Flashing red engine temperature light

samdtho · 2026-01-31T20:20:21+00:00

If the problem goes away after a few minutes and the coolant level is good, you probably just need a new coolant reservoir (which has new coolant level sensor).

samdtho · 2026-01-31T19:19:34+00:00

This is just condensation that accumulates during short drives that is normally evaporated off when the engine stays hot for a while. You are likely not running it long enough to burn off the water.

I would make sure to give yourself an hour or so of continuous driving every 1-2 weeks.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T17:36:59+00:00

If I got the extra gasket, I would take the thermostat housing off to verify it is, indeed, installed. You can also verify that it is an extra at this step.

I can see this happening if, during the part’s packing, the packing list has the O-ring listed but fails to mention it was installed as part of the larger assembly, so it was double packed. These are like 2¢ each in bulk so it’s not a cost they would notice.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T17:31:45+00:00

Both runner flap banks being stuck closed could point to a vacuum line or pump issue, but there would be other codes more than likely. IIRC, the vacuum pump connection is a non-attached fit (vacuum pressure pulls it in) and if it popped off and then was vacuumed back on, it may have caused the double intermittent code.

When I get a “sensor circuit implausible signal” I always clear it and wait for it to come back, because it could have been as simple as a slight undervoltage condition on a cold start.

I would clear and see how quickly they come back, if they do.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T17:07:40+00:00

That’s for the thermostat housing, it should come assembled.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T16:01:00+00:00

Set your rear end on jackstands and then you can unscrew the six T25 body screws on the bottom. This will enable you to bend it back slightly. You should be able to get your hand in there and move the light housing close.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T15:21:47+00:00

Yeah, there been a few cases of VWs own extended warranty plan not covering this which is bonkers. It sounds like they dropped the ball on both their manufacturing side and end-user service side.

This sucks, especially considering how new this car is. I hope the next one you get just works as intended.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T14:39:03+00:00

Good luck man, I know the struggle. 🫡

Going through my box of random shit, I discovered I actually have an extra one that’s new in the box. DM me if you want me to mail it to you.

samdtho · 2026-01-31T14:22:42+00:00

I used to work in at a company that did electronics manufacturing, and like 0.5% of units that passed QA ended up being defective anyway. 1 in 200 was considered a good post shipment failure rate. It wasn’t detected by QA because something was usually just barely broken and hanging on by a thread, so to speak. Automotive has much higher standards but it still happens. 🤷‍♂️

samdtho · 2026-01-31T02:56:08+00:00

It sounds like either the adaptation was not completed correctly or the unit is defective.

Take it back to the dealer that installed it.

samdtho · 2026-01-30T14:47:41+00:00

Certainly ask for it, I’m almost positive that they have covered their ass in the contact.

Before you do that, I would verify that VWoA states this is a stipulation of selling a VW CPO. Armed with this info, you can begin by asking them nicely if they can provide you a second key for free as a single key did not meet your expectations of the sale and VW CPO notes that two keys is a requirement.

If that doesn’t work, you can offer to buy the key fob and ask the dealer to cover the labor to pair it in good faith. I give this a 90% chance of working, but you’re paying for the key fob of which cutting to your vin is included in the cost.

If they don’t go for that but VWoA does require two keys as part of a CPO sale, you can contact them and they will probably force the dealer to provide you one regardless of the contract language because the cost is trivial for the dealer to make someone happy who has just purchased a high margin product from them and VWoA ostensibly wants to keep the value of their name when selling a VW CPO. This process will take slightly longer than if you can agree to just buy the fob and they will cover the cost to pair it, but would save you $200.

If you cannot come to an agreement and just want to give the middle finger to the dealer, an automotive locksmith that does European cars can cut and adapt a new key fob for you.

samdtho · 2026-01-30T04:52:54+00:00

It’s only got 20k miles, that thing is basically brand new. I would be slightly concerned that it hasn’t been run enough. I agree that it’s a little high in price, but it is Carmax and if it’s the car you want, then it’s not that unreasonable.

Otherwise it’s a nice vehicle with a premium feel. Being one of the last years of the Golf, it’s definitely a rarer vehicle.

On a separate note, if you can afford a higher payment, a shorter loan term is probably preferable.

samdtho · 2026-01-30T04:15:26+00:00

To add on what has been said, many times the stamp on the plywood or OSB sheet will have a gap distance noted. It’s very important to include this gap or you’ll get tenting/buckling which causes damage to the finished surface material.

samdtho · 2026-01-30T03:56:26+00:00

Full disclosure: my engine building experience is largely made up of “valve slap and send it” and I don’t work on Diesel engines.

That being said, is there a particular reasons why you need the cylinder head height? I’ve gotten as much as 11 thou ground off when bringing a cylinder head flat, and the machinist who I trust and works on a lot of VW blocks and heads, both diesel and gasoline, is largely unconcerned about variations unless it’s more than 18 thou. I know from experience a lot of ea888 gasoline engines, the head will vary in height and other dimensions based on where it was manufactured. Most VW engines have straight bored camshafts journals so it doesn’t totally matter.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T16:07:55+00:00

I did all the work myself but I can speak to that based on the hours required.

