2014 Golf 7 GTi - Leaking Anti-freeze but where?

[JayGtiVII]

Hello fellow petrol/diesel heads

A prosperous 2020 for everyone.

I have had my Golf GTi for the passed year and it has been a very enjoyable drive up until my check coolant light came on in January 2019. It has been an uphill battle ever since.

I've had it in the shop about 3 times before they replaced the cracked water pump and thermostat housing. This seemed to solve the problem for about a week or so when it ran dry again. I topped up the bottle and kept my eye on it everyday since. It would lose about a centimeter or more every 2 days and I'll need to top up again (I check every morning before starting the car).

I later found that not using the start/stop function the water tends to hold better for longer, however if I put some pedal to the metal it does "use" a little more. I never let the water run empty as I always have water with me in the car and check before every journey

My question to you is;

Should I replace the water bottle the antifreeze is being housed in and see if that makes a difference? It's a cheap replacement (considering the thermostat housing and water pump aet me back R12k) and could possibly fix the issue?

I was looking for similar posts about this but only found something regarding the EGR that could be the cause, but I'm not sure if the EGR is only found in diesel engines as the previous owner did do a diffuser delete and put bigger tailpipes on, so it could be that the exhaust is the culprit? Eventhough everything else from diffuser upward to the Cat has been left stock

Thanks a mil and apologies if this has already been posted on a GTI DSG forum

[Greenz]

Take it back to the workshop who did the repairs...it continued to lose coolant after they "fixed" it so obviously they didn't get to the source of the problem.

[THANAS]

Sounds like it's still leaking under pressure and evaporating from the heat. No link to start/stop and definitely no link to the exhaust.

Where are you based?

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[JayGtiVII]

Take it back to the workshop who did the repairs...it continued to lose coolant after they "fixed" it so obviously they didn't get to the source of the problem.

Thank you for your response. I am taking it back to them when they are open

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[JayGtiVII]

Sounds like it's still leaking under pressure and evaporating from the heat. No link to start/stop and definitely no link to the exhaust.

Where are you based?

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Hey there. Thanks for the reply. They fitted a high pressure hose prior to replacing the thermo housing and water pump if that means anything. Your observation regarding the evaporation is spot on as there are no visible leaks on any of the engine components nor are there any spots on the cardboard I have placed under the car.

I'm based in Centurion, Pretoria.

I'll be taking it back to the guys next week when they're open again but just thought someone might have had a similar issue and a water bottle replacement might have been a good idea

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[AJ GTI]

Hi Jay, let me know how it goes. Having similar issues with 2014 G7 GTI, replaced the thermostat and water pump. It lasted a month and then my coolant ran down again. I was told the water pipe has a leak so I replaced that as well. It lasted 3 months. The coolant ran down again this week. I took it to another mechanic, he bled the water out and told me there was an airlock. This lasted a week, this morning the coolant ran down again. After spending thousands of rands , not really solving this problem. In seek of guidance. This all started as I got to the 100k km mileage point. Thanks

[NHB_R]

Hi Jay, let me know how it goes. Having similar issues with 2014 G7 GTI, replaced the thermostat and water pump. It lasted a month and then my coolant ran down again. I was told the water pipe has a leak so I replaced that as well. It lasted 3 months. The coolant ran down again this week. I took it to another mechanic, he bled the water out and told me there was an airlock. This lasted a week, this morning the coolant ran down again. After spending thousands of rands , not really solving this problem. In seek of guidance. This all started as I got to the 100k km mileage point. Thanks

Have you checked radiator? Or if gasket is poof


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[Killerwatt]

What coolant is in the car? The oem g coolants leave a residue that glows under blacklight which will help to find the leak.

[2SCOOPS]

Sounds like it's still leaking under pressure and evaporating from the heat. No link to start/stop and definitely no link to the exhaust.

Where are you based?

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Hey there. Thanks for the reply. They fitted a high pressure hose prior to replacing the thermo housing and water pump if that means anything. Your observation regarding the evaporation is spot on as there are no visible leaks on any of the engine components nor are there any spots on the cardboard I have placed under the car.

I'm based in Centurion, Pretoria.

I'll be taking it back to the guys next week when they're open again but just thought someone might have had a similar issue and a water bottle replacement might have been a good idea

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if you do need a water bottle replacement I have a brand new one for sale. Bought it to have mine replaced but sold the car before I can have it fitted.

[JayGtiVII]

Hey AJ

Thanks for your insights and all my empathy for you and your GTi. It's the exact thing with me. I'm now at a stage where I need to check it every morning before I drive as it loses about 5 to 10ml a day and I only drive about 50km a day. It's truly worrisome as these are not cheap cars to fix and having them strip constantly to get to the "problem" is not good as these guys don't really take care to ensure every nut and bolt is back in its place. I'm taking it back to the guys the end of the month and will definitely keep you posted

Regards,

Jay

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[JayGtiVII]

Thank you very much. I will let you know

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[JayGtiVII]

Hey Killerwatt

Been just using normal water as of late because I cant afford all the anti freeze this car is just gobbling in. They have checked the radiator and do pressure tests everytime I bring her round. I'm really hoping it's not the head gasket. But I also don't see any water in my oil nor is the car smoking.

I'll update the thread once I've got the car back from the shop

Regards,

Jay

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[GB9]

Hey Killerwatt

Been just using normal water as of late because I cant afford all the anti freeze this car is just gobbling in. They have checked the radiator and do pressure tests everytime I bring her round. I'm really hoping it's not the head gasket. But I also don't see any water in my oil nor is the car smoking.

