Anyone else have coolant hose leak (2006)?

Coolant light came on, added antifreeze and it came right back on. Fluid leaked under car. Took it to my mechanic and he replaced BOTH hoses near the back of the engine. He said it was a poor design and too close to the exhaust. My 2006 Jetta TDI had 65K. He thinks it will happen in another 65K or 5 yrs. Anyone else had similar problems???

CAD said:

Coolant light came on, added antifreeze and it came right back on. Fluid leaked under car. Took it to my mechanic and he replaced BOTH hoses near the back of the engine. He said it was a poor design and too close to the exhaust. My 2006 Jetta TDI had 65K. He thinks it will happen in another 65K or 5 yrs. Anyone else had similar problems???

Click to expand...

Just recently had identical issue during a cold snap. My mileage is also similar just a bit less than yours. Hasn't leaked again since it warmed up a bit.

Do you have pictures or P/Ns of the 2 hoses?

No part numbers. OEM VW parts only, both hoses.

Hoses are at the back of engine and go to the heater core. Need a lift to see them from underneath after pulling the plastic shield. It was 2 hrs. labor so not easy to get at. They also installed new hose clamps-about $72 in parts total. I did notice when it first started that I had to add a little coolant and it was OK for a couple weeks-then it started to leak at once. Just glad it happened at home and not on the road as the hoses had to be ordered from VW as they were not a stock item. I'm hoping it was an isolated incident,but repair shop doesn't seem to think so due to poor design.

Common problem on BRM engine codes . It's not a bad hose design but rather the Tandem Pump starts leakiing and craps out the coolant hoses. Take close look at fuel for contamination on the hoses . Peace R

Reason I posted was to warn others and see if it was a common problem

I was hoping this was an isolated incident on my 2006 jetta tdi. This as been my only problem in 65K miles. I hope others aren't experiencing the same thing although I have seen some reports on this forum.

I just had the same heater hoses and more changed on my 2006 Jetta TDI. They said there was a oil leak from a hose above the heater hoses which leaked on the heater hose and caused it so they changed it too. KM 178,000. Total $400. (June 2011)

Yes, common problem on the BRM..I just cut off the end of the hose and reattach with a new hose clamp..

I charged $30 for the last one I did..

Sometimes its a lot harder than just removing the hose. They need to be cut off. I've done a LOT of them and have yet to see another VW with a hose that is as glued in place. And I have the correct tools. And they are in a tight spot.

They getdamaged mostly from the EGR/turbo interface drooling CCV oil onto them.

FWIW they are $40 for the pair from any vendor. (attached together)

My car has 98k on it and I am ordering my timing belt stuff in two days, but this is the first serious issue I have had with this car since buying it (new). My wife had to have the clutch bled on a road trip last summer, but that was a quickie job done by a friend in Colorado so I don't really count that as a serious issue.

Time is not my friend lately so I may drop this off at my local enthusiast shop and let them do it.

Can someone please point me to a vendor for these hoses? Would the dealer have these in stock? I need this fixed tomorrow is it is humanly possible.

EDIT: I found a decent little description of the job at hand... http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/f7/coolant-leak-06-jetta-egr-hose-5914/

Coolant hose leak.

CAD said:

Coolant light came on, added antifreeze and it came right back on. Fluid leaked under car. Took it to my mechanic and he replaced BOTH hoses near the back of the engine. He said it was a poor design and too close to the exhaust. My 2006 Jetta TDI had 65K. He thinks it will happen in another 65K or 5 yrs. Anyone else had similar problems???

Click to expand...

I have a 2006 Jetta TDI with 70K miles, that I just had the coolant hose replaced. It happened very suddenly after finishing a 150 mile road trip and at a cost of $382.00!! The hose was $52.00 and the labor costs were $306.00. :-( I'm sad to see you write to expect it to happen again in 5 or more years. :-( I didn't hear any great details or a potential cause...to close to the exhaust...nice! Mine had a 1/8" cut like defect in it, not anything like it being to close to the exhaust. Will have to document and watch closely. Thanks.

I always suggest the heater hoses be changed if you're replacing the EGR cooler. I sell a lot of coolers without the hoses and I can't help but feel they are making a mistake. At this point if you have a BRM motor with the original heater hoses I would at least order a set to carry in the car.
There are two styles and I stock both.

Not that any repair is good but this is great info as I'm going thru this exact problem right now. I'm actually dropping off my car with my local Guru tomorrow morning. At least now I have an idea what the problem is and a rough idea of what it will cost to fix.

Anyone know if this could be the reason why my heater hasn't been worked that well?

Guess I really can't complain because my 2006 has 153K miles on it and this is the first time I've had problems with it.

282k and I have the same problem

It is amazing how quickly these go. Drove home from work, about 1.5 hour drive. Had dinner, went out to go to the store and the flashing temp light on the dash came on a few minutes into my drive. I thought it might be time for a new water pump / timing belt, so I refilled the overflow tank with antifreeze. Started up and within a mile or two it was flashing again. One hose is soft and has bubbles on it, leading me to think it may be getting oil or diesel on it causing it to deteriorate. I have owned my jetta since 162k, so these have at least 120k on them. Much better than having the water pump fail.

Ah, no, no leaks here at 180K miles.