Help !! 🙏

[Ashleyjay]

Hello everyone. Im a woman so be kind lol. So my heaters have never worked from buying my audi. But recently a mechanic said it needed a new matrix. So that was booked in for yesterday.  

Now last week I was driving down the motorway when I noticed steam coming from the engine and the temp was at 130. I pulled over and noticed the water tank bubbling... long story short I had to pull up a few times to keep refilling and letting it cool down. 

The mechanic who said it needed a matrix also said this current problem could also be causing this tank losing water. 

So the new mechanic today who was fitting the matrix said the problem was nothing to matrix and either the head gaskets gone or the top head.  

Does anyone agree or can give any advice. I don't know if im trying to be ripped off. 

Thankyou xx

[Magnet]

Hello Ashley, 

Some more information needed:-

How long have you owned the car, and roughly how many miles have you covered in it? - to give an idea of how long you have put up with this non-heater issue. 

Have you previously needed to top up the coolant reservoir, before this motorway incident? 

Has the temperature gauge gone above the 90 mark before your motorway incident? 

Does it go above 90 now - on non motorway journeys, and do you have to keep topping up the coolant? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Ashleyjay]

Hello..no never had any issues before. Never had to keep topping up the coolant until the incident...but if I stay at 30/40mph the temp stays at 90 and u have no problems. Obviously going 50 or 60mph causes different problems :-/ 

I ve had the car since May. It blows very slight warm air out when the cars at 90 degrees but it no where near warms the car up. X

[cliffcoggin]

Ashley.

While the engine overheating and the lack of cabin heat may be related, it is also possible they are two distinct and separate faults. Clearly the high engine temperature is the more important so I suggest you get the engine compression tested as a first step. That should tell whether the head or its gasket is damaged. If it is then you are facing an expensive repair and the cabin heater problem becomes insignificant.

[Magnet]

Hello Ashley, 

You first need to find yourself a recommended local mechanic. 

If this were mine, I would be doing two things in this order: -

Get the coolant system pressure checked.

If reasonably acceptable then on the basis of simple things first, renew the thermostat, but only renew with a genuine VAG one. If you find this to be too expensive ( even with buying at discount) and you feel inclined not to buy once and wisely, then only buy one of the top aftermarket brands. Whatever you buy, I would be testing the new thermostat to ensure it opens at the correct temperature before fitting. You will probably experience opposition to that from most mechanics, but it will reap benefits. If anyone considers dunking it in boiling water to be an adequate test, then find another mechanic, or test it yourself - I can tell you how, if you are serious in going to this length. 

If a new thermostat doesn’t sort out the problem - and it may not - then you will be in for more testing, but just let us know. 

Petrol or diesel by the way? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Ashleyjay]

Thankyou to both of you for your replies 😊 i had a new thermostat along with new cam belt and water pump just over a month ago to see if this would help the heater system but it didn't. So he said when he took the glove box out and could feel the pipes to the matrix , one was hot and one was cold...

Could a blocked pipe be the problem?... I have no gunky liquid in my oil or coolant tank and it def hasn't lost no power..   

I'm so confused by it all 😩 

Thankyou again 😊

[Ashleyjay]

And diesel 😊

[Magnet]

Thanks Ashley,

Still some unanswered questions, such as - are you going to get the coolant system pressure tested, what quality parts were used in the thermostat, water pump, cambelt change? How much coolant is being used in say 100 miles? 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[cliffcoggin]

Ashley.

Look at this topic:

https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/17097-a3-sportback-16-overheating-issue/

You may find it enlightening, though it is unfortunate that the questionner has not responded with any outcome.

[Ashleyjay]

Thankyou for your replies magnet. I have screen spotted all these replies so I know what to ask the mechanic to check for as I'd forget lol the problem only started 2 weeks ago but if I exceed over 50mph it can use half the coolant if not more so I decided to keep the car is to a minimal until I get it sorted. If im honest not many mechanics round here know much about any of the problems I ve had with this audi. Its beginning to feel like its a car I wished I d never got 😢

X

[Magnet]

Why don’t you entrust this to a trusted local diesel specialist Ashley? Far better than A.N. Other unknown normal mechanic. 

Ask a friendly taxi driver for a recommendation - they usually know where to go. 

Start by having an hour’s checking of the issue. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Ashleyjay]

Thankyou. Yes maybe this is an idea 😊 do the specialist usually cos the earth ?

Ashley x

[Magnet]

Thanks Ashley,

You can buy mechanical assistance on the basis of a mechanic is a mechanic, is a mechanic, and you can keep going back to him ( or a number of such) and simply pay again and again for non specialist knowledge. 

You use the term ‘specialist’ and infer they are likely to be expensive. Not always the case, but they will specialise in your engine, and will know where to focus in a far quicker route - or you keep paying numerous small bills. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.