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Dutch24V

Blown heater matrix

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Just been scanning through the site and found some posts regarding the cleaning up of a blown heater matrix. Seems it's common to rip up the carpets to get it totally dry?

 

Mine blew about 6 months back and I just bypassed it, took out the mats and left the car to dry naturally. Carpets and all are now dry and no greasy residue is left on them but what damage could be happening below the carpets?? I don't want to get in the car in a couple of years and find my feet go through the floor 'cos it's rusted away!!!?

 

Dutch

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dont think that wil happen once its gone its gone. have u replaced the matrix yet. mine had a small leak i put a little rad weld in and its stopped but just wanted to no how big a job it is to change

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True I guess but it must be a fairly corrosive mixture?

 

I haven't changed it yet but as I understand you have 2 options:

 

1) Can be done without removing the dash but very fiddly and will cause a lot of swearing/bloody nuckles etc. Not sure on the time frame for this but must be quicker than no. 2)!

 

2) Remove the whole dash and do it properly. About 4 hours or so as I'm lead to believe. I have a mate who's a VW mechanic and is a Corrado owner too and he's done this job a few times (by removing the dash) and reckons he can do it in 4ish hours! Will see in Sept. when mines going to be replaced...

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It's not very corrosive because it's coolant that has been circulating round your engine and now ended up on your carpet.

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Coolant has a corrosion inhibitor in it, to stop the insides of your engine and rad from going manky. Hopefully won't do too much harm to the metalwork, although it might smell a bit funny?

 

hth,

--

Olly

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The trouble is that it's sticky; the water evaporates and leaves the glycol behind. This attracts dirt, so the best thing to do is to give the carpets a really good going over with a proprietary cleaner, especially if you have light-coloured trim.

 

4 hours is a bit optimistic to take out the dash, replace the matrix and put it all back.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

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Well it doesn't smell and the carpet isn't greasy but will give it a good scrub with a generic carpet cleaner one day soon then!

 

I have black trim btw so no worries on that.

 

As for the 4 hours, we'll see, but knowing what he's done to his C and others and seeing him work I am a believer!

 

Cheers...

Dutch

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Just to add

 

I've done my heater matrix by removing dash and i think its easyly possible to do it in around 4 hours

 

chris

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