some serious steaming up ???

[toon vw 0]

Over the last 2 or 3 days when i start driving the car it starts to steam up the windows no matter what way i have the heater controls, tonight i've just drove my car home from work after having left it about 7 ish hours the inside of the windows were absolutely soaked & i mean all of them, drove about 10 miles home & they were as wet as when i first started....could it be window seal gone or something?? just seems very strange to happen all of a sudden & the heater seems to be working fine.

Anyone got a clue.....???

 

Cheers Andy

[Goldie 2]

Check the carpet and see if its wet, itll give you an indication of where the water could be coming from if it is..

 

Other guesses are Matrix, door and boot seals, sunroof??

[toon vw 0]

Yep the drivers footwell is wet this morning....please please don't say its the matrix!!!

[dr_mat 0]

"It's not the matrix".

 

Who knows? If it gets worse when the engine is up to temperature it's almost certainly the matrix. But if not, it's probably "just" a water leak.

[toon vw 0]

I've just checked & my coolant level is right down......this can't be a good thing right?? :(

 

By the way....what exactly is a heater matrix?

 

Cheers Andy

[craigowl 0]

If you have not had heavy rain recently (dont think so) or had the car hosed or in car wash, it is most likely to be matrix.

Carefully taste the wet on your mat - antifreeze has a distinctive sweetish taste. Be certain to spit rather than swallow :lol:

 

A heater matrix is like a little radiator - the fan blows air over it into the car when you have heater on.

[toon vw 0]

I've just been out to do the taste test (being careful to spit not swallow :D ) and to be honest i can only taste water although then again i don't know how much antifreeze was in it ?

I have it booked in on thurs for a full winter service which would have sorted all that out anyway, but looks like it might need something else doing instead now.....oh the joys of corrado ownership :(

[Phil K 0]

If it is the matrix the good news is you can bypass it with some copper tube as a make shift solution but you'll obviously be with out heating until you replace it...

[toon vw 0]

If it is the matrix the good news is you can bypass it with some copper tube as a make shift solution but you'll obviously be with out heating until you replace it...

 

 

Just the right time of year for this to go then :?

[Goldie 2]

I think you know a man who can help...

[g60greeny 0]

mine did this a few weeks back,also when i put my blowers on there was a smell of the coolant comin through?

it seems to have corrected itself though,no steamin or smells,hows that work then :lol: (goes out to check the obvious of empty coolant bottle)

[djmac56 0]

This had been a problem with my car - a slight problem with the coolent smell. Then after I got a new water pump it all went pop - coolant everywhere and i couldnt see a thing. the windcreen went sort of greasy too.

 

I had the bypass thing done then took it to the Phirm where Paul worked his magic and put in a new matrix for me. It cost about 700 quid IIRC, due to the labour involved (dash off due to my dealer fitted air con). I still have a slight coolant smell which Paul assures me will burn off as I use the heater over the winter and the vents clear.

 

I was kicking myself as I had taken the car into a VW stealers 2 months earlier due to low coolant levels and they couldnt find a leak, so I had in my mind ruled out any problems.

 

If it's the matrix, prepare yourelf for a big bill!

 

Mark

[toon vw 0]

This had been a problem with my car - a slight problem with the coolent smell. Then after I got a new water pump it all went pop - coolant everywhere and i couldnt see a thing. the windcreen went sort of greasy too.

 

I had the bypass thing done then took it to the Phirm where Paul worked his magic and put in a new matrix for me. It cost about 700 quid IIRC, due to the labour involved (dash off due to my dealer fitted air con). I still have a slight coolant smell which Paul assures me will burn off as I use the heater over the winter and the vents clear.

 

I was kicking myself as I had taken the car into a VW stealers 2 months earlier due to low coolant levels and they couldnt find a leak, so I had in my mind ruled out any problems.

 

If it's the matrix, prepare yourelf for a big bill!

 

Mark

 

 

 

gulp :(

[Goldie 2]

Take it to Jimmy, hes done one on that press car, it is a big job like.

 

Theres a guide on how to do it step by step, probably a couple of days work, good way to get to know your car though, and save a fortune as the parts are cheap its just the labour that racks up..

