly to CA and use my brother's shop to fix it for you for less than that!

Moe

Indeed the car seems to leak the most when parked and it leaks on the passenger side. Through previous visits, I have had timing belt, water pump, idler pully, ... replaced.
I have 90K on the car.

ryoung

Unfortunately, the oil filter/cooler module includes plastic oil line piping, which often cracks. Here's the <a href="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/enginemechanical/oilcoolerremovalreinstall.html">Repair Procedure</a>.

<img src="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/enginemechanical/OilCoolerBackSide.jpg">

Moe

Thanks Randy

Zap

In my case, it was the same: leak some time after parking (1,5 - 2 hours), which stop after again some hours. Never leaked when hot, or cold completely.
From this, I implemented stupid, but temporarily effective procedure: when parking for some ours, open coolant tank to relieve the pressure (carefully). Close tightly.

This way, when cooling during parking and when the crack is obviously becaming bigger, there will be no pressure to additonally push the coolant out, and moreover, later - when temp. of the coolant goes down it "shrinks", producing underpressure which prevents from leak on cold condition.
It works perfectly in my case for some weeks.

BTW: Cost for job in Poland, together with TB - something like 250-300 USD + parts.

ZRock

That does sound a bit steep, but as the others have said, it definitely is a several hour job. I had mine ('98) done at an independant and it was much closer to $1000 than the $2300 your dealer quoted (sorry I don't have my invoice here at work for an exact figure).

I would take it to a couple of independants, and if necessary, show the quotes to the warranty company. Just because they don't realize how much work is involved in the procedure doesn't mean they shouldn't have to pay to have it fixed- that's why you have the warranty in the first place...

Tony Z