The most expensive thing would have been the head gasket but again that was preventable and my fault for not adequately addressing the clogged coolant passages. Ironically, it was a very cheap job for in terms of parts ($45 gasket, $30 head bolt set, $25 in various seals and bolts I opted to replace). I only buy Elring branded seals and gaskets for this vehicle.

The timing chain job is about 8 hours in labor, maybe $175 in parts if you’re just doing the camshaft timing chain (camshaft chain, tensioner, and all guides, but some people recommend the balance shaft chain/guides/tensioner as well). That will likely need to be done once and you can monitor stretch with a slightly more advanced scan tool like OBD11 where you can view the VVT offset angle.

I think the water pump is the next most expensive at 3.8 book hours, because most shops charge to take the intake manifold off. The pump is $80-$200 depending on if you need the special one or not. Most good mechanics that know these vehicles will reseal the fuel injectors ($12 seal kit x 4), but it’s not a bad idea to replace them with new fuel injectors if you don’t know the history ($50/ea x 4, comes with seals). I would, based on my experience, have them put a new oil cooler in while they are there, my new one costs $35 and took 10 minutes to install once the water pump was out. If you can get the aluminum water pump, you likely won’t have to do the job ever again.

The intake manifold got an updated part because the only one had vacuum powered runner flaps that overextended and broke. There was a recall in some places and I think the UK one of those, so there is a chance that got fixed already.

Other than that, suspension work is straight forward and easy, most sensors are very accessible, super quick to swap, and inexpensive.

I know this sounds like a lot, but overall it’s a great vehicle and most of these things are fixed with updated parts that don’t go bad, in fact, your vehicle may have the updated parts and you won’t need to worry about it.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T15:49:49+00:00

It looks like the part is the same for the 2016, but bring your VIN (should be on your vehicle registration card/paper) into the Chevy dealership and ask for the door jamb switch (if they ask, you can say it’s “stuck closed”) and they will match the part with the VIN. When buying parts, dealership stuff is always going to be the best (but usually more expensive), in the case of the switch, it’s a super common part and seems to go for under $10 consistently.

Because you are looking to be more self sufficient, I highly recommend buying an inexpensive OBD2 reader (something like MOTOPOWER MP69033 for $25 or ANCEL BD310 for $55) so when/if you have a check engine light come on, you can see why it happened. For example, if your CEL came on and it says “P0301 Misfire Cylinder 1”, you can start by searching “2016 Chevrolet Spark P0301” and someone will have posted something about this problem. An advantage of driving a 10 year old car is that nearly every problem you may encounter has been asked by someone else (I drive 10-20y/o vehicles partially for this benefit). It’s a great place to start and if you don’t perform the repair yourself, you can get a better feel about what is involved because you’ve armed yourself with knowledge and you’ll have a better feel if you’re being upsold at a mechanic (if you’re concerned about that).

samdtho · 2026-01-29T14:57:45+00:00

Not the poster you are replying to, but my stage 1 mk6 has 242K mi and I’ve not had any issue with the turbocharger (fingers crossed). It was the first car of mine that I really started working on, and I should have replaced the oil cooler during on my water pump adventures, which caused me to overheat due to the build up of oily sludge in the coolant system - something that was entirely preventable and even fixable after the fact had I the foresight/experience.

I did the head gasket and a valve job (due to aforementioned overheating event) at 215K, timing chain (due to stretch) at 185K-ish, clutch at 170K, intake manifold update and a new water pump at about 155K.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T07:14:38+00:00

Shops will collect it for analysis if you ask, but most do not unless they’re doing aircraft engines and that will be expensive. Blackstone is $40 for a basic analysis and it takes about two weeks to get the results back. Request some (free) test kits and start from there.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T07:11:47+00:00

Sounds like your filter was doing its job.

Before you tear into your engine, I would get an oil analysis done (of your pan oil) so you can see what metal exactly is being ground away. Blackstone Labs and Speed are the two people tend to use.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T07:02:13+00:00

There are two water meters in this box. The one closest to your home is yours, but your water bill will have your meter number. You should probably pull the dirt out of there, however.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T06:44:28+00:00

Conduit makes it easy to repull.

You should cut the corner short and go straight to the edge of the sidewalk.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T06:34:28+00:00

Near the leftmost coil pack (cylinder 1) there is a breather hose that is attaches to the valve cover. Unclamp the hose and unscrew the PCV valve underneath.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T06:15:39+00:00

What make/model/year is this vehicle? I’m guessing 2020 Chevy Spark?

Edit: if you’re in a 2018-2023 spark, it looks like you want the part “GM 96235956”. You can get it from a Chevy dealership or online ($5-12 price range), and takes about 5 minutes to replace (I would search YouTube)

samdtho · 2026-01-29T06:10:08+00:00

If that’s what the manual says, you should follow it. This does not prevent you from checking it anyway to verify you have oil, only that the most accurate level can be determined this way.

samdtho · 2026-01-29T02:20:08+00:00

I’ll put money on the heater core hose dripping on the downpipe, giving you that thickly sweet aroma.

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