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Evening,
Am trying to solve a mystery leak that's popped up over the past few weeks, which reoccurs on a regular basis. Am driving a 2010 MKVI GTI.
Occurence:
- Most times I stop the car, or start moving with a reasonable level of brake force (i.e. stopping in my street to reverse up the driveway), I notice that there's a very small pool of liquid on the ground where I stopped.
- If I stopped and started reversing/driving quickly, the pool is in a line, so it's a leak when there are G-forces on the car.
Fluid:
- The leak is clear, and I've mopped it up and checked it out on multiple ocasions.
- Smells like stale water, looks like stale water, with a hint of chemical.
- If left on the road, it evaporates completely after a few minutes.
- I think? it's water.
Narrowing things down:
- It's not radiator fluid, as that's a purple colour, and over the last few weeks, I've confirmed no change in level. Also smells entirely different.
- It's not windscreen wiper fluid, as I use the VW solution in mine, and that has a distinctive smell. Also, the anti-freeze in that would prevent evaporation?
- It's not engine oil, due to the colour/smell/evaporation.
Other information:
- On occasion, it looks like there's a bit of water inside the engine bay (right at the bottom, in about the right quantities), but it hasn't been raining on that day / etc.
Theories:
- I have two theories right now.
1. There's a leak inside the engine, due to a crack / etc, which I would love some clarification on! Also, if water's leaking, where is it coming from?
2. On the other hand, it could be from the windscreen's drainage channels being blocked, and going a little funny? I don't know enough about how they work though.
Any help would be appreciated!
Am trying to solve a mystery leak that's popped up over the past few weeks, which reoccurs on a regular basis. Am driving a 2010 MKVI GTI.
Occurence:
- Most times I stop the car, or start moving with a reasonable level of brake force (i.e. stopping in my street to reverse up the driveway), I notice that there's a very small pool of liquid on the ground where I stopped.
- If I stopped and started reversing/driving quickly, the pool is in a line, so it's a leak when there are G-forces on the car.
Fluid:
- The leak is clear, and I've mopped it up and checked it out on multiple ocasions.
- Smells like stale water, looks like stale water, with a hint of chemical.
- If left on the road, it evaporates completely after a few minutes.
- I think? it's water.
Narrowing things down:
- It's not radiator fluid, as that's a purple colour, and over the last few weeks, I've confirmed no change in level. Also smells entirely different.
- It's not windscreen wiper fluid, as I use the VW solution in mine, and that has a distinctive smell. Also, the anti-freeze in that would prevent evaporation?
- It's not engine oil, due to the colour/smell/evaporation.
Other information:
- On occasion, it looks like there's a bit of water inside the engine bay (right at the bottom, in about the right quantities), but it hasn't been raining on that day / etc.
Theories:
- I have two theories right now.
1. There's a leak inside the engine, due to a crack / etc, which I would love some clarification on! Also, if water's leaking, where is it coming from?
2. On the other hand, it could be from the windscreen's drainage channels being blocked, and going a little funny? I don't know enough about how they work though.
Any help would be appreciated!
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