Replacing heather matrix, what else can I replace?

[thesingh 0]

As subject says, I am going to take the dash out and replace the heater matrix. Is there anything else, I can change and do whiles I have the dash out.

 

Any advise, tips and hints for the task in hand?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Jim 2]

There's plenty of foam gaskets used to seal the various ducts together, etc which have long since gone dry or have perished. It's worth having a good look if you can get your hands on a copy of ETKA and check out the various diagrams to see if you can find / order some of them.

 

The other thing to bear in mind is, if your heater matrix has already blown, then the foam used on the flaps within the airbox may have turned to dust. If you do a search you should find other folks who've gone through this, and the material they used to replace it.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Saw the bottom off the glove box you will understand when you try and remove it from the dash.

 

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[fendervg 33]

Saw the bottom off the glove box you will understand when you try and remove it from the dash.

 

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Amen to that.

[thesingh 0]

ohhh, sounds like a b*tch of a job, you saw it off and get a replacement glovebox?

[fendervg 33]

No, but that's one way of doing it

 

When you get it out (eventually) you'll see some plastic ridges underneath that will have been causing all the trouble - feel free to take a hacksaw or a Dremel to them.

[Jim Bowen 1]

I can't get my head around the glovebox removal. Did they get superman to kick them in at the factory :lol:

[Jim Bowen 1]

A good time to do something with the tweeters in the dash if you haven't already.

[easypops 8]

I can't get my head around the glovebox removal. Did they get superman to kick them in at the factory :lol:

 

:lol:

[thesingh 0]

I can't get my head around the glovebox removal. Did they get superman to kick them in at the factory :lol:

 

Ahh man, not looking forward to doing this now! haha

[fendervg 33]

Just take your time, take plenty of pictures and make sure you label everything. Be very careful with any plastic held on with metal screws, as it might break, check that the three stud nuts in the engine bay (bulkhead side) come off before you do anything else - these and the glove box were my biggest problems as one of the studs had seized.

 

You can do it without removing the whole dash, but it's nearly the same amount of labour and clearances are very tight. As said above, replace the seals and felt, reline the flaps in the heater control box, look at the bowden heater control cables and replace if needed, check the heater controls for wear, tidy up and wrap any loose cabling, replace any blow bulbs in the dash, put a fuse on your headlight switch earth, replace the matrix feed and return hoses etc.

 

There's loads of really good guides on the heater matrix replacement procedure - do a search on here or your search engine of choice and you'll find plenty of info.

 

Oh, and don't put a cheap matrix in as replacement - get a good quality Hella or Valeo item or go to the dealer - you won't want to be doing this again in a hurry.

[Jon_vr6 1]

The worse screw to remove is the one behind one of the vents in centre console. Also wd40 the bolts in the engine bay prior to removal which hold the heater box to the fire wall.

 

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[fendervg 33]

The worse screw to remove is the one behind one of the vents in centre console. Also wd40 the bolts in the engine bay prior to removal which hold the heater box to the fire wall.

 

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Yep. I use a miniature ratchet with a Philips hex bit on it to get at those screws - gives that right angle that's needed.

[SR_Neale 10]

Gold finger had a good guide for dash removal and heater matrix which he used to email out. I don’t think he has been on here for some time though. I will see if I still have it on my old phone. If not I’m sure someone else will have one from goldfinger they could forward on. Also I think adhesive backed felt from the hobby craft shop is a popular choice for re placing the rotten foam.

[swiftkid 1]

Yep. I use a miniature ratchet with a Philips hex bit on it to get at those screws - gives that right angle that's needed.

Looks like a right useful tool that, where's it from?

 

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[fendervg 33]

Looks like a right useful tool that, where's it from?

 

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It's made by Victorinox, the Swiss Army knife people - I bought it years ago to go with a multi-tool, and have used it lots on everything from coffee machines to the car - it was the only way I could undo the awkward trim screws inside the heater vents.

 

It's incredibly strong, and you can get an extension bars as well - not cheap unfortunately, but you might find better prices or a similar alternative with a bit of searching.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-3-0306-Ratchet-Case-Silver/dp/B000MLUB5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528274602&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+ratchet

[thesingh 0]

I thought I would share an update. I manage to get everything with no problems. Was worried abou tthe glovebox but this came out with ease.

 

Ran into problems with the 3 bolts in the engine pay. Rusted and spinning. Will tackle it again on Saturday, may need to cut the bolts off.

 

Fingers cross everything be OK over the weekend.

 

[spen 0]

In the middle of doing mine at the moment (F*$king glove box!), what product does everyone use for replacing the foam? Also is it worth putting some extra sound-proofing in? Has anyone done this?

[fendervg 33]

You can buy thin sheets of adhesive backed felt or foam from art and hobby stores - I used felt on mine. Cut into thin strips it can also be made to replace some of the seals.

 

For the spinning bulkhead screws, it's very tricky to get enough access to cut them down with a dremel. In the end I found that the spinning ones can allow you to lift the air box out as they will already have cone out of the plastic. Once it's out, you can put a long socket or spanner on the bulkhead side and jam it in place or get someone to hold it, and then a large hex socket will fit over the flat hex washer section that is part of the bolt on the interior bulkhead side, and you should be able to crack it. They are kind of a weird fixing that screw into the heater box first using the hex part, and then on the bulkhead side they have a washer with rubber on one side and a nut welded on top. I was able to get three new ones from VAG.

[spen 0]

something like this...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Squeak-Rattle-Self-Adhesive/dp/B00ULXT84U/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1548933210&sr=8-7&keywords=adhesive+backed+felt

[fendervg 33]

This might be better and is closer to what I used:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sntieecr-Pieces-Adhesive-Sheets-Fabric/dp/B07H4CZYSB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548934239&sr=8-3&keywords=self+adhesive+felt+sheets

 

The other stuff looks to be not wide enough to cover the metal flaps completely.

[seanl82 23]

I just used heat reflective tape. (Sticky silver foil tape). I don't know why foam was used originally, assuming its to allow a very small amount of air through even when not directed, but if I want air to the vents/screen/footwell, I'll just direct it there......