I'll update the thread once I've got the car back from the shop

Regards,

Jay

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These symptoms sound similar to the issue that I had on my Sportline TDi. It turned out that there was a crack in the head on the exhaust side, which was not easy to see (Morne was the person that eventually spotted it, because he' awesome).

[sbu.mah]

Had the coolant issue towards the end of the year and the waterpump was replaced by VW. Haven't had any issues since

Total cost was around R18k but fortunately I do have warranty

It's a pity cause this is a common issue on Mk7

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[dazza]

Just check all your coolant hoses whilst the car is running, maybe just a slight hole in one of them so it is spewing out whilst driving.

[Rommies]

Hey bud. The MQB platform has huge problem with the thermostat / waterpump. There has been several thermostat housing and water pump revisions.

I recently replaced mine on my Clubsport GTi. Dealers were asking around 12k just for the parts. I managed to import the parts myself for almost half the price.

The newest thermostat housing part number is 06L 121 111 M.

If you live close by you are more than welcome to pull in and I cloud have a look for you.


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[Rassy]

I have a microbus 2.5 old shape and I have recently replaced the water sensor switch on the bottle at the engine. After replacing it ,it worked very well however the following day when I drive the kombi the sensor light after few seconds it flashed.
Kindly assist on what to do thank you.

[JayGtiVII]

UPDATE 2: 17 FEBRUARY 2020.

Hello all

I thought I would update everyone on the latest happenings as everyone's input has really helped a lot and taught me so much too, so thank you to everyone who I hope I've included in this update.

An update to the anti freeze situation. I couldn't afford buying all the anti freeze this car was gobbling up so I had to resort to topping up with normal water (I really hope I haven't f*ced anything up by doing so).

It's been a daily ritual opening the bonnet in the morning. Checking if there's enough water in to last the day. Usually as, mentioned before, it would only drop ever so slightly, but about two weeks ago I started noticing it drop below the min line. There I go overthinking this again. Whatever must go needs to go and it's only a matter of time. I'm just hoping whatever it is, it won't be expensive!

Saturday morning comes, I open the bonnet, as we do, and I already have a bottle in my hand to top it up with as I carry two with me wherever I go. So I open up the cap pour in the water and out it comes at the bottom of the bottle. The bottle cracked.

I booked it in for today and they luckily had a bottle in stock. Came at a reasonable price of R800. In total incl. labour came to about R1000 with 2x bottles of antifreeze. I'm happy as always with the service I receive from the family business I use in Centurion. But this is becoming a bit too costly.

So after doing multiple pressure tests. Replacing a thermostat and water pump, the actual water bottle decides to crack too. I must say I do feel like I'm replacing this car's entire cooling system but at this point I think I've pretty much done the majority.

I had high hopes for this car. My first GTI. But now I'm putting more of my tuning money into repairs which frankly is a little demotivating at times. But I know when I get in her tomorrow morning (probably stick to that bonnet opening ritual just a tad longer to ensure things are going as they should) I will feel utter bliss again from the outside world in my rocket bunny with it's beautiful exhaust thrap and how I hear the people screaming Vrr Pha!!

I will be sure to keep everyone up to speed in a few months. If all goes well it should be in 6 months when I start prepping this beast for some aftermarket power and hopefully stage 1 before the end of the year

Until then thanks again to everyone who gave their input, I am truly grateful

Jay

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[JayGtiVII]

Very sad indeed. I have updated the thread if you would like to take a look? I've had the water pump, thermostat housing as well as the water bottle replaced now today. And I'm sitting pretty at 93,000km for a 2014 model. I'm really hoping this holds otherwise I don't think I'll have any choice but to sell. An absolute shame to be honest. I see a bloke cruising in his 2004 GTi and its held together with hopes and dreams and I think to myself, at least it's still going after 15 years. I doubt I'll be able to say the same about this model I have at the moment. Best advise I can give it to sell once your warranty is finished unless you plan on only using it on weekends

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[Joseph87]

I have a similar problem with my Gti recently. Been to VW and they ran all the tests (water pump and leak tests) and everything was ok but have not replaced the water bottle.

Just wanted to check if your situation changed after you replaced the water bottle

[DotDubb]

I have a similar problem with my Gti recently. Been to VW and they ran all the tests (water pump and leak tests) and everything was ok but have not replaced the water bottle.

Just wanted to check if your situation changed after you replaced the water bottle

Do you guys have a PCV system in your cars? I had same issue recently with my Audi, replaced the PCV housing and problem solved.

[THANAS]

I have a similar problem with my Gti recently. Been to VW and they ran all the tests (water pump and leak tests) and everything was ok but have not replaced the water bottle.

Just wanted to check if your situation changed after you replaced the water bottle

Do you guys have a PCV system in your cars? I had same issue recently with my Audi, replaced the PCV housing and problem solved.

The PCV on your Audi is a ridiculous design though, with water channels running through the PCV. The PCV on the Mk5/6/7 Gti is completely separate from the cooling system (fortunately).

[DotDubb]

I have a similar problem with my Gti recently. Been to VW and they ran all the tests (water pump and leak tests) and everything was ok but have not replaced the water bottle.

Just wanted to check if your situation changed after you replaced the water bottle

Do you guys have a PCV system in your cars? I had same issue recently with my Audi, replaced the PCV housing and problem solved.

The PCV on your Audi is a ridiculous design though, with water channels running through the PCV. The PCV on the Mk5/6/7 Gti is completely separate from the cooling system (fortunately).

Thanks again for your help, plus Jared at JSWorx, for sorting my audi though.

[Reegz]

2022 check-in.

@JayGtiVII - did the new water bottle end up doing the trick for you? Or did your issues return at some not too distant point?