Completely Fixing Blend Doors and 😫 SADLY 😫 Removing the HVAC Box

[@royson345]

Charles really does love those R32s. I’m grateful for people like you though and so many other that help keep such cool cars in great shape.

[@jeffreyshepherd8488]

You and Paul putting up videos today, gonna be a good day!

[@renerobes30]

A labor of love/hate, can't imagine what the cost would be for this overhaul. It only looks moderately easy due to your skill and experience. Thanks for the video.

[@mercer982]

Did this on my Mk3 on winter time. Took me one whole weekend to do. But that warm air after it, sure was worth it.

[@erichill7560]

Mk5 glove compartment suuucks and the mk4 doesn't look any easier to remove.

[@aurum79argentum47]

Ok, in my 2001 TDI new Beetle I pulled out the radio and center console out and cut a piece of plastic out of the top of the heater box underneath it, about 4 x 7". Then with great difficulty and lots of cuts to my hand, I reached in and patched the blend door with heavy duty 3M aluminum furnace tape (amazing stuff) after scraping off the remaining foam. Then I taped the cutout to hold the panel back in. This has worked for 5 years so far. No steering wheel/airbag/dash removal required. Took about 3 hours.

[@garvysgarage]

In the beetles it can be done a little easier I can confirm.

[@Deutscheautoparts]

I remember coughing up foam that came from a dusty Scirocco vent on a trip to Florida

[@rkan2]

"I remember!" 😂

[@Powersproductions130]

I got to drive this generation of golf R(32) at a dealership I used to work at and it’s by far the most fun VW I’ve driven. It has been 10 years since and I still remember how I felt driving it.

[@TomAlderman1978]

I love that you are helping keep these cars alive.

[@Workshop8191]

I would run a VCDS scan to check the blend door motors prior to doing this job Charles, air re-circulation motor V71 is especially prone to failure at least on RHD MK4s, but otherwise Awesome video!! Motivated me to get mine done!

[@robertborchert932]

Oh no, it fails equally well on the LHD models as well. Most often, you can actually hear it chooch when the gears go by the wayside.

[@TheTardis157]

For parts like that I always just replace it while I'm in there. No need to do the job twice when you already had it apart. Same goes for the actuators in GMs. When one goes, replace them all.

[@V8.77]

I had to replay the last part of the video. That car sounds so effing beautiful

[@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f]

What an exhaust note!

[@HumbleMechanic]

I love it

[@mlies37]

lol, my mk4 is always spewing that foam in my face. You’d think it’d run out at some point but no it’s like an endless supply of the stuff.

[@christheturdherder9096]

@ 9:40 what my wife thought when we met for the first time..great video as always Charles!

[@miketeeveedub5779]

Another prime example of "while I'm in here..." repairs. A 20 year old heater core is never something to overlook. Glad you found the courage and intestinal fortitude to get 'er done! Another entertaining video as always!

[@jonathanjovannapc]

I wished you talked about replacing the blend door pivots with new ones or the upgraded metal ones cause on my mk4 jetta mine broke and I lost my temp door pivot, I fixed it by putting a brake cleaner cap as a wedge so it wouldnt fall out again and its worked ever since. Love the videos btw, your videos are the only ones I could find that gave proper explanations on how to remove trim pieces properly like the A-pillar trim on that r32 rehab video you did cause other videos tell you to rip the trim off as hard as you could.

[@TheTardis157]

I've done this a few times on Porsche 928s. Not a fun job for sure. But it becomes much more necessary to do yourself when you find out the few shops that will do the job charge 50 hours of labor. I can do it in 18 lol. Things become worse when you have to deal with 40+ year old plastic, doing this on a newer car would be a dream!

[@evgeni2306]

Few months ago i did this exercise to both my Golf Mk3 and my Seat Alhambra. Everything was taken out. Best way to work easily and look up on the whole box and repair all the vent doors, change radiators etc.

[@johnchambers12]

My last dash removal was thankfully in the early 90’s vehicle. I am Not looking forward to the day my 2013 Bug or my 2000 Bug need the same service and the foam for the floor brackets is a knee saver. I used an old carpet. Great video especially the exhaust sounds at the end. I love the windows open all summer on my 2.0 T but never get that crisp note that makes this old mechanic smile!

[@bgee461]

Surprise!! Your 2000 probably needs it. Or someone else has already done it. Send a scope in there

[@calculusentropy]

Your beard comments reminded me this was the summer of Tolkien beards being ripped off mechanics, I think I saw a record number of injuries this year. I can't imagine how you have stayed safe so long. You're the man.

