I have a 2001 VW Passat 1.8T. The engine started overheating a few weeks back. I checked the coolant first....looked fine. I then decided to change the thermostat, as the car has 75k miles on it. I purchased the thermostat at a local chain parts store. I installed the thermostat and flushed the engine with coolant system flush, then refilled with the specified $22.50 a gallon VW coolant. I drove the car on the interstate to work for 20 miles with no overheating issues in the morning, drove it home that evening in 80 degree temps outside with no issues either. Once home, I had to run across town to take care of an errand and it started to overheat. The needle moved towards the red, but after climbing for several minutes, it started to drop back down to around 190, where it typically runs.
How do I tell decisively if I need to replace the thermostat again with a genuine VW thermostat or if thr water pump is bad. Can I feel the hoses to make this determination or is there some other way to make the decision?
I know little about cars, but I managed to change the thermostat in 30 minutes and the garage told me it was a half- day job for a trained professional that would cost me $500.
I have little faith that a garage will be honest with me about what is really wrong and I do not have 500-1000 dollars to have this cooling issued fixed.
Any ideas?
How do I tell decisively if I need to replace the thermostat again with a genuine VW thermostat or if thr water pump is bad. Can I feel the hoses to make this determination or is there some other way to make the decision?
I know little about cars, but I managed to change the thermostat in 30 minutes and the garage told me it was a half- day job for a trained professional that would cost me $500.
I have little faith that a garage will be honest with me about what is really wrong and I do not have 500-1000 dollars to have this cooling issued fixed.
Any ideas?
May 14, 2007 at 7:11 PM