My unfortunate dealership trip... Do I really need a new headgasket?

[Eurorescue]

Not getting much love in the 2.0T forum... maybe you guys can help.

I have a 06 A3 2.0T 6MT. I took in in due to a flashing check engine light on a cold start a few days ago. I thought it would be the flapper valve and fixed under warranty.... It was not. The codes were for misfires on Cylinders 1 and 4. Tech also stated those were running lean based on his look at the spark plugs.

Tech also showed me a cracked intake housing (edit: cracked airbox housing) near the right front of the motor... Said that might be the cause of the misfires/lean contition due to unmetered air. I pointed out that the air would be unfiltered, but not unmetered, and he agreed.

Then he tells me my brake pads are low, which I knew.

Then he unscrews the coolant resivoir and shows me oil mixed in with the coolant. Being that the timing belt was replaced 7K ago, and the T stat about 3 K ago, I had not heard about this from my mechanic. BUT, it definately looks like oil in the coolant. He said it could be the oil cooler, trans cooler (I don't think there is one on a 6MT) or a blown headgasket.

Being that I was now stuck with $140 bill on the engine diagnosis alone, I asked him to button up the motor. They want $200 MORE to diagnose the oil in the coolant. So thwey buttoned it up and sent me on my way.

SO... how serious is the situation here, and how can I diagnose this issue myself? Can I? Or should I take it to a regular mechanic. Has anyone done a headgasket on one of these? Should I even need a headgasket after just 82K miles and not even driving it hard or being modded? OR is this just another thing that just goes wrong with these cars?

Thanks. James

[theblue]

I would recommend you go to a well respected independent mechanic who specializes with German cars. I would have sent you there in the first place.

[Rub-ISH]

air from a crack in the intake manifold is 100% un metered...he was right

you need to find a good local euro mechanic that wont charge for diagnostics

what did the "coolant mixed with oil look like"

if it looked milky that is normal...for cold weather! they are trying to take you for a ride

worst comes to worst go to a different dealer VW or Audi

[VWAddict]

air from a crack in the intake manifold is 100% un metered...he was right

yup ... kinda.

Any air that gets in to the vacuum is unmetered because it bypassed the MAF. Any air that escapes under manifold pressure (Turbo boost) would be metered air that escapes renders the MAF reading inaccurate.

So it depends on whether you'r talking about boost or vacuum, but since it's USUALLY under vacuum, it's usually UNmetered air which gets in.

Either way, it has to be replaced, and it makes your MAF readings wrong... screws with the A/F mixture: lean under idle/overrun and rich under load.

[Eurorescue]

The intake plenum/airbox was cracked PRE MAF, not the intake manifold.

There is Oil in the coolant overflow bottle, not the other way around. There are little dots of brown oil floating around in the pink coolant. Just looked at it again, and it looks less severe than the other day at the dealership.

[Rub-ISH]

ah well my miss understanding then...if there is oil in the coolant housing then I would suspect a head gasket as well...but indi shops are the way to go

what part of the country are you in? find a reputable tuner/shop and see what they have to say!

[Eurorescue]

I'm in Dallas Ft. Worth area, and just moved here 3 weeks ago, so I'm trying to figure out who/where the good shops are.

[Rub-ISH]

go to the regional forums on vortex and ask about reputable shops in dallas...im sure there are at least 4 or 5

[RobinG]

which dfw dealer did you take it to?

[TBomb]

which dfw dealer did you take it to?

I've always taken my car to University Park Audi (now Audi Dallas) and have had good luck with them. They seem pretty reasonable and have taken care of several warranty issues without giving me the runaround. I've also taken my car to VW Folks in Irving and Lord of the Rings in Addison, but probably will not waste my time with either of them again.

[Dubd Sailor]

There are a few independent shops mentioned in the regional forums as well down around your area.

[dmorrow]

I agree about the independent shop. What your dealership is saying seems reasonable but the $$ will go up much faster there. The fix for the problem at the dealership will also cost a lot more also. They also go straight by the book where the independent may give you a list of choices or options for what do or how big a problem they really think you have.

[clashofhope]

I'm from the Fort Worth area and there's a place called Zink's Garage that does all the maintenance work on my friend's car. He recently had a failing turbo on his b6 a4 and got upgraded to a k04 for the same price as a factory turbo. Definitely worth looking into. Only downside is that it's roughly 40 minutes away from Dallas.

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