[@HumbleMechanic]

I try to keep all my body parts out of bad places 🤣

[@Moonplant432]

Oh, My, Goodness! What a project.

[@kodyhogan3568]

i remember seeing you and paul carrying that steering wheel cover at loe show! What a nice touch to the car

[@tedjohnson64]

I’m super impressed that you were able to reassemble the dash with no rattles!

[@HumbleMechanic]

Thanks to 15yrs of dealer work of people complaining about rattles hahah I got good at fixing them and avoiding fixing them .

[@themachine8009]

Even though I could never do this job, always looking forward to your posts HM. Really enjoyed everything VWs and your mastery at it. Another awesome vid. Thank you for sharing all that knowledge

[@psingone]

big ups for making it look easy. A true pro in every since of the word

[@MikeFicsacardi]

Of all the incredible sounding engines out there, this one is still up towards the top for me.

[@tdj5245]

This is a perfect example of a repair that may not require technical genius but does require the patience and persistence of a god (like Charles)

[@johncoldwell340]

To any people that don't know much about cars, there is loads of great advice and tips in this video that are spot on for alot of European cars not just VAG cars 👌 especially not to kneel on the seat mount area the pain is no joke

[@psychewardk1d]

I’ve had to do this on almost every VW I have owned. It is what it is.

[@larryhibbitts2099]

Great video Charles- I always learn so much watching you do this stuff. And the car sounds GREAT! I had never seen a heater core teardown (even though our Audi Q5's has been replaced TWICE), so this was fascinating to watch!

[@99andrianmonk]

Charles - love the video. Love all of your videos. I don't foresee taking apart a Golf dashboard however watching you do it is a learning lesson in and of itself - your approach to doing things in a practical way and with an eye on a quality finished product is fantastic. The running commentary only serves to make the video all that much more enjoyable. Looking forward to the next challenge you undertake.

[@jasonbass2973]

My Mk4 Jetta has the same problem, and other old age problems, the plastics are terrible. Move it a little and you here a snap somewhere. Still love it, and still trying to keep it going. Good vid on how to attempt this repair.

[@josheaton8906]

Charles how I wish you'd uploaded this two years ago before I did this to my GTI... would've saved me SO much pain and misery removing the crash bar :((((

[@maveric0738]

Great job Charles. I’m the original owner of my R32 and my glove box never had that type of carpet inside it.

[@jenny80myles]

I do love the sound of that engine. :)

[@bigmountain7561]

Charles, I think that leopard print steering wheel cover around your waist was so funny. Lol!!! I wish you could do a whole series on a TDI!! Thank You 🙏

[@Mikefngarage]

WOW Charles. this video will come in handy when the foam gets jacked up on my vents. thanks for making it.....Lots of work tearing apart a dash.

[@john_dee1431]

Your videos inspire fixing instead of replacing. And that’s a needed thing.

[@mediocreman2]

His last video he gave up on fixing a GTI because it was better just to throw it away.

[@johnnno01]

even though I'll never pull apart a Vw dash, i found this vid very interesting, great content charles , thanks.

[@johnmoser2689]

I almost forgot how much fun this job is... especially the firewall] a/c bolt and rain tray bolts argh

[@montythurber2441]

"Tornado Pink"....I don't think I have heard Charles say the lords name in vain so many times in one video.

[@vr6chrisvw]

Thanks for this. Now I know why my Heat and AC has sucked for the last few years.

[@MillersMotors]

gives me some motivation to finally swap in my r32 dash.. especially since I started getting foam bits out the vents

[@johnmoser2689]

From my brothers 95 mk3 to my 03 TDI beetle and my sons 03 jetta GLI and soon his new to us Audi TT. I have always taken the entire box out it's the only way to really fix it right!

[@FaysalBDev]

nice one, you finished it off with some lovely exhaust tunes

[@petecurran3995]

Nice 1, Charles - that's the stuff of nightmares! 💀

[@Kevin-hm2di]

i was throwing a code for the blend door on my Passat when i first bought it (used) in 2019, luckily the actuator seems to have freed itself and ive been code free basically my entire time owning the car

[@CliffjumperCars]

For all the non-full time mechanics, instead of relying solely on photos and video to remember where all the wiring connectors go, a piece of blue painter's tape and a sharpie marker to label them as you unplug them makes life MUCH easier.

