Car Engine Temp

[malagabob]

I have noticed the engine temp gauge, has increased since I first had the car from practically new. 4 years. Not a lot, it’s not overheating,. The difference is about the needle width, Maybe slightly more. There’s plenty of coolant. Oil has been changed a few months ago. Any ideas Thanks.

[DTCwordfan]

When did you last change the oil? Old oil could be the cause.

Otherwise, it could be your coolant level (is there a tiny leak - look at the garage floor or where you park) or it's a bit of deterioration in the water pump or the thermostat slightly out of kilter.

[satprof]

It's the thermostat in the cooling system that controls the engine temperature and they generally work at the specified temperature until they fail. (You'll know about it if it fails as that usually causes over-heating.) If your temperature gauge is the needle type, this might simply be ageing of the gauge. If it's a digital display, it could be that the sensor is ageing.
I'd just keep an eye on the situation as it doesn't seem to be posing a problem at the moment. If it gets worse, it's simple enough to put in a new thermostat, although some cars make it very difficult to get to the thermostat housing. A new thermostat isn't expensive, but you should get a new housing gasket as well so as to avoid leaks. Search for videos showing how to replace an engine thermostat for more info.

[mjwman]

Thermostats fail open not shut so it would run cooler.
Not Thermostat.
Gauges are not exact ignore it.