I have a 2000 Audi TT 180T FWD and the last few months the car has been gradually running hotter and hotter, just a tiny bit more everyday. Well anyways, now it goes up to that line thats past the "halfway" mark and its starting to worry me. I hear that its probably the water pump and the car does have 56K mikes on it, and knowing Audis crappy reputation for reliabilty, it might very well be THAT. But before i start throwing money at this car, i want to see if its an airbubble in the system, the reason i think it MIGHT be an air bubble is because it gets hot like it does, but then after a while of driving, it goes to the halfway mark, then a few minutes later back to the next line, then back again and so on, and it does this in both City and Freeway driving. Also, my low coolant light turns on when its cold(mornings) but when i check the resivoire, its at the "min." line, so there is some in there, maybe ill put some G12 in there anyways, but anyways, how do i bleed an air bubble out?

 

im just throwing this out there... if you dont get any warning lights.. maybe it could just be your cluster playing games with you

 

At 56K miles you should be planning for a timing belt, water pump, tensioner etc. change anyway.
ECS's kit now comes with coolant and free shipping. Which works out to be cheaper than dieselgeek's kit. Just don't forget to buy new stretch bolts.
There's no reason to bleed the system; since you'll have to replace the coolant anyway when doing the timing belt and accessories.

As for your coolant warning light. More than likely it's due to cold weather.
The coolant coagulates with cold temps. and as the car warms up the coolant expands.
Although I'm not sure where you're from, in which case it could be a corroded level sensor inside the coolant overflow tank.
If this is the case you may want to replace this sensor while doing your timing belt. Why waste coolant ya know.

 

LOL i refuse to believe that at 56K i have to change the timing belt, if something happens to the engine due to that, my extended warranty will cover it. Are these cars really that unreliable that i after only 56K they become ticking time bombs? How does audi stay in business? Any ways i wont even begin thinking about the timing belt till i hit at LEAST 60K (im sure audi built a car that can reliably hit 60K without any issues). But i still think its worth trying to bleed out before i just start throwing parts and MONEY at it.If the timing belt wasa quick 1 hour job, the yes, i would do it but from the looks of it, it aint. This car looks like its a bitch to work on and on top of that its expensive,i cant throw $300 bucks at it and cross my fingers.. When i bought this car i knew parts would be expensive but i didnt know it had the reliability record that it does so can anybody tell me how to bleed the system?

 

i actually thought about that also, but the needle has been gradually been getting a little farther up everytime. But then it goes down to normal. I want to try to bleed the system before i try the T-Stat

 

im not 100% familiar with Audi jargon, but who's ECS and where would i find his kit?

 

It's your gauge cluster. Mine did the same exact thing. Either A.) Pay 900 for new one. B). ship it out and repair for 300$, C.) ignore it and use your HVAC to monitor the temp and wait till more of the gauge *** up

 

How do i use my HVAC to monitor the temp? LOL i dont even know what an HVAC is, sorry.

 

I see you've had a change of heart...

I recommended to start PLANNING for a timing belt change because that includes a thermostat and metal impeller water pump.
Which could easily be causing you to run hot, and yes at 56K you could be a ticking time bomb.
Your car, your risk...

Personally I believe in preventative maintenance.
Do a search/ask around the TT section to see just how many people have had tensioner failure/water pumps with impellers that were broken into little pieces. If you don't believe me...

www.ecstuning.com

 

Ryan posted it in the FAQ... You may want to look there.