[@eppyz]

"I Guess I Need to go to the Gym One more time"🤣 freaking hilarious Love it Charles👍

[@mc.ashlandfelix7140]

Hey, Humble Mechanic, I just started watching your videos about 3 weeks ago. I really do not know where and whom to turn to, on an unrelated topic .I am currently driving my parents 1998 camry,which they got brand new in '97. The car is 26 years old and currently has 136K miles on it. The transmission fluid nor the differential has ever been changed in the 26 years of this vehicle's life. Many sources say if the fluid has never been changed on a vehicle this old,then I should leave it alone,while some say just do a drain and fill,but do not to do a flush , even though the vehicle is this old,some say a drain and fill will be fine. I am contemplating on doing it,as the gears are getting worst, like when I put the gear in D,instead of driving,the car will reverse, and other times when I put the gear in D, the car will take almost one minute before it starts driving,even when I press the gas pedal, the car will not drive. It's gotten to the point where I start the car and let it idle to engine temperature before I attempt to switch gears and drive. I just let it warm to operating temp for a few minutes. I just do not know if I should drain and fill the fluid. I am so lost and confused.

[@onlineoutlaw209]

I have a 07 beetle I just did the heater core and shifter on. It wasn't fun.. You make it look easy.

[@Revelocity]

Im a BMW guy, in the E31 (8 series), I took the interior apart multiple times. I had to fix a few plastic "connectors" that broke that moved the main center flaps, which required taking the entire dash out and the heater core out. Its one of the crappiest jobs to do, but if you do it 2-3 times you kind of just get used to it lol

[@NyksWyldMynd]

I hear you on the rechecking work. I had to rewire and repin a connector for an old Mini fusepanel (JBE) and thought I did everything good. Put it all back together and then for some reason now the fuel gauge and wipers arent working. Turns out I had the pins for those two wires off by one position in the connector. 😂🤷‍♂️

[@TheVolksVision]

You should do mk2 content 🤷‍♂️

[@marcmercier989]

I know you love doing this so much. You should do mine next, I even have climatronic ready to swap in 😅

[@rodneynoriel1528]

I did the first DYI heater core on a Corrado back in 1992. what a horrible job, and didn't do the foam rack then since the care was a couple years old. I did do this on my Audi 80 which was again full dash removal .. and do the heater core while you're at it. If there's any Chinese part I'd use its the Heater core from the early VW. China sells a full solder heater core with out plastic end caps.

[@johnfrizza681]

Like your detailed explanations and your cautions about what can go wrong, what to do, what not to do etc. This problem of disintegrating foam in the HVAC has been a VW problem for decades! Why don't they use foam that lasts? I refitted the foam in my Golf Mk2's system with foam (open -cell , I think - for upholstery and the like) bought at a local foam supply shop and it lasts forever and it's cheap! Why can't VW correct this?

[@rayzza88]

The explosion of that trim coming off near the glove box 🤣🤣

[@HumbleMechanic]

Hahah gently manhandled

[@renedewael9703]

Arf ! To do stuff on my 2001 TT 😭. Althought I have seen a less messie way to do it especialy on my car. Thanx for this precious vid 👍

[@heyallenify]

If I go that far in, I'm likely going to go a little further and replace the heater core and AC evaporator. My 2000 Jetta has 410,000 miles on it, and I'm surprised it hasn't puked either yet. That said, thank you for sharing all this.

[@jsr3793]

Alright, a few years ago I commented that a clutch job you did on a gen 3 golf gave me PTSD. But that car with the dash missing really made me curl up in a ball and dry heave

[@williamclick9771]

Tell you what I had to do. My late cousin gave me his father's 2000 Camry LE 2.2L. The Camry is almost all led now. The 4 things I can't change are as follows clock, hazard, cigarette lighter and master door switch light in the driver's side door. These are the things I can't change. About 3 weeks ago I changed out the glovebox incandescent bulb to a cool white led bulb. One drawback I had to remove the whole glovebox just to put in one tiny 74 led bulb. The next job is to change out the console shifter incandescent bulb to cool white led bulb and last but not least is the dashboard clutter light bulbs to led. I didn't cut wiring for the turn signal and hazard lights what I did was I bought a flasher that works both with incandescent and led bulbs. It makes me happy when things come together. One thing I don't understand is there is rust on the bolts that bolt down the sits. And rust on the tracks of the drivers sit. I'm wondering what caused this. September 1st makes 3 years since my cousin pasted away. Miss him very much.

