Water Pump / Coolant - Thermostat Housing

[VWRed]

Following a major service, my local VW dealership has today quoted me £827.75 to supply/fit a new 'Coolant - Thermostat Housing'. Although I've had no visible coolant leaks, never had to fill the coolant level over the past 12 months and no dash warnings, the dealership technician noted signs of a leak and thus the quote for repair. With this in mind, should I have a new Water Pump fitted and is this price reasonable? I live close to Brighton if anyone out there knows of a decent mechanic that could do the job cheaper!

[vr6 south]

It’s a really common fault. Can you smell coolant when the engine is up to temp? Lift the bonnet and have a sniff. The coolant housing has been modified by VW although they won’t admit there was an issue with the original part.
I have just paid a local independent to replace the housing, water pump, belt, coupling hose and software update. Just over £700 inc the VAT.

[VWRed]

Haven't done a sniff test but good advice, will do. I guess if it hasn't been changed in the past it's worth getting done, even if there's no sign of leaks happening at the moment? I'm guessing the 'signs of leak' the dealership are stating may be stains of a slight weep that has 'crusted up'? Either way, the quote does seem high doesn't it!

[Finglonga]

Dealer prices are a rip off. I had mine done for half that price by a good local independent.

Saying that unless you are losing coolant I would not worry about it as like oil a tiny drop leaves a tell tale sign that looks worse than it is.

[Dervy]

i had the same issue on my mk7.5 golf R, apparently it was a known issue that has been addressed now. i was told that it should be fine to drive as long as i kept a close eye on the coolant level. Luckily, i had extended my warranty so only paid a £200 excess to get it done. Another problem, known by VW, was a fault with the early 7 speed dsg box, which was addressed in October 2017. My car is April 2017 and i suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure last year that required a full replacement…thank goodness for that extended warranty!

[VWRed]

Thank goodness for the extended warranty indeed, what would that have cost without the warranty! This morning I got a quote from a local independent garage for the water pump - £420 inc vat supplied and fitted. However, this is for a non OEM part. Does anyone know the part number for the part that a VW dealership would fit? With the part being one you don't want to fail again anytime soon, should I go for the genuine part as opposed to third party?

[Dervy]

i can’t recall the part number and i don’t have the invoice to hand, but it was about £950 - the gearbox was £6500!!!!

[VWRed]

Ouch!!! A gearbox failure is a definite shake of the head and a very deep dig into the pockets!

Having had a few more quotes, it appears the quote of £420 was too good to be true, they'd just quoted for the water pump! However, just received a quote of £763 inc vat supply/fit from a reputable local VW specialist, looks like I'll be booking it in there. There is a temptation to just ignore it, as from the good old VW technician iPhone video you get whilst they're doing the service, it appears to be a very minor damp area around the unit and I've never had to fill the coolant in the past year. Still, now it's been officially highlighted as a 'leak' I'd kick myself if ever it completely gave way and if ever I sell my beloved GTi, it'd make the car more appealing to any potential buyer.

[Rudedog]

Very apt post...

I've just got my car back today after having the thermostat housing replaced FOC under the cars original warranty.

After it's second service the tech had filled the expansion tank to just above the max line, since then I've been watching it slowly go down so when it got to about 10mm below the max line I booked it in.

Got a call yesterday to say the thermostat needed to be replaced.

I did take out the extended warranty when I bought the car to cover this very issue as it was the one thing I read about.

[VWRed]

Thought I'd add these two photos to this thread as well as 'My Precious'. From getting under the car to take a look myself, I could see some slight 'red crust' around one of the screws which indicates it's probably leaked at some point, albeit very minor. Guessing a leak's a leak however minor, one to keep an eye on!?