Fidgety climate control motor - replace, live with or is there another fix?

[SebRogers]

One of my climate control motors 'fidgets' every few seconds most of the time. Fine when I have the radio on, pretty annoying when it's off :D

I've had the glovebox off and identified the culprit: it's the passenger temp control motor. Works fine, adjusts the flap as it should when you tweak the temp and my local indie reports no fault codes stored, but it just won't stop fidgeting! I had the motor out and popped the plastic case apart - no obvious problems, corrosion, bad connections or whatever.

I did wonder whether it was the flap position sensor that might be causing the problem. It looks like that's part of the motor assembly and I couldn't see an easy way into it. Am I thinking on the right lines?

Is it worth trying a reset? Anything else I can do? Will a new motor likely cure the problem?

Thanks in advance!

[warp_speed]

I believe its supposed to make small adjustments to ensure the correct temperature is given through the vent. However if the mechanism is dry you will hear the adjustments, try adding a small amount of grease to the motor mechanics and see if sorts out the noise. There is an reset/calibration that can be done using VCDS but unsure if it will solve your problems.

But if the flap is constantly moving back and forward then it might not be finding its position correctly..... humm unsure. New motor required maybe.

[SebRogers]

Thanks for that. It's certainly noisier than I'd expect, but when I had it apart it looked clean and well lubed to me. I suppose I could try swapping the motor with one of the other motors (not the complete unit, just pop the motors out) and see if that makes a difference. Probably worth a try before splashing for a new one.

Or just keep the stereo on! :D