[masshoff]

hello all.

2005 A4 1.8T. 45000 miles.

driving last night, temp gauge moves all the way to H, "coolant' warning light comes on. I pull off, check - fluids seem fine, no odor under the hood, no excess heat. I finish the short drive home and notice that I can hear what sounds like coolant boiling(?) when i get out of the car. And, I can smell hot coolant.

today - i check fluids - its a little low on coolant. I top it off, and take around for a spin to replicate. Nothing for 7-8 minutes, warms up normally. Then I get it up to highway speed and within 3-4 minutes - needle to H, coolant warning lights on. I pull onto backroads, glide down a hill, car cools off. I do some more driving on back roads to see if I can duplicate - nothing - no problems. Back to the highway - bam - needle in H, coolant warning. I go home, notice the "boiling" sound and odor again, and looks a little low on coolant.

So - I am assuming a coolant leak. Car was in for service last week, dealer replaced a plug and mentioned there was a leak.

SO - my question - any thoughts if the car can make it 15-20 miles on backroads to get it to the dealer in the am? seems kind of ok at low rpms and lower speeds.