Main vehicle heater / blower / demister - only works on 4 (aka: blown resistor)

[hirsty]

Noticed yesterday that vehicle heater fan will now only blow on setting 4, positions 1 2 and 3 have no effect & cannot hear the fan spinning at all - so all or nothing ... If it's a fuse wouldn't it stop working altogether? Everything was a-okay on our recent 2,500 mile Italian road trip, but now we're back home in autumnal Britain we need the demist and A/C blowing on the windscreen.

• T6 Beach with standard (not Climatronic) manual A/C, so just a temperature dial and a fan-speed dial.
• A/C light still comes on, but no blow at all, unless on top whack fan setting.
• No separate rear A/C option fitted, but again have a temp and fan dial - working fine

I loathe ever having to pop the fuse box cover - it's extremely awkward to get to, and I have no idea which fuse is which other than pulling 'em all out one by one in a process of elimination (and dropping a few into the void).

 

[hirsty]

To answer my own question, from a.n.other forum, seemingly a "blown resistor" is an ongoing issue carried over from the T5, affecting many other VAG models with manual aircon & they can regularly pop after two or three years:



Makes sense if '4' is the default setting & this tiny part is having to hold it back the whole time (I leave it on 1 or 2 & occasionally 4 for a blast).

Will be either c.£43 part from VW, or a £5.99 eBay punt, plus Labour - depending on whether mine is handily located in the glove box or hidden underneath & behind up against the bulkhead. Grrrr.

 

[MattBW]

Reminds me of the same issue on the T25, you literally have to remove the entire dashboard to get at the thing, nightmare. Hopefully easier on the modern ones.

 

[KGCali]

Easy on T5, just remove the lower dash panels on passenger side, see Video for changing blower motor, resistor can be seen...

 

[Neil b]

I had the same problem on my T5 Kombi - it was an easy fix using youtube video to replace £1 resistor. Took about an hour to do the job.

 

[Esandar#1]

To answer my own question, from a.n.other forum, seemingly a "blown resistor" is an ongoing issue carried over from the T5, affecting many other VAG models with manual aircon & they can regularly pop after two or three years:

View attachment 52067

Makes sense if '4' is the default setting & this tiny part is having to hold it back the whole time (I leave it on 1 or 2 & occasionally 4 for a blast).

Will be either c.£43 part from VW, or a £5.99 eBay punt, plus Labour - depending on whether mine is handily located in the glove box or hidden underneath & behind up against the bulkhead. Grrrr.

Hi hirsty,
I have exactly the same problem you described above on our 2017 Reg Beach. Did you resolve the problem yourself - in which case have you any advice on how easy or difficut it is to DIY - or did you hand it over to VW for them to fix...?

Thanks in anticipation of any help or advice!
Best wishes
Ian

 

[hirsty]

Hi hirsty,
I have exactly the same problem you described above on our 2017 Reg Beach. Did you resolve the problem yourself - in which case have you any advice on how easy or difficut it is to DIY - or did you hand it over to VW for them to fix...?

Thanks in anticipation of any help or advice!
Best wishes
Ian

Hi - yes, as above it's not difficult but I found quite awkward to get to 'up & under' behind the bottom of the bulkhead from the footwell. A double-jointed arm (or thin hand) would be useful.

On the plus side though it's a cheap fix & difficult to get wrong. I'll do the next one myself too, I don't think it's a Dealer job.

 

[Wildcamper]

Took my T6 to VW Commercials in Swindon, it took them 30 mins to change the resistor - no charge as they said it is an on going issue!

 

[Esandar#1]

Hi - yes, as above it's not difficult but I found quite awkward to get to 'up & under' behind the bottom of the bulkhead from the footwell. A double-jointed arm (or thin hand) would be useful.

On the plus side though it's a cheap fix & difficult to get wrong. I'll do the next one myself too, I don't think it's a Dealer job.

Rather belatedly thanks for your help and advice!
Will post back here to say how we got our issue resolved, especially in light of the post immediately following yours...!

