2003 Audi A4 1.8T Avant: Coolant leak repair costs (need help for 2nd opinion)

[me4tux]

Hi all,
I am a long timer and still driving the 2003 A4 1.8T Avant.
Lately, I the car's been breaking down more and I can't keep up band aiding things here and there...

There's a coolant leak that appears in different areas of the engine compartment.
I am going to get the shop to fix once and for all.
Asking forum members here if experienced folks can offer a 2nd opinion. Thank you for all your help!

Replace Coolant Flange: Labor is 1.5 ($247.50); part & labor total = $401.19
Replace Coolant Reservoir: no labor charge noted = $98.19 (no labor cost)
Replace Thermostat housing/hoses: Labor is 1.5 ($247.50); part & labor = $529.25
Note: The part is expensive at $235! Thermostat Housing - Audi (06B-121-111-K)

I cannot afford a new car yet, and have to face the repair costs. Just wanted to know if all this is a reasonable cost being quoted..

Thank you...
-M.

[Fast4esT]

is this dealership quotes? all those things are currently leaking?
those prices are double the price for oem parts and im guessing if that's not the dealer then they are likely not using oem parts. labor time sounds fair though.
also, when they replace the thermostat, tell them to replace the J plug also. it will leak next if you don't replace it at same time,
per ECS Tuning prices on genuine audi parts:
coolant flange 27.95 or 76 with temp sensor also
thermostat 169.95
expansion tank 60.00
j plug 9.95
factor in coolant
non oem parts are much cheaper too

[A4SoftWalker]

Last summer I did all of my hoses heater core radiator thermostat j-plug coolant flange coolant temperature sensors and coolant expansion tank.

I was getting leaks from my coolant flange and one of the heater core hoses. Also the thermostat hose was leaking. There was also a gasket on a hard line that goes to the thermostat that needs to be changed as well. I would suggest Audi dealer parts for your thermostat because mine was a Chinese knockoff in OEM/Aftermarket box and from a major parts vender on here. I was surprised shocked and amazed us I had my engine completely bolted together and when I went to pour in coolant it started draining right back out at the thermostat.

In fact several of my engine rebuild parts were sourced from that vendor. But again that was over 10 years ago.

I did all my own work so I can only imagine the cost if I had to pay a shop to do it the way you at you are doing.

What exactly do you want to know?

[EuroxS4]

It's hard to give an opinion of what's needed and what will fix your issue without knowing specifics. We need to know where its leaking from. Pictures if possible. I would not be using non-factory parts for something important as the cooling system in a aging vehicle that already has a known issue with cracking cylinder heads. I find it hard to believe the vehicle is leaking from the coolant flange, thermostat,j plug and resovoir all at the same time. It seems more of less someone has either loaded their parts cannon or because of the age and mileage on the vehicle everything is being recommended. We don't know if there's an actual leak for all those areas or not. Finally we don't know if any diag was done to determine the cause of the issue. Lastly not to sound like a snob but $250 for a part for one of these cars is not expensive it's just the price that's it. OEM parts are expensive. But if someone is charging that price for a non factory part I would rethink and decide if the shop is not gouging on prices. However independent shops have their ownsuppliers they deal with so that could also be the actual price. Alot of unknowns. It could be something as simple and expensive the a FCM rather than an issue elsewhere.


Also side note if they are changing thermostat my guess is they are gonna break alot of brittle plastic pcv hoses and lines that are dealer part only that are under the intake manifold. Depends on who doing the job how familiar they are and if they know the least intrusive way to change this t stat. It can be done and its not too bad but there is alot of crankcase components near that area.

[me4tux]

Thank you for your parts listing prices @Fast4esT.
It was good for comparisons. I think the shop is making some markup revenue off their parts prices.

@EuroxS4
Thanks for your points. The shop is a reputable shop in the Bay Area. I am just surprised with the parts markup. I suspect that's how they make profit these days.
At least the it seems the labor quoted was fair.

[me4tux]

Thanks for sharing! Good that you're able to work on the car yourself and save $$$.

Unfortunately, I am too old nowadays to even get under the car.
I regularly still do my own oil changes (suction via dipstick hole) /oil filter changes (from the top), air filter change, spark plugs etc. Just the simple stuff.

Do you have a recommendation for an indy mechanic in the Bay Area?
I used to go to Redwood City- Fred's Garage. Remember them? The two brothers. They've retired/closed for a while now. All 4 of my Audi's over a period of time went to them for major repairs. They were the most affordable...

The quotes I got were from a reputable VW shop. You are from the Bay Area, so you'll know who they are: Dubxxxxxx in Santa Clara.
I was definitely a bit shocked to see the prices of the parts markup when compared to @Fast4esT, who provided ECS Tuning's price list. Thanks for the list!

In their defense, perhaps it was due to Covid and supply chain that caused the prices to be higher than normal? Maybe.
In the old days, one would pay $900 for a timing belt job on an A4 1.8T. Now, I am paying $1000 just to fix a coolant leak. Wow....
I am struggling to process that.....

Last summer I did all of my hoses heater core radiator thermostat j-plug coolant flange coolant temperature sensors and coolant expansion tank.

I was getting leaks from my coolant flange and one of the heater core hoses. Also the thermostat hose was leaking. There was also a gasket on a hard line that goes to the thermostat that needs to be changed as well. I would suggest Audi dealer parts for your thermostat because mine was a Chinese knockoff in OEM/Aftermarket box and from a major parts fender on here. I was surprised shocked and amazed us I had my engine completely bolted together and when I went to pour in coolant it started draining right back out at the thermostat.

In fact several of my engine rebuild parts were sourced from that vendor. But again that was over 10 years ago.

I did all my own work so I can only imagine the cost if I had to pay a shop to do it the way you at you are doing.

What exactly do you want to know?

[A4SoftWalker]

In our California Bay Area EVERYTHING is pricey. That's why I work on my own car and only refer specialized things like alignment and air-conditioning to the dealer. I wish I could refer you to someone but they have all had their negatives with me. That's why I ended up doing my transmission swap and clutch replacement on my own last year.

Shops were going to charge me well over $1500 all the way up to $2700. Labor only costs.


Same thing when I taught myself how to do my suspension using the Bentley and DIYs on Audizine. Not to mention shops that broke parts or didn't tighten stuff right or OVER-tightened other stuff.

There are SOME good non-dealer shops out there. Its just that I stopped paying attention to and looking for maintenance shops. If you want an engine or transmission rebuild shop however, I have references that are worth their weight.