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tattyrado

Heater matrix gone? I hate January.

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Bloody great month this is, first the heater matrix on my missus' mk2 GTI goes, yesterday my boiler broke so no heat or hot water in the house, and now its the turn of the rado. There's water leaking into my passenger footwell, I'm loosing coolant and the fan blows out steam instead of hot air. When the blowers on I can hear water sloshing around. I'm guessing its the matrix, any chance it could be anything else?

If not how big a job is it, and what matrix should I use? I was told to replace the one in the mk2 golf with a mk3 matrix.

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I'd say there's no chance whatsoever of it being something else.

Not what you wanted to hear, but you know.. sometimes there *is* a rat living in the freezer.

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I thought as much, was just clinging to straws. My mechanic has never changed 1 on a rado so cant quote a price, is it pretty much the same as a mk2 golf?

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Actually its not to bad. You don't have to remove the dash. Just remove all the kick panels ect. Dash front facia ect and then remove the heater channels. Unclip the control cabels, remove the hose clips that connect the matrix at the bulkhead and then undo the two nuts that hold the heater box in place on the bulkhead. The whole unit should be teased out and there you go. Matrix removed and replaced. My heater box was duff so it was a voyage of discoverey!!

 

In the words of a famous publisher that does not supply a manual for our cars.

 

Refitting is the reverse of removal...hahahahahahhahaa :lol:

 

I have just last week done said job. This is my first C and I got stuck in. Was ok.

 

See here

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Mine's gone too, I share your pain!

 

I'm gonna do mine this weekend, but I really don't wanna touch the car in case I mess something up. Everything I touch turns into a disaster!

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Mine's gone too, I share your pain!

 

I'm gonna do mine this weekend, but I really don't wanna touch the car in case I mess something up. Everything I touch turns into a disaster!

 

Oh downer.

 

I would have said come over to St Neots and I'll do it with ya. Unfortunatley i've just moved back to Cheshire.

 

Go for it. The hardest part was removing the damn glove box and removing the spring clips from the hoses at the bulkhead arghhhhh. Much shouting and damning of VW. Both now replaced with rolled edge jubilee clips..

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So other than the matrix and your heater box, what did you have to replace?

 

I'm going to replace my heater motor while I'm there as mine is making some awful noises!

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So other than the matrix and your heater box, what did you have to replace?

 

I'm going to replace my heater motor while I'm there as mine is making some awful noises!

 

Yeah did the motor. greased the bearings, Swapped out the brushes with some I swiped drom the breakers yd. Replaced my thermal fuse on the motor. My fan was only working on 4. I aim to replace the slider controls with the later rotary dials.

 

Soughted out my clocks. Temp gauge was not working. It the thermal arm had slipped from its groove at the needle mount.

 

All in all a good first job on my first C. Since then the gearbox is out for a healthcheck. today driveshafts re-booted both ends. New mounts for the front struts and a poly bush kit on the way.

 

Loads of stuff to do before she goes on the rd in anger.

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am i correct i thinking the mk3 golf matrix is a direct fit but without the weekness of the corrado one making the duff pressure valve redundant, or should i just change the pressure valve?

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