New A2 1.6 FSI SE owner

Welcome to the forum, Liking your FSI.

One other source to look out for and is the electronic thermostat housing. It's quite big and has pipes coming of it in all directions. These develop a slight crack and weep slowly over time. I had to do mine earlier this year. I noticed it when underneath doing an oil change you could see G13 coloured tell tale marks as it weeped down the engine.Looks like you have it covered with the expansion tank but just bear in mind yours will go soon if not already. Mine needed it at just under 100k. Look after it and enjoy.
 
Welcome from another FSI owner!
You may want to put a bit of ptfe (I think that's what its called) around the cap scres and then screw it in. See how it goes with that. If it fixes it, you know it's the cap (sorted my cap)
 
This is how my coolant tank cap looked like, a few weeks ago. The coolant expanded and ran out of the drainage hole on the side of coolant tank. Notice how the O-ring is misplaced.

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And the new Cap:
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I had the warning light come on today so pulled the bonnet and topped it up. Took about 400ml to bring it to max after 115 miles. I did notice a white deposit starting at the small top hose closest to the cap and running down the tank. Could be that hose isn't sealed properly. The hose is nice and soft, in fact all the hoses look new. Hope I haven't bought a problem car. The tank looks quite old though. Might just get a new tank. They aren't expensive. I ordered a new cap today but when I removed the cap just after I got home it was sealed and the tank was holding pressure. Let out a good hiss when I undid the cap half way
 
I had the warning light come on today so pulled the bonnet and topped it up. Took about 400ml to bring it to max after 115 miles. I did notice a white deposit starting at the small top hose closest to the cap and running down the tank. Could be that hose isn't sealed properly. The hose is nice and soft, in fact all the hoses look new. Hope I haven't bought a problem car. The tank looks quite old though. Might just get a new tank. They aren't expensive. I ordered a new cap today but when I removed the cap just after I got home it was sealed and the tank was holding pressure. Let out a good hiss when I undid the cap half way
With mine, it turned out that my rubbish cap was hiding a slowly failing water pump. I ended up having to top up before every journey and by the time I got her to the garage, she was properly weeing herself. A new water pump and cambelt done at the same time and she has been fine since
 
With mine, it turned out that my rubbish cap was hiding a slowly failing water pump. I ended up having to top up before every journey and by the time I got her to the garage, she was properly weeing herself. A new water pump and cambelt done at the same time and she has been fine since

That's one thing I can rule out. She had a new water pump and cam belt in 2017 :)
 
That's one thing I can rule out. She had a new water pump and cam belt in 2017 :)
Well erm, no you can’t..
My cam belt and water pump was replaced a couple of years ago before I bought it. Then in the first week of ownership I had to have the head gasket done. Whilst they were in there they changed the cam belt and water pump as the 2year old water pump was leaking and the 2 year old belt was fraying!
The complicated and recently fitted thermostat also had to be replaced.
I’ve not done many miles since having the work done but I’ve actually just got back from the garage today having the expansion bottle replaced due to coolant loss..

Phil FSI
 
Dave,
Welcome from a fellow FSI'er!
Many (not all, of course), "FSI Doom Sayers" don't actually own an FSI. Many of the prophecies are re-cycled endlessly. Any car that's 15 - 20 years old will have their achilles heal, and, yes, the FSI is no exception. A browse through threads on here will show you that A2s, with engines other than the FSI, suffer failures too!
Don't be discouraged. The FSI is a great car, set yourself up with VCDS (VAG diagnostic software), and only use 98/99 octane fuel (Super Unleaded). The FSI was designed to be run on 98/99, (it'll tolerate 97). Ordinary Unleaded is typically 95 octane.
The kick you get when revs hit just over 3000 makes it all worth while! ?
Mac.
 
A point I forgot to make was use decent parts and specialist attention.
The problems with mine was due to cheap parts and regular garages not understanding the FSI.
As others here will say, it can take a little time to bring a used car up to standard.
 
Welcome to the FSI club!

Does your coolant cap click shut? It’s typical to need to replace the originals, and standard VAG replacements can be picked up for a tenner off eBay. This could well be the source of your minor coolant leak.
 
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