dh53

My TT came with a coolant leak that I fixed but in the interim I just added water. Previous owner added the standard green coolant. This weekend I finally drained the system and ran tap water for 10 minutes to circulate it and flush out the old stuff, then I drained that and put in 50/50 Audi brand coolant and distilled water. Ran the car at idle with the reservoir open and added a little as it warmed up. Took the car for a test drive and then after it cooled down I checked the reservoir level and had to add maybe a cup of 50/50. After that took it for another drive and tried the heat for the first time...almost ho heat. The temperature gauge stayed very low until I sat at idle for 10 minutes and then it climbed up to normal range but still very little heat. Then the Check Engine light came on and it threw code P1296. The coolant temperature sensor is a month old and worked fine before I changed the coolant.

I suspect air bubbles/pockets from the coolant flush. Is there a bleed screw or some way to force any trapped air out?

dh53

The temperature gauge was staying too low for too long so I took out the thermostat and threw it in a pot of water with a thermometer. It was opening up at 50C and not closing again until 30C so it went into the trash. With a new thermostat the engine warms up normally, i.e. the temperature gauge goes to the center after several minutes at idle. The computer is reporting about 90-92C coolant temp where it stabilizes (sitting at idle on a cold day). I still have no heat. I measured the heater hose temperatures and get about a 10C drop between the hoses so it is rejecting some heat. Where is the heat going?

Mister Bally

It seems like the valve for the heater core is not opening.

raudimond

I am considering the purchase of a 2008 audi tt 3.2 L v6. Mileage is 76,0000. It had a few owners according to the car fax. Can anyone help me with maintenance expectations and reliability? Thank you

Mister Bally

I will assume that the car was driven hard by the previous owners. I'll also assume that you will drive it hard from time to time because it is a sporty car. That said, assuming that you do almost all of the repair work yourself as well as maintenance; budget $1,500 a year for parts and maintenance parts. If you end up paying for labor change the cost to $6,000 a year for parts and labor.

Anytime that you don't spend that much is gravy. Put the money in the bank for an unanticipated major problem.