Any Audi experienced guys here locally?

[m5james]

I've got a friends 03 A4 1.8T that is quickly becoming a nightmare for me. It's become a long drug out problem, here is the post on the messageboards that i've been trying to use.

http://www.audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125206

Here are some similar threads that i've been on...apparently it's a VERY common issue.

http://www.audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118390
http://www.audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124617

A quick preview is the car is constantly overheating, the temp guage is dead in the middle, and there is no heat coming from the vents. The upper radiator hose simply bubbles up, won't bleed correctly, and burst pressure after idling for a while. It's already had the waterpump and thermostat replaced within the year, so unless the shop was completely incompetent, something else is up. I've flushed the system, so there is no blockage.

[DubstepDave]

Flushing the system won't necessarily unblock the heater core, as there are two paths the coolant can go through. I would unhook the coolant lines going into and out of the heater core and try to flush it out that way.

Also, many of the waterpumps have a plastic impeller, which I have heard of cracking within a matter of a few months of being new, so having the waterpump go out isn't out of the question. Also a new thermostat can fail, too. Sometimes you just happen to get a bad part from the factory.

[m5james]

I pulled the upper heater core hose and sprayed inside the upper heater core connection (metal one) and the water came out of the other radiator hoses that I had disconnected. I then sprayed into the heater core connection (rubber one) and was able to get flow also outta the other radiator connections. After that I sprayed water into various radiator connections until I was able to get water to flow from both the metal and rubber heater core connection.....so basically there is no blockage.

As for the waterpump failure, i'm not counting that out, but the fact that it was replaced under a year ago and the car has only driven 8k, I would hope to god it hasn't failed already. I would also hope that the shop wouldn't throw another shit plastic impellered waterpump in there....kinda defies the who point of changing out shit to replace it w/ shit, ya know! Rich's Auto Care did the repair, and another buddy supposedly knows him, so we'll find out it i'm gonna be (re)fixing it @ my rate, of renting a towdolly and taking it to Rich's shop to get it warrantied.

[CHRIFFIN]

Replace your heater core.

[m5james]

I'm saying the heater core if fine....water came out both ends w/o any issues or flow restrictions. If plastic chunks came out, then i'd consider it since I wouldn't want it to crack under pressure and leak inside the cabin. If nothing flowed at all, then i'd spend the $$ Audi wants for a replacement. It's not blocked, so why replace it.

[m5james]

So after a combined 6hrs of trying to bleed this system over and over again, I gave up and had the owner come get his car and take it back to the Rich's on Overland, the shop that originally replaced the watertpump and thermostat. After only being in the car for a little under a year and only 8k, the waterpump impellar broke again! This guy at the shop said they didn't have a metal version when he replaced it (bullshit) and was going to replace it w/ the same style again at the tune of $600. He warrantied the waterpump, but not the labor. I found him a metal impellared waterpump from that Import Auto's place on Overland right behind Sonic. Anyways, it's all good now and it's up and running.