I have a 2001 180 tt, not Q.. on way home from work it overheated like crazy! I had it towed home. I read a thread that it could be a fuse, sensor, or thermostat, I dont know where the hell any of those are at to check. It has plenty of coolant in the tank, however some did seem to leak from somewhere. I looked at hoses, they seem to not be leaking as far as I can tell. the engine cooled down to normal driving temp, which is directly straight up. so i went to re-road test it, only to get a 1/4 mile and gauge begins to climb to hot side again. So now shes parked and waiting for repair... can someone please help me??/?

 

could be thermostat...or your waterpump may not be functioning correctly...how many miles do u have and when was ur last timing belt changed.

 

this happened to me a few months ago, the plastic impeller on my water pump had broken causing all the things you described. I got a new water pump, thermostat, and timing belt changed at the same time and it has been perfect ever since.

 

I appreciate you guys' help. I went back and started engine from cold and it quickly overheated up once I had driven 1/8th to 1/4 mile. My a/c is producing cold air, however so is my heat.. when it was on 85 degrees it was still blowing cold air. Most all other vehicles I have ever owned when something like that would happen I would change thermostat. I really dont have a clue where it is on this car. The car was bought last year with 70k miles, it now has 93k, I followed up with dealership once I owned car to get service record and about the timing belt, but to no avail, so therefore I dont think I will even attempt to start my car again until the Water pump, thermo, and Timing belt have been replaced. What are the difficulties of tackling a task such as that?? I have never been the kind of person to pay another person to do something I am capable of doing. With that being said, I have never owned an Audi or a FWD vehicle, Ford and Land Rovers only. Ive replaced engines trannys and clutches...etc If I attempt this blindly are things pretty much self explanatory while disassembling car? Any little tricks or hold ups I should be cautious of? Thanks again

 

I'm having the same exact problems. About how much did it cost you to get that stuff replaced? Also my coolant level IS lowi I just noticed it when I started overheating. I tried to top it off, but the coolant started rushing out when I took the cap off and I didn't have time to let it cool, so I just caught a ride to work. What's the liklihood that I just need more coolant?

 

its was around $1000 which is pretty high, you should be able to get a much better price if you don't go to the dealer. Which is what I should have done but I was in a time-crunch. You can try adding more coolant and try driving a VERY small distance and if it over heats at all do not drive anymore and have it check out by which ever shop because it is most likely the waterpump or something else related.

 

could be thermostat or broken impeller... both would do what you describe. Change the thermostat first it's much easier than the water pump.