Steam coming out of exhaust?

Tiny
JOSH HARRISON
  • MEMBER
  • 2017 AUDI A1
  • 1.0L
  • MANUAL
  • 46,000 MILES
When I start my car steam comes out and after I drive it for a while it doesn’t usually go away sometimes it does though. It’s been steaming more than usual tonight and I'm not sure if this looks okay it’s been steaming for a few days, and I look behind me and see a trail of steam sometimes in my mirror when I don’t see it on the other cars certainly not as much as mine.
Saturday, January 14th, 2023 AT 1:21 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,976 POSTS
If you are in an area where it has been raining or snowing a lot, it could be humidity from the moisture. The engine and exhaust heats up and boils out the water but when you shut the engine off and it cools back down it pulls in the cold moist air, if you were parked with the exhaust tip pointed uphill at all or if the wind was blowing at the right angle you can get even more water into the system, then it soaks into the matting in the muffler or resonator and now it takes a very long time to boil off. This gets worse if you only drive short distances where the engine barely heats up. However, there are a few things to check. First see if you can get a smell of the steam, does it smell like water with a hint of smoke, which would be normal? Does it smell like sweet burnt sugar? That would be coolant. Next check the coolant level in the reservoir and see if it shows low when the engine is cold. Next check the oil level. If the levels are all okay, it's likely just environmentally related. Take it for a longer drive and get it fully warmed up. Then see if it goes away.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/white-smoke-or-steam-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe
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Saturday, January 14th, 2023 AT 4:00 PM

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