Polo Heater problems

**polo2000** · 03-10-2007,04:27 PM

Polo heater problem
Hi this is my first post!

On my 2003 Polo 1400SE the heat cannot be turned down and even with the temp control set to blue (cold) it sends out hot air. What is involved in this -is it a simple task?

The reverse is true on my other Polo - it's freezing all the time - no warm air at all!

Can anyone tell what is required if the orange exhaust gas warning light remains on -- this happened when the car had not been driven and the battery went flat. The EPC warning light was also on but went out after a few minutes.

Hope some bright spark can help me. Thanks.

**vwpolo** · 21-10-2007,05:41 PM

I too have this problem. This is a common problem with Polo's

see https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum//...ead.php?t=3343

I have posted here and other forums before but no one is expert enough to be able to conclusively say what a simple fix is.

The fix seems to be quite complex.
Basically, there are tow motorised flaps in the heater control. One that controls the temperature and one that controls the fresh air intake. Both these motors are pretty unreliable and tend to get jammed intermitenly. I have checked this on my car with VAG-COM diagnostics cable connected to my laptop and get the following fault codes:

01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
30-10 - Open or Short to B+ - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
30-00 - Open or Short to B+

The fix is to replace these motors (V68 and V154). They are not cheap but the real problem is getting to them. To do it properly, the whole dashboad has to be removed to get to the heater mechanism. Which requires removing the steering wheel (which requires removing the battery lead which disables the airbags).

VW *********** quoted me £390 + vat for parts and labour !!

I have learned to live with the problem by trying one of these workarounds:

1. turn temp dial to coldest and close the central airvents for 1 minute or two while the vent dial is set to DEMIST. Then open the central vent fans -- that then lowers teh temp to the coldest.
or
2. turnthe fan speed to ZERO for a minute or two and then to 1. That will then reset the temp to the coldest.

Try that to see if it works for you.

**Crasher** · 21-10-2007,07:16 PM

The part is £71.12 but it takes hours to fit as the whole facia has to come out. I also recommend to my customers that we replace the other motors when we are in there but they are usually faulty anyway so it isn’t a good idea not too. It isn’t just Polo’s either, Golf’s, Passat’s, Octavia-they all suffer from this but the Polo is especially bad.

**vwpolo** · 22-10-2007,01:31 PM

Hi Crasher,
Are the replacement motors any more reliable that the original ?
How long before the problem comes back ?

If this is a known problem, why don't VW fix the problem for free (even outside warranty) as it seems like a major design fault ?

**Crasher** · 22-10-2007,01:53 PM

If VAG fixed all their major problems for free outside warranty there wouldn't be a company called Volkswagen anymore, especially after the current 02K gearbox fiasco. As to whether they are any more reliable, no they aren’t-they are still pants! At least if they fail within two years, VW will replace them under warranty including doing the work even if someone else fits them.

**djl78** · 05-05-2009,08:43 PM

I've been getting the codes below so bought a heater temp flap motor (V68) and a fan resistor pack as speeds 1 & 2 were not working but the V68 seems to be either in the full hot or cold position and doesn't regulate in between.
Do i need to perform basic settings or adaptation in VCDS or am i looking at a new heater switch/dial?

Thanks

Address 08: Auto HVAC Labels: 6Q0-820-045.lbl
Part No: 6Q0 820 045
Component: Klimaanlage X0840

8 Faults Found:
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
30-10 - Open or Short to Plus - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
30-10 - Open or Short to Plus - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
29-10 - Short to Ground - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
28-10 - Short to Plus - Intermittent
01271 - Positioning Motor for Temperature Flap (V68)
55-00 - Adaptation Not Successful
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
41-10 - Blocked or No Voltage - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
29-10 - Short to Ground - Intermittent
01596 - Motor for Outside/Recirculated Air Flap (V154)
28-10 - Short to Plus - Intermittent

**Crasher** · 05-05-2009,09:08 PM

Do the basic settings and see what happens.

**djl78** · 05-05-2009,09:14 PM

Thanks Crasher will try first thing tomorrow.
Regards
djl

**djl78** · 07-05-2009,10:10 AM

Managed to fit the heater flap actuator yesterday and after running basic settings all appears normal again although i think i may have to check i have the actuator cog and mechanism cog lined up correctly.
Thanks again crasher
djl

JUV · 08-05-2009,11:29 AM

djl78, any chance you could post some more details on what you did and how? This is a very, very common problem on these cars and very expensive to have a garage fix, I've been trying to find some simple at-home instructions for a layman for some time and found nothing useful. Maybe it's just too complicated but I'd like to give it a go if I can.

The heat control motor (hot to cold) is the one that causes us aggro. I understand it's behind the glove box somewhere and I've been told its possible to change without dismantling the whole dashboard, but how and where exactly? Also, what do I need to perform "basic settings" afterward?

Last but not least, where did you get the part? Really grateful for any help.