dr bryan

If you do end up having the metal pump I wouldn't sweat it. Mine came with 24 miles on it from the factory about 1 inch below minimum when cold and has been that way for almost 5500 miles. Been meaning to get it topped up but like to avoid the stealership at all costs!

DrGP

Another well informed salesman. How would he know or care if there are WP issues?

zamalek

i got the car new in april & now it has 3600 miles, they had the car on the lot for a while, so i'm sure it's before march build date

snowbeer

Look on your door for the build date, if it is 3/10 or later it's the metal pump... Or compare to the picture below. I have a 3/10 build date, it has the metal pump, and when I got it home and it was cold the coolant was 1/4" below min. I called the dealer and he said I could bring it by and leave it for the day and they would top it up -- or I could buy the coolant myself for $25 or something. Instead I've been keeping an eye on it and it has slowly fallen over the past 4 months, probably down around 3/4" below min now when cold. I suspect I have a small slow leak somewhere in the system. It's going in next week for the 5000 mile service.

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nvDruxCc2Bn-enKq630s99AjGhkfp2SvzOLCGu3D5ZM?feat=embedwebsite" ><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YaHMk-nS-NE/TIuDvw4btEI/AAAAAAAABKA/Q9Xk9Msdc2s/s640/IMG_0221.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a>

zamalek

i checked the build date, it's 3/10, does it mean automatically it has the metal pump? and if that's the case, should i just add coolant & not call the dealer, or metal pumps are also prone to failure?

snowbeer

The only way to know for sure on the pump is to look yourself, but based on the date there is a good chance it is a metal pump. I haven't followed all the threads, but I don't think peope have had the typical all coolant lost issue with the metal pump.

Id keep an eye on it and if it is going down slowly over time have the dealer findthe leak.

If you do top it up - it has to be the g12 vw/Audi coolant, which I haven't been able to find anywhere but the dealer and online.

snowbeer

I had my car in for 5k service today and told them I've been watching the coolant level over the past two months and it has been dropping over time. After the service manager tried to explain to me why that was normal several times I finally explained to him why he was wrong.

They inspected around the coolant system and pump and found white powder and pink residue under the water pump. I have the metal pump, build date 3/10. The service info says they found seeping coolant when the pressure tested from the water pump seal to the engine body. So even with the metal pump, sometimes the connection/gasket isn't so great.

Luckily, it is a metal pump again this time, when they called and said they put in a new pump I immediately asked if it was a metal pump. The service rep knew what I was referring to and assured me it was a "good" one.

S5nirvana

Leave it for a day for a top up?????