Hi all,

Long time no post, and Happy New Year!

2 weeks ago I noticed a small leak underneath the front end of my A4. The puddle in my driveway definitely had a pink/red hue to it, so immediately I knew it was coolant. I checked the coolant reservoir after the car rested and it was a little low, so I put in .5 liter of water. I took it to my mechanic and he said he pressure tested it, but no leaks. He said it could be my mom's Camry that's leaking coolant because the coolant used is the same color. The only problem is she never parks in the driveway, and her car is in great shape.

I took his word for it and drove home.

A few days later I noticed an even bigger puddle, and it was definitely dripping coolant from underneath the same area where the coolant reservoir sits. I checked the reservoir and there are no noticeable cracks/leaks there, and again it's below the "low" arrow. I checked and there's a steady drip every 5 seconds.

So my question is: where is it leaking from? Is it possible the coolant reservoir cap is faulty? Coolant is obviously leaking, and I'm getting the nagging feeling my mechanic isn't telling me something.

You'll have to bear with me because I'm not mechanically inclined. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

what engine do you have? it could be your oil cooler

 

could be the tank, the "coolant flange", a hose, or any of many other things.

 

it could be your water pump, thats what leaked on me once.

 

I have the 2.8 quattro. I just had a hose replaced (2 months ago) that goes through the firewall, and that was leaking pretty bad. It was labor intensive ($500+ repair) because they had to access the firewall.

UPDATE: I checked the coolant level just now and it's now much lower than it was last night. I have no choice but to add water for now. I suspect it's leaking from the firewall hose again because it's forming a puddle under that location.

Is it possible my mechanic missed the leak??? I'm really thinking about getting a second opinion.

 

the coolant flange usually doesn't leak on the 2.8. the hose going through your firewall is connected to the heater core and the hose should be right next to the battery. there are 2 hoses in that area, 1 is the feed and 1 is return for the heater core. 1 of the 2 hoses has a bleed hole at the end of the hose. there's a small chance it's leaking from there or maybe the mechanic didn't replace the clamp when the replaced the hose. you should see white/pink crust around the areas of the leak.

adding water for now is fine. i'd buy a liter of G12 just to have, just in case.

 

I think you're right, at the time my mechanic said something about how he couldn't find the right clamp. I'll give him a try again, and if it's a no-go I'll try a different shop.