Heater issues & would appreciate your help...

[YodaTdi]

Hi folks, having a few heater problems with my '06 Tdi & thanks for reading in advance...

Last week I found I wasn't able to re-circulate the air in the car, either the light turned on but quickly turned off or the opposite & stayed on causing me to steam up.

Also when I turned on the ignition you would see the re-circulation button light flicker very briefly.

I assumed it might be the re-circulation flap motor but then found that when I pressed the button the air con would come on too (& stay on) so I then assumed it was probably the heater controls itself.

I found one online (see pic) after being quoted nearly £300 from a main dealer & they fitted it which seems to have cured the air con staying on but not so the re-circulated air issue.

Lastly & I'm not sure if its just me but it sometimes seems that the heater sometimes needs to be turned right round to 26 degrees before you feel hot air then turned back to where you actually want it but recently being so hot in the car I wasn't sure if it only pushes out hot air that is above the ambient temp inside the car???

 

I take it it will be the flap motor that will cure the re-circulation issue now? & if so are the motors themselves all the same for all MK1 Fabias? (see pic)

Would a faulty flap motor show up on plugging it in at the main dealers?

 

[YodaTdi]

I should add that the re-circulated air issue is intermittant...

[Breezy_Pete]

As far as I can see, the recirc flap motor/pot assy is 6Q2907511E; tried putting in a few different years and always get the same answer for rhd. Item 19 here.  

Or, you could search by item 15 - 6Q2819453C which includes the bracket it sits in. Dealership prices will be flinchworthy I think. So common a failure that I'd be dubious about fitting a secondhand unit though, I'd be tempted to just wedge it in the open position and disconnect the motor.  It's the ridiculous feature where it closes every time you engage reverse gear that wears them out unnecessarily.

 

I think you're unlucky in how it's sometimes failing closed, mine always seems to end up open to outside air, however many times it temporarily works and goes into recirc position, or maybe mine will end up being more random.

 

Other problem may be the heater flap motor (item 31) starting to fail too.  My missus reported a 'hot when supposed not to be' glitch the other week, so far not repeated and not showing up on a VCDS scan.

[YodaTdi]

19 hours ago, Wino said:

As far as I can see, the recirc flap motor/pot assy is 6Q2907511E; tried putting in a few different years and always get the same answer for rhd. Item 19 here.  

Or, you could search by item 15 - 6Q2819453C which includes the bracket it sits in. Dealership prices will be flinchworthy I think. So common a failure that I'd be dubious about fitting a secondhand unit though, I'd be tempted to just wedge it in the open position and disconnect the motor.  It's the ridiculous feature where it closes every time you engage reverse gear that wears them out unnecessarily.

 

I think you're unlucky in how it's sometimes failing closed, mine always seems to end up open to outside air, however many times it temporarily works and goes into recirc position, or maybe mine will end up being more random.

 

Other problem may be the heater flap motor (item 31) starting to fail too.  My missus reported a 'hot when supposed not to be' glitch the other week, so far not repeated and not showing up on a VCDS scan.

 Thanks for the reply Wino.

Called into the dealers today & with some discount the flap motor is £135 +1hour to fit so looking at just over £200.

Although that isn't "silly money" I've decided to ask them to unplug the motor when the flap is open as tbh I rarely use the re-circ anyway so can't justify the amount to replace it.

I don't think they need to "wedge" it open as once unplugged in the open position it can't close again without the motor....apparently? 

[Breezy_Pete]

Sounds like a good plan. And yes, probably no need to wedge it in the open position, as there will be nothing trying to close it once the motor is disconnected.