I am a fairly new Audi owner looking for some help troubleshooting an overheating problem.

The car is a 2008 A3 with a 2.0T FSI and 95K miles

It overheated after about 20 minutes of stop and go. Fans are not running with temp above half, unless AC is on. On the highway, with the heater blasting temp got up to 3/4. In town, running the heater keeps the temp right above 1/2.

My first instinct was to buy a thermostat, but before I replaced it, I realized how complicated the cooling system is and decided to consult the boards for advice. If this was a Ford, I'd throw parts at the problem, but I can't afford that tactic with so many, so expensive parts.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can share.

 

http://www.troubleshooters.com/tautomot.htm

 

Thanks for the info. I thought this was a brush off until I read through it. There was good troubleshooting advice over there. Now I feel more confident throwing parts at the problem.