lots of steam from exhaust

[wampablo]

before i go on id like to know how much your golfs are steaming from there exhaust in this cold snap that we are having.
mine seems to have quite a bit of steam but im not sure if its down to the cold weather or if its down to something a bit more sinister.
i changed the heater matrix when i got the car because of a leak so obviously i drained the coolant fitted the new matrix and topped it all up again . drove it around for a couple of days and noticed i had to top up the expansion tank could this be down to an air pocket dispersing ? the car its self has loads of power im pretty impressed theres no mayo in the oil either which was the first thing i checked for am i being paranoid or should i get a head gasket in just incase do these things go gradualy or with a bang ?
its a h reg 8v gti by the way

any help and ideas would be great im kinda new to golfs and vws in general this is only the second vw ive owned the first was a 1999 t4 transporter

[Jay]

Down to the cold mate, I've done about 20k miles in mine and it's always smoked A LOT. It feels like I'm reversing into mist some mornings 

Does the steam go away once the engine is warm? Put your hand over the exhaust when you fire it up in the morning and if it's just water and white steam, not to worry. If it's a blueish tint and the liquid feels oily, start worrying.

I had the same thing when I changed my coolant, I must have still had an air pocket after changing the coolant.

[wampablo]

it clears up but doesnt dissapear completly and it is white no oil smell (been there done that) on a rover tomcat !
anyway cheers for the info i can put my mind at rest for a while now

[Conker]

In the current terrible weather, my exhaust still steams a little even after a fairly long journey.

[nige_s]

Just the law physics, no different to seeing you're own breath when its cold.  You'll get more on start up as the exhaust will be full of condensation so it burns off as steam.  That's why they often rot from the inside out.

[shakeyjake]

yeh exactly, the exhaust gasses are hot so its always going blow out steam when the weather is like this

[wampablo]

thanks guys my mind is now at rest