[Dec 1]

It can be done without removing the entire dash btw! Just need to remove the lower dash trays and you have enough space to wiggle the entire heater box out. Shouldn't take any longer than an afternoon!

[craigowl 0]

Try others for quotes - someone may come clean and do it without the dash removal.

 

When fitting my Samco hoses, my local garage broke heater matrix pipe (old plastic). They got another matrix and charged me for it at cost - the whole bill for

 

1- Carry out MOT (£40.75 incl VAT)

2 - fitting Samcos (supplied by me)

3 - fitting replacement matrix

4 - supply of matrix (£45 incl VAT)

 

was an astonishingly low £135 including VAT in 2004. Labour charge was 1 hour including "remove parts to gain access to heater matrix"!!

 

My man must be a wizard. Long may it continue.

[toon vw 0]

Take it to Jimmy, hes done one on that press car, it is a big job like.

 

Theres a guide on how to do it step by step, probably a couple of days work, good way to get to know your car though, and save a fortune as the parts are cheap its just the labour that racks up..

Is Jimmi still knocking around on the forum, just have'nt seen any posts off him for a while??

 

Try others for quotes - someone may come clean and do it without the dash removal.

 

When fitting my Samco hoses, my local garage broke heater matrix pipe (old plastic). They got another matrix and charged me for it at cost - the whole bill for

 

1- Carry out MOT (£40.75 incl VAT)

2 - fitting Samcos (supplied by me)

3 - fitting replacement matrix

4 - supply of matrix (£45 incl VAT)

 

was an astonishingly low £135 including VAT in 2004. Labour charge was 1 hour including "remove parts to gain access to heater matrix"!!

 

My man must be a wizard. Long may it continue.

 

Well at least thats given me a little bit of hope, a bit of shopping around may well be on the cards as a bill of around £700 which djmac56 mentioned i might cost would be most unwelcome to say the least !!!! your garage was'nt anywhere near Newcastle was it ???? :lol: :lol:

[Lufbramatt 0]

not a hard job to do yourself to be honest- if youve got a set of screwdrivers and a spare weekend it shoudnt be a problem. im not convinced its a good idea doing it with the dash in, as when mine went the bottom of the heater box was full of coolant and needed tipping upside down to dry out. also the anti freeze rots the foam that covers the control flaps so its a good idea to rip the remains of it off and cover in thin foam from a craft shop or gaffer tape :)

 

hardest bit is not breaking any of the plastic bits by missing screws and pulling stuff too hard lol

[enbee23 0]

Hi Andy,

Looks like I had a lucky escape?!

Good luck with fixing it.

Nick

[ivor Fastun 0]

It cost about 700 quid IIRC,

 

woowzers!

 

As a non-mechanic with no proper training i can recomment doing the job yourself! I had AC too so it was a full dash out job, just put bits in bags and tape them where they were located on the dash. There is no complex instructions just a simple take apart and then put back together. The only thing id recommend is make sure you take the steering wheel off, you will prob need a tool for this, also i found the bolts through the firewall just spun instead of unscrewing, if it doesnt un-do after much turning cut a slot in the top of the bolt and use a screw driver tp hold it still. Just solving that prob took a day! Total cost was £42 for the matrix!

 

Its go up by about £100 once i install some sound deadening and insulation foam under the carpets!

[junkie 0]

Mine went when it was on the rollers been mapped, car 100 miles away so had no choice for Jabba to do it, cost me £400 at their prices so surely it can be done for less than £700 :shock:

[toon vw 0]

Just a little update.....been to the garage this morning after dropping it off yesterday & they've managed to get the busted matrix out without taking the dash off, just some of the lower parts & the passenger seat!!

He reckons about £200 inc the matrix for the job....& he's even lent me a 1 litre punto to get me around in the mean time :D

So not as bad as it could have been i think, now roll on my new suspension 8)

 

Andy

[enbee23 0]

Good news! Pleased for you.

Heck of a lot better than the £700 getting mentioned earlier, phew.

[Laughingboy 0]

£700??!! :shock:

 

Holy pope on a push bike! that seems awfully expensive!

 

I replaced my own in a day, not a hard job at all to be honest. The rado's dash is surprisingly easy to remove and so long as your careful its no drama.