 

[Esandar#1]

Took my T6 to VW Commercials in Swindon, it took them 30 mins to change the resistor - no charge as they said it is an on going issue!

Hi Wildcamper,
Rather belatedly thanks for your help and advice! Was that the dealer that you bought you van from and was it still under warranty?

Will post back here to say how we got our issue resolved, especially in light of the post immediately following yours...!

Thanks
Ian

 

[Wildcamper]

Hi Wildcamper,
Rather belatedly thanks for your help and advice! Was that the dealer that you bought you van from and was it still under warranty?

Will post back here to say how we got our issue resolved, especially in light of the post immediately following yours...!

Thanks
Ian

Still under warranty but not the supplying dealer. Next time, there will be a next time as these resistors are not very robust, I will do it myself. It is quite straightforward and there are videos here and on the T6 forum if one needs quidence.

 

[hirsty]

it's a damn nuisance @Esandar#1 though I suspect the majority of newer T5.1 / T6 onward Californias will have automatic Climatronic aircon rather than manual & perhaps different arrangements - so perhaps why this is a less well known point of failure. I couldn't find anything on the forum when I started this thread.

for those of us in the cheap seats the resistor should be carried as a consumable spare & be prepared to get your double-jointed sleeves rolled up every few years ...

 

[Wildcamper]

it's a damn nuisance @Esandar#1 though I suspect the majority of newer T5.1 / T6 onward Californias will have automatic Climatronic aircon rather than manual & perhaps different arrangements - so perhaps why this is a less well known point of failure. I couldn't find anything on the forum when I started this thread.

for those of us in the cheap seats the resistor should be carried as a consumable spare & be prepared to get your double-jointed sleeves rolled up every few years ...

This resistor failure is very common on T5s, T6s and a lot of other VW vehicles. VW Commercials in Swindon diagnosed it over the phone, so very well known. Taking a spare, or two, on a long journey is a good idea. They are very cheap - probably why they fail so often.

 

[KGCali]

When I replaced my resistor on my 2010 T5.1 SE Climatronic it was the heatsink version 7L0907521B so not so cheap at £54, see below, so check you buy the right type. You can also buy used on eBay for around £15-£20

VW AUDI SEAT [2004-2016] HEATER BLOWER FAN RESISTOR SPEED CONTROLLER 7L0907521B

VW AUDI SEAT 2004-2016 HEATER BLOWER FAN RESISTOR SPEED CONTROLLER 7L0907521BUsed to regulate the speed control for the heater blower fan this

justgermanparts.co.uk

 

[Esandar#1]

This resistor failure is very common on T5s, T6s and a lot of other VW vehicles. VW Commercials in Swindon diagnosed it over the phone, so very well known. Taking a spare, or two, on a long journey is a good idea. They are very cheap - probably why they fail so often.

After describing the problem to my VW dealership over the phone, I have been quoted £58 for the part and 'up to' an hour of labour at £92 / hour to fit, so a £150 fix (every 4 years!?!)

 

[Wildcamper]

After describing the problem to my VW dealership over the phone, I have been quoted £58 for the part and 'up to' an hour of labour at £92 / hour to fit, so a £150 fix (every 4 years!?!)

They are ripping you off big time. The resistor is available on eBay for less than £20 and if you are ok with a spanner takes about 15 mins. There are YouTube videos on how to replace the resistor in both T5s and T6s - same process for both.

 

[jts46]

Did mine a few weeks back, £15 from justcampers & an hour of my time

 

[KGCali]

The Climatronic heater resistors have the large heatsink so are more expensive (~£55) than the basic resistor (~£10). Both are very easy to fit.

 

[Esandar#1]

The Climatronic heater resistors have the large heatsink so are more expensive (~£55) than the basic resistor (~£10). Both are very easy to fit.

Thanks to everyone who has offered up words of wisdom & encouragement! Our Cali is a 2017 T6 Beach. Found this great video - link below - explaining how (relatively easy) it appears to be to do. I suppose I will find out what resistor I need if I take the required panel off and see if what I have looks the same as on the video. I will report back on my experience!