Just noticed today there is a damp patch on the carpet, front passenger side in my Passat, just to the right of the centre console (kinda like where the pedels would be if it was a left hand drive car). The only things I've had done is the break fluid change, on Friday, and two weeks prior had a service from VW where they changed the rocker gasket cover.
Now I'm pretty sure this leak has only developed in the last couple of weeks. The dampness doesn't quite feel like water as it's a tad more pungent and a the liquid I've been able to sponge off seems a bit thicker than water.
I'm wondering if any of the recnt work I've had done could have resulted in this. Could it be an AC coolant leak? I'm quite unaware of the possibilities so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thx.
S.
PS My temp gauge has not been working for a while now, still waiting for VW to check it out and let me know what the problem is. I don't know if this relates to the wet patch either.
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I don,t think your leak has any relation to the work prevviously carried out.It is not a/c gas ,but I would suspect heater matrix leaking.The smell is probably anti-freeze.Are you loosing any coolant?
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Indeed when I checked the radiator tank it was at least 50% empty. I topped it up with water and left it at that.
If it is the heater matrix is that another costly job? It's just that VW have taken almost 500 quid off me this month alone :/
Thx.
S.
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Heater matrix renewal usualy entails dashboard removal.....
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You don't state the age of your Passat, but if it is the later type then be prepared for a large bill. I have had the dash out of an A4, which is a similar construction, and £500 would be getting off very lightly (from a dealer).
I would try a recommended 'independent'.
If it is an old Passat then try some kind of cooling system sealer and hope for the best......
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Its'a 1999 V plate Passat. The guy at VW (and a few indies I've spoken too) are very surprised and doubtful that it is the heater matrix. One of them mentioned something about a valve/tap.
VW said they'd charge about £50 to diagnose the problem, so probably worth me paying that first.
Sigh. Me and my Passat don't get on too well as the thing is bleeding my wallet.
S.
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Has your car got air con? If so it could be condensate from the evaporator. However, as your coolant has dropped considerably I would go along with a heater matrix leak.
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Sorry, just realised you do have air con. On Passats the A/C drain sometimes gets blocked resulting in a wet carpet.
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This is most likely to be caused by water ingress via the pollen filter housing. This is situated on the left hand side of the car, under the bonnet in front of the windscreen. The seal fails: Water fills the passenger footwell, which contains the control unit for central locking/alarm/interior lights. This control unit can also become water logged rendering it useless. In some cases, water can enter the main interior wiring harness and travel up the wires by capillary action, leaving the harness virtually unrepairable due to the wiring becoming corroded. This needs looking at as soon as possible to avoid major problems. If control unit and wiring harness require replacement, you will be looking at a four figure bill.
Temp gauge fault is most likely due to a faulty coolant sensor:another common problem with the passat.
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Thx for the helpful suggestions. Alas, I have now heard 4 different suggestions from various VW indies, including VW's theory. Mark, what with me being a total non-technical guy, I was wondering how plausible your suggestion could be. Do you think it's worth me mentioning this to the garage I hand the car into?
Except for VW, they other indies seem to believe, by and large, that it's the heater matrix. When using the heating system, regardless of whether I set it to cold or hot, I get hot steam filtering in from every vent, it can't be missed. Looks like a sauna after a minute.
Now I've noticed that I've got dampness on both the passenger and driver footwells. It's definately a water/antifreeze mix and booked in tomorrow for fixing. I got a warranty from RAC Warranty and have been told that as long as it is the heater matrix they should be able to ante up for at least half the cost of repair.
As for the temperature gauge I took it into a chain of garages called Nationwide. The guys said the thermostat and temp sender unit were just fine and put the fault down to electrics. Then they asked me if I wanted them to call in an electrician at £80 an hour. Weird.
S.
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I work in a official VW dealers and as far as I can recall, we have never had to replace a heater matrix on this model passat, we have however seen a large number of leaks caused by the fault with the pollen filter seal. Mind you, from your latest description it sounds very much like a coolant leak. Good luck!
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I know that quite a few years back VW/Audi had quite a reputation for leaking heater matrices. It does sound very unusual for one to go at this young age though.
I'm just wondering if there is some kind of 'shut off valve' in the heater water circuit to shut the flow off when 'cold' is selected. Many vehicles have these to prevent heat 'bleeding though' when 'cold' is selected. If it has such a valve then I would check it out first.
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Try a good cooling system sealer first.
This worked wonders on my Pug 309 SRi, which had been loosing water ever since I owned it. Cured the problem completely :)
....until it was written off 3 months later :(
Hugo
"Forever indebted to experience of others"
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Well I handed the car into a garage who said it was the heater matrix and replaced it. Cost £415.00 of which the insurance paid about £300.00
The garage said the heater matrix was was leaking very badly. Maybe you guys are right, maybe it was some other problem that could have been fixed for alot cheaper but now that I've shelled out another 100 odd quid I want to believe it was the matrix. That'll make me less sick :)
Thx for the posts, slowly but surely I'm beginning to pick up a few things form you lot.
S.
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Actually that was a good deal. I would have expected more than £415 for a job like that.
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