[@roybm3124]

Massive job, well done!

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

Even when the gear lever bushing is new you get some play, some thin plastic from a clear PET bottle around the outside is just thick enough to squeeze the bush in to take up that play ( use lube on the outside when fitting)

[@Mechadondada]

I’ll cop to wanting to know about the beardly difficulties while wrenching. Glad I’m not the only one.

[@frankhoward7645]

0:56. Hey Charles. I came up with a solution to that pesky problem of releasing the air bag clips. Once I had it off, I drilled a couple of 1" holes in the back of the wheel so I can now see exactly where to put the screwdriver to release the clips. Of course now that I've done that, there's been no reason to remove the wheel!

[@OlguinInHD]

Hey Charles! Please do a video on how you repaired the trim pieces with the plastic welder and what stuff you used that would be super helpful since I will need to pull my dash apart at some point :)

[@jdubsvr6]

I’ve done 5-6 mk4 hvac rehabs. It’s a combination of super glue, 2 part plastic epoxy and thin gauge aluminum to repair the dash trim pieces. You literally create molds out of tape to recreate the shape of the trim and fill with epoxy. Another method I’ve used is shape light gauge aluminum sheet and epoxy in where the plastics have broken off.

[@L0rdVadr]

Another tip: when repairing those holes, it’s a good idea to add a washer of acceptable size to your epoxy/ hole mixture. Also, if there’s any soft touch coating around the area, remove it. This will help your adhesive stick better. Fun fact: the soft touch coating is actually the culprit of the old plastic disintegrating. Most people aren’t aware of this.

[@Aleks_Mechanics]

Hello there! Have a great Weekend!🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@Rubiideum]

I enjoy your commitment to these crayola factory vehicles. Always entertainment and so much information, even to someone like myself who doesn't work on European cars! Love the content Charles.

[@Segbird]

@8:07 i can attest to this as a nissan tech. replaced a main harness in a sentra under warranty. start it back up and the dash is lit up like a christmas tree. took 4 hours of checking all the codes and just being out right confused until i looked closer at the fuse box. nothing plugged in wrong, no, the fuse box used the mounting bolts as grounds and i swapped the bolts without realizing and it screwed up the circuit

[@BasedEMT1776]

Honestly, you remind me of the memory of my father. He was always a great mechanic, and a standup guy too. Ready to teach, and wouldn't just do a job because someone paid him for it. If the car didn't need it, even if he LOST money, he'd advise against it and show them why. You're a standup guy and fun to watch. Big fan of the "restore it while you're in there" too. Also: "If you're ready, I'm ready, let's go!" was that a reference to a certain Mr. Raiti from Raiti's Rides?

[@HumbleMechanic]

Thank you so much for the kind kind words. I really appreciate it Haha I’m not sure who Raiti is.

[@BasedEMT1776]

@@HumbleMechanic take that as a no, then! One of life's rare coincidences. Cheers.

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

It's crazy, even when than those cars were built it was well known that type of foam disintegrates really quickly

[@garnetheron4885]

I am doing that exact job right now caused by my heater core going out leaking so I’m hoping you pull it out and fix it properly cause that’s what I’m doing.

[@jorgeantonini201]

B5 Passat heater cores….nope Did that job once… as I was almost done putting it together the wood trim piece around the radio came off, fell to the ground and broke into several pieces. Even though the owner was warned and had given permission and acknowledgement that things may break - specifically wood trim…they complained that it was broken and demanded we order new wood for them. Well…we can’t because it’s been discontinued for about 10 yrs. And any used ones we could locate(I think 2 at local junkyards) were even worse. So we got permission from the owner and superglued it back together into place. Then they complained the wood wasn’t correct, there were cracks visible and it wasn’t quite straight. Yes, I f’d up and it was 95% straight, but there’s nothing I or anybody else in the shop could do about the visible cracks, ITS BROKEN. They were warned and informed, they accepted and acknowledged. I asked the writer to get consent in writing jic. He said he did……but he didn’t. So then they had to cut off a bunch of money from the repair. Yay 😩

[@223Sako]

That looks like a horrible job, I admire your patience and perseverance.

