Just bought an 89 200TQ for a great price thanks to "4000 20v"! My first Audi and loving it in Jackson Hole, WY.

Does this model or older Audi's normally heat up pretty quick? I find that driving up the pass, or around town with more stop and go, the temp indicator gets up to halfway, maybe a little more fairly quick...it hasnt moved passed that level at all yet.??

Do i need to worry and/or are there some inexpensive ways to make the cooling system more efficient?

Thanks

Any 5k/200 I've driven/ridden in gets to, or slightly higher than, the halfway point and won't move past that unless its really hot out. Seems pretty normal to me, assuming all the type44 cars I've had/driven were normal. The 80/90 cars with a different radiator layout stay cooler, but may be due to other things as well.

The 200q should normally run at 2 bars left of the mid point (180*C). Mid point is 200*C, the thick bar to the left by one, is 190*C, and while cruising on a highway, during winter temps, mine stays at 180 C.

Stop and go city traffic shows 200*C.
The temp gauge is a bit misleading....it doesn't fully swing to the far right. If you look closely at its face, you'll find 2 small dots around 220*C. Those are the calibration points, and the gauge doesn't travel pass those dots.
(if it did sweep that far, it would be more of a SOL meter than temp gauge) :-)

If you see it climbing past halfway, like up to three quarters under heavy load or long uphills, you may have a plugged radiator.

After I flushed all the crud out of my car's system with Prestone Super Flush, all the crud migrated into the radiator. And yes, with the conditions listed above, it would go up to three quarters. But as soon as I bought a new fat core replacement radiator from Modine, I can hammer on it _hard_ in sweltering Georgia heat and the temp gauge barely moves, it seems glued to halfway on the gauge.

Yes, I like Modine's products...