ive notice for the past couple of days my car temp is not reading 90 and just abit under . is this normal ?

Possibly not. My old VR6 used to read low when I bought it and this was because the thermostat was stuck open. The result was that it ran rich the whole time.

The only time VAG cars tend to run below 90 is on VERY cold days when driving at a constant 60mph or so (this speed means engine is not working too hard but you are getting lots of cold air through the rad). Or at least this is my experience of about 5 different VAG models.

iep

That seems "too low" to me, although mine has never run higher than 88 or 89 deg.

mine seems to sit dead on 90, regardless of the weather or driving conditions (well so far in the last 4+ years I have had it). Only time it is below 90 is for the first 6-7 minutes after I have started it from cold in the morning.

mine seems to sit dead on 90, regardless of the weather or driving conditions (well so far in the last 4+ years I have had it). Only time it is below 90 is for the first 6-7 minutes after I have started it from cold in the morning.

Same for me. Had mine 2 1/2 years now and it always goes to 90 and sits there. something definitely up there, as stated probably the thermostat.

it doesnt do it all the time just been happening for the past couple of days . its not doing it in the mornings , its anytime of the day . the heaters do get hot still .

could be anything really bad ? or just the thermostat

thermostat on it's way out... I'd put money on it. Had 3 cars with this problem recently (two old audis and the escort)

:iagree: - and it's usually the stat failing to close fully, and associated with a slow(er) warm up.

I agree with all the above. Had mine for just over a year and a half now and its always on 90 degrees however I'm driving.

Mine drops down from 90 degrees every so often when in traffic then goes back up again, I assume this is normal and due to the fan cutting in?

Mine drops down from 90 degrees every so often when in traffic then goes back up again, I assume this is normal and due to the fan cutting in?

With the note that, even in traffic, I've never seen my Octy's fans bother with anything more than air con sustainer rates, I'd say that's the reverse of the pattern I'd expect in traffic. I'd expect the engine to go on heat, then the fans cut in to pull it back down.

Thats what I thought, but it never seems to go above 90.

The Liquid Gauge says the coolant is at about 75-78 in traffic, then it suddenly goes down to 68-69 for a few minutes, then back up to 75-78 again (this matches the dip from 90 to 85 on the dash gauge). Maybe faulty temp sender? I'm getting no fault codes though :confused:

I was told that engine fluctuates around 90, give or take 20, but stays on 90 too give the driver a sense of safety rather than them seeing the needle bouncing around all day

I am also facing the same problem. But the coolant gauge sits between 80 and 90. Vagcom shows error with coolant temperature sensor. So check this sensor too.

Am I wierd in thinking that I'd rather see the temperature changing and hear the fan(s) cutting in than get the misplaced confidence of a stable false reading?

Am I wierd in thinking that I'd rather see the temperature changing and hear the fan(s) cutting in than get the misplaced confidence of a stable false reading?

Yes you are. When things go seriously wrong such as overheating the needle moves towards red. What more can you ask of it :confused:

Yes you are. When things go seriously wrong such as overheating the needle moves towards red. What more can you ask of it :confused:

That involves having to trust that the gauge will respond correctly when there actually is something wrong.

I was told that engine fluctuates around 90, give or take 20, but stays on 90 too give the driver a sense of safety rather than them seeing the needle bouncing around all day

I believe that's correct.

That involves having to trust that the gauge will respond correctly when there actually is something wrong.

That is true of most gauges on modern motor cars though as most respond to instructions from sensors these days rather than mechanical connections.

I'm sure they are far more accurate now than they have ever been and that is good enough for me.

I know when somethings not right usually without looking at a gauge anyway as most experienced and intuitive drivers do.

Even the fuel gauge is damped quite a lot - you'll never see it moving when you rock the car

That is true of most gauges on modern motor cars though as most respond to instructions from sensors these days rather than mechanical connections.

I'm sure they are far more accurate now than they have ever been and that is good enough for me.

I know when somethings not right usually without looking at a gauge anyway as most experienced and intuitive drivers do.

"I'm sure...ever been", because they deliberately display false readings under most circumstances. This is a new definition of "accurate"; one with which I have not previously been acquainted.

Even the fuel gauge is damped quite a lot - you'll never see it moving when you rock the car

Mechanically damped fuel level senders have been doing that since the 1970s though.

"I'm sure...ever been", because they deliberately display false readings under most circumstances. This is a new definition of "accurate"; one with which I have not previously been acquainted.

Ok I'm sure they are more accurate than they have ever been should have read I'm sure that they are more reliable than they have ever been.

Does it actually matter? Looking at the OP's picture we all came to the same conclusion that the thermostat was probably stuck open so the gauge apparantly did it's job and did it well.