My wife's JCW Coupe has the sport gauges installed. One of the gauges measures water temperature in Celsius. When warm, the temp consistently reads around 100 Celsius (212 Fahrenheit).

Is this normal?

 

I have the same factory temp. gauge. Mine runs right around 105C/222F.


-Steven

 

Yes it is in the normal range.

 

I use an OBDII transmitter with an Android app called Torque, and have also used a Dashhawk for OBDII display. Both consistently show coolant temps between 98-105C, depending on operating conditions.

Most German-engineered cars used a closed, pressurized system, which is why it is OK for them to reach the boiling point. The fluid isn't going anywhere, unlike a standard cooling system as found on most American or Japanese cars, where the radiator cap is designed to open up & relieve the pressure by venting coolant. (And where there is a non-pressurized reservoir to allow coolant in & out of the system to keep the pressure down)

***This is also why it is 10 times more important to never open the coolant reservoir on a German engineered car when the engine is hot- that sh*t is hotter and under WAY more pressure than you think. That's a mistake almost nobody makes twice, unless they're a little daft.