[@jonathonlacey3833]

i’m listening to this on my air pods while i’m working on a q7 and when Charles got the passenger side end plate off i said to myself (without even seeing that part of the video) that sounds broken 😂

[@HumbleMechanic]

🤣🤣🤣

[@pfsantos007]

Posting this in my 5 favorite car diagnostics channels in the faint hope someone will pick it up. I'm just a DIY'er that doesn't want to waste money on the parts cannon. 2013 Mercedes E350 with the M276 3.5L V6 - only way I can afford this car is because I do the work myself and stay away from the dealer. Two codes, P2177 and P2179. System Too Lean Off Idle Bank 1 and 2. Long term fuel trims are ~ +40 Bank 1, +30 Bank 2. Fuel trims stay up at idle (+30, +20 roughly), but not as much as when driving. Short terms trims are up 5-10% when driving, then negative 5-10 when decelerating and then stabilize to 0 at idle. No vacuum leaks at idle - 21 inHg at idle. Changed intake seals (green upper, red lower) and MAF sensor because it was cheap - no change. Car drives perfectly fine, no misfires. Pulled oil cap off, no significant vacuum holding it shut. But if I open a propane bottle into the oil cap hole or dipstick, the fuel trims go down, but not sure if that's normal as the PCV system would suck those fumes, no? I know + fuel trims mean too much air, or not enough fuel. But if it was a fuel issue, wouldn't the problems become worse at a higher load? Because car accelerates fine and has good power. No misfires. Also, capped off the EVAP system and brake booster - no change (at idle at least). No other codes, just the two. Scanner shows MAP, Load, Fuel Pressure all responding normally. I’m lost.

[@vdub819]

Mk4 is still the nicest vw chassis in my opinion

[@Ericm86878]

I love your videos charles, im going to try to make it to loe show today to see you

[@danielkelly7009]

10:40 as a body guy whos on hourly i generally pull more then i try to play with something in the car. A few more minutes and a few more bolts is usually worth not having the headache of trying to get your hands somewhere tight

[@nolan879]

My 911 has the exact same blend doors with failed foam. I was able to tape mine by through a hand sized hole cut into a vent behind the radio.

[@ragnarironspear1791]

Brilliant 👍🏻👍🏻 always look forward you your videos 🇬🇧

[@whoismario]

I’ve suggested to some of my stores they should have a mobile chiropractor or masseuse come in for their techs. I haven’t seen anyone do it so far.

[@cliffyb5896]

Loved the video. Unfortunately, living in the rustbelt got to my 02 jetta glx. Loved that car. Did you ever figure out why the light switch connector had the drl's taped off?

[@mattlarson9897]

Now we all know that Charles is 1 steering wheel wide! Take that metric system!

[@HypnoticSuggestion]

I just did the vent mode door actuator on my police interceptor and I thought it was a pain lol All things are relative.

[@FranzJx]

epic fixings

[@johnmoser2689]

Hey Charles could you do a video on swapping a TDI front suspension and brakes to VR6 or 20AE? I think it's the whole thing lower arm and maybe even axles? Great video BTW

[@gplusgplus2286]

You definitely have to do all the blend doors, not just the big one. Unlike other cars, the heater core is on all the time. Its on the blend door to isolate it as best as possible otherwise hot air mixes with a properly working ac, and you dont have a proper working ac despite all its parts working 100%. Have a TT, process is the same.

[@sf2372]

Nice sound from that V6.... yummy BTW that "loose box" comment had me lmao. Thx

[@jamesisaphotographer]

My 2005 SEAT Leon (mk4 Golf platform) has been blowing out foam for the past six months and I've had no idea where it was coming from or what it actually is. Foam from the blend doors it is. I'm fine putting up with bits of foam randomly appearing on the dash, given the alternative...

[@sletourneau3]

I hate the soft touch stuff. I've now scrubbed most of it off. Isopropyl, a blue scrubby and a long TV series to watch while scrubbing 😂

[@morgankovarik3649]

Have you tried the plastic plug kit?

[@rafaelm.2056]

Excellent video! I used to have an 84 GTI and I noticed that instead of blend doors it had a valve on the inlet of the coolant that was controlled by the temperature slider. The benefit of this was the heater core was pretty much thermally isolated from the AC evaporator. I have a 2018 R and I notice that on hot days I'll get what seems to be heated air out of the vents with the AC off. I can't tell if it's bleed through from the always hot heater core or if it's from the dash being heated by the sun. I don't know too much about how the system works. Is there a reason why you didn't replace the blower motor assembly? It would have been a relatively cheap fix for a motor with 20+ years. I had to chuckle when you showed us that the AC outlet temperature was 50F with ambient temperature at 95F. In my 84 GTI I used to get 35F with almost no humidity in the Arizona summer of 100+ temperatures. I miss