On 03/06/2019 at 23:49, Ash007ks said:

I start with the engine off, fill to the required height and then have someone turn the engine on with the heater on fully hot and the fan off. It should then purge any air out of the system. It does sound like that's your issue.

 

With a lot of modern engines and the introduction of multi circuit cooling systems and electronic stats this no longer works. Valves have to be opened with diagnostics and filled by vacuum. 

Off she goes!

On 08/06/2019 at 07:44, bigbluevRS said:

Off she goes!

 

Did you have to get the head reskimmed?

After a strip down and inspection by VAG specialist;

 

New Inlet manifold & cooler as signs of enduring internal leak detected.

 

Cylinder Head refurbished as the engine was in bits anyway - I’ll find out if that is the root cause early next week!

 

Then all points any exhaust/combustion gases could leak into coolant systems have been sorted as the local dealership replaced the EGR cooler when they looked at it - and it was not the root cause of leak.

 

I’ll let you know if that sorts it - if it doesn’t I’m screwed! 😂

@bigbluevRS who did you go with in the end?

Hi!

 

I used Volks Autos in Sutton.

 

They were spot on.

 

New Cylinder Head installed, along with EGR cooler and inlet manifold cooler & housing.

 

2,000 miles in and running (and sounding!) like a new car (so it should after the ££££’s!).

 

Need to keep the car for a year longer to payback the repairs, but the car has more economy and more power than it had before - I hadn’t noticed the slow degradation of the performance (and sound!) of the engine.

 

In future, if I ever buy another Used Approved car from Skoda - I will ask for a Chem-Test on the coolant, as technicians suggested the crack in the head they found was most likely there from manufacture and only leaked under certain conditions. My cracked head passed standard pressure tests however once skimmed the crack became visible.

 

Love cars, starting to love my VRS again now I think I can trust it again!

 

Hmm, that’s not wonderful. Glad you found it.

 

I assume you have no come back on the original supplying dealer with a professional report?

Glad it is sorted now - unfortunate that it could have been there since the car was new.

So the trauma of  the coolant issue have started.....so I've been Intermittently loosing coolant for 12 months and getting worse.  Replaced the rear auxiliary water pump and pipe with one way valve. Flushed out with the hose pipe. Now it's pressurising.......carried out a vacuum test, and it won't hold a vacuum.  Bypassed the charge cooler,  still won't hold a vacuum.  It's looking more and more like my head gasket or cylinder head has packed up  or cracked.  5.5yrs and never missed a beat absolutely gutted