yazzd

Hello,

Just wanted to get some advice on white smoke (looks like steam vapor) that I've been seeing from the front grill of the car lately (prob the last few months, which I think may be related to the colder weather).

Coolant level is fine (although it did needed to be topped up 2 months back). No CEL. Car has 27K kilometers.

Is this something to be worried about?

I've attached a video.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxN...ew?usp=sharing

hwibg

Curious if you ever figured out root cause on the vapor coming from your front grille after driving during the wet? My 2015 A3 does this, however much like yours only under the right conditions. No descernable smell, nor does it do it in the dry, dealer can't find any leaks however I've had coolant loss problems in the past. Thanks in advance for any insight.

yazzd

I recently took my car in for the 55K km service which included spark plugs, engine oil, and S-tronic fluid change. Upon inspection, they found a very small leak in the car's water pump! This would explain my coolant level light coming on every 1.5yrs. Amazing how they could not find the leak when I took the car in for oil changes before (must've been a very small leak!). I ended up having the water pump and thermostat changed under warranty. However, under rainy/wet conditions, the vapor still continues to come from the front grille, in fact I think it has increased after the water pump swap!

I would have the dealer check for any water pump leaks as this was a new water pump design for this generation.

There is also a TSB for the front door handles - the keyless entry mechanism is faulty under wet/cold conditions. This was the second time I've had them replaced under warranty. I would get that checked out as well.

keninblaine

Interesting. I've seen steam vapor coming from the top of the grille on the passenger side of my RS3 on numerous occasions, usually during cool weather. I couldn't see any sign of leakage anywhere so put it down to a quirk. Will have my dealer check the water pump when it goes in for service. The car is 5 months old with 7000 miles now.