[Thejarhead]

A blinking temperature light means the coolant level sensor which is contained within the coolant ball thinks the fluid is low. If it’s at or above the MIN mark then probably the sensor is bad. I had a sensor go bad on one of mine. There are two wires down inside the ball, you can see them after you remove the cap. I used a flat head screwdriver to gently scrape them and it worked for a short time , I ended up replacing the resivor.

If you try this and it works I would order a new resivor, they are easy to replace. Two Phillips head screws will allow you to move the resivor from its current position. A pair of pliers will remove the two hose clamps from the small upper hose and the larger hose underneath the ball. A small flathead screwdriver will loosen the wire connector to the level sensor.

Before you do all that check the wire connector, that is connected to the coolant ball, make sure there are no frayed/broken wires and that the connector is fully seated and none of the little wire tabs inside are bent or broken. All these things you can do, just don’t work on a hot engine. Taking the cap off the coolant ball when the engine is hot can douse you in 200* coolant. When the engine is cold there is no such danger.

 

[Thejarhead]

Buying a car from someone’s driveway I always figure on $1000 in parts, $2000 if I’m hiring someone to install those parts. If the car needs tires add an additional $500.
As for him being a mechanic, he probably just got tired of playing with it .

As for the naysayers about vw longevity my 05 VW Golf diesel , this past Thursday reached a milestone.