Saloon Fluid leak on 2017 RS3 Saloon.

[Al49]

Hi,

I'd be grateful for advice on a fluid leak please. The photo shows the location, and the best description of the fluid I can give is "bubbly condensation" It has some viscosity but is certainly not oil. This has happened before some time ago, but the area was cleaned up when the sump was recently resealed. The car was then driven home and left in my garage for around 3 weeks during which time the engine wasn't started. Then overnight (as happened before) the fluid suddenly appeared again. As can be seen from the photo some has dripped on the garage floor, but not in any great quantity.

Any advice/thoughts will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[8YARWY]

Get it jacked up and remove the undertray so you can have a good inspection of everything.


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[Al49]

Get it jacked up and remove the undertray so you can have a good inspection of everything.


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[Al49]

Thanks for your reply. When I wrote my original post it was far too long and I had to edit it. What I SHOULD have said was that the garage decided my problem was a leak from the sump and resealed it. All was OK for around 3 weeks and then the fluid leak came back.

The car's booked back in to the garage next week, but I thought I'd post on here and ask if anyone else had experienced the problem. I'd even wondered if the aircon drain was in that area.

 

[8YARWY]

Thanks for your reply. When I wrote my original post it was far too long and I had to edit it. What I SHOULD have said was that the garage decided my problem was a leak from the sump and resealed it. All was OK for around 3 weeks and then the fluid leak came back.

The car's booked back in to the garage next week, but I thought I'd post on here and ask if anyone else had experienced the problem. I'd even wondered if the aircon drain was in that area.

Aircon use will see moisture under the car after it’s parked up.

Oil from sump area should be easy to spot if it’s leaking again, although it doesn’t sound like it’s oil from what you’ve described.

The other thing is the coolant level ok ? Some fl cars can suffer a water pump leak / failure and if so you’ll see staining on the undertray and around the pump area.


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[flybynite]

Could it be a brake fluid spill? That feels very watery especially when it is has been out a bit and absorbed some moisture. Have you changed pads recently? Not the first time someone has rammed back the caliper pistons and forgotten to take some out of the master cylinder.

 

[wuta3]

If it drips, let it drip onto some paper. Colour and smell should tell you what it is.

 

[flybynite]

If it drips, let it drip onto some paper. Colour and smell should tell you what it is.

Going to be hard to tell aircon or brake fluid but still worth a try

 

[8YARWY]

Could it be a brake fluid spill? That feels very watery especially when it is has been out a bit and absorbed some moisture. Have you changed pads recently? Not the first time someone has rammed back the caliper pistons and forgotten to take some out of the master cylinder.

That is easy to identify as the servo/reservoir would be ‘wet’


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[flybynite]

That is easy to identify as the servo/reservoir would be ‘wet’

Yeah you would think, but the one time I saw it done they had seen the mistake and cleaned the top side off. I could only feel it when I put my hand underneath.

 

[8YARWY]

Yeah you would think, but the one time I saw it done they had seen the mistake and cleaned the top side off. I could only feel it when I put my hand underneath.

True mate.

If it were mine I’d be checking every inch of that engine bay top to bottom lol.


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[Al49]

Aircon use will see moisture under the car after it’s parked up.

Oil from sump area should be easy to spot if it’s leaking again, although it doesn’t sound like it’s oil from what you’ve described.

The other thing is the coolant level ok ? Some fl cars can suffer a water pump leak / failure and if so you’ll see staining on the undertray and around the pump area.


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I've checked the water pump and surrounding area and they have no tell-tale signs.

No sign of any more fluid leaking. I'll just need to see what the garage makes of it next week.

Thank you very much for your time and advice.

 

[Al49]

Could it be a brake fluid spill? That feels very watery especially when it is has been out a bit and absorbed some moisture. Have you changed pads recently? Not the first time someone has rammed back the caliper pistons and forgotten to take some out of the master cylinder.

Hi,
Hasn't had the pads changed, but the brake fluid has recently been changed. Only thing is it had an identical leak before it went in for a service and the brake fluid hadn't been touched then.

 

[wuta3]

Going to be hard to tell aircon or brake fluid but still worth a try

That's when a lil dab on the tongue helps. Nature provides all you need.

 

[Al49]

Sorry to be so long posting this.

The leak turned out to be coming from a timing cover bolt hole. As well as the gearbox the job also involved the removal of the upper and lower timing covers. The garage reckoned the sealant had deteriorated over time or hadn't been applied properly.

Turned out to be quite an expensive job, mainly because of the time involved. I've attached a photo which pretty well explains everything.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my original post.