Is it normal...

…for the temp guage to go past the middle when in traffic? Overheat light doesn't come on and it runs great and goes back to middle when moving at speed - just wondering if this is normal?

Well, mine does it on the GTI but not the GL. So I'm guessing its normal.

Normal

I agree too!

If its pretty far over you might find a new rad makes a difference though, or even just a good flushing of the cooling system. A new rad for me made a massive difference to running temp.

Is it worth fitting a lower temp thermostat and radiator switch - if so where can you get them? What do i replace the coolant with and what's the best way to flush out the system?

Hi, sounds perfectly normal - these things aren't very accurate anyway, but make sure that your electric fan switches on soon after the temp indicated on the gauge gets above half way, otherwise it might boil over one day. Best to check this after a run when the engine is nicely hot and then just leave the car idling for a few mins -the thermo switch should switch the fan on fairly soon after you stop. (keep your fingers out of the way!)

cheers,

oldfart

The thermostat and radiator switch should probably be left alone unless perhaps you have heavy engine mods, VW chose thermostats to work with particular engines so they should be perfectly adequate.

If the systems not been flushed for ages, take it out of the bay and reverse flush it. Run a hose through it from the outlet where the bottom hose connects. It'll get rid of the loose sedement that builds up over time.
Not sure what the best way is to flush the engine itself. I just poke the hose in a few hoses until water coming out becomes clear. I also took the expansion tank off mine and cleaned it out best I could with a bottle brush to get rid of some grime.

The coolant in the system should be replaced every 2 years according to maintenance schedules. If the coolant has been replaced regularly, its recommended you just flush the system without taking the rad out. Just remove the bottom hose, let it drain out and run a hose through the expansion tank, you only need to reverse flush the system if its not been done for ages.

Coolant can be bought from any motor factors though I replaced mine with G12+ from the main dealer, costs a little bit more though.

Great…thanks for the help. The liquid in the expansion tank looks pretty clear so i'll just try flush with the rad in place for now. What ratio should i be using for the fresh coolant?

Monkey don't worry about "ratios", i drained mine and then i put 2-3 litres of Xstream Green Extralife in, and then topped up with water till it was full.

I had the same with my temp gauge, but now it doesnt move at all!

The bottle of coolant should have recommended ratios on it, the G12+ stuff does. The Haynes manual might have some too.

I'm not sure if i'm putting this in the right section but I have a Sportline which when the temperature gauge gets to half way the light flashes on and then turns off.  The fan is cutting in later on and it doesn't seem to be overheating but this is a little disconcerting.  If any one can help i would be very grateful

I think this was answered recently, aparrently for some odd reason if the antifreeze mix isnt strong enough this can happen 8O

My old cabrio had this problem though and a tap on the dash board solved the problem when it happened. That was probably a short circuit in the dask but I couldnt find one when I took it apart. Might have been the gauge itself.

Could be a number of things, could be the sensor too. Your coolant level is topped up enough yes? :wink:

My dash guage goes well past half-way but my vdo guage is only reading about 80 deg C. Fan kicks in at about 85 which is about 3/4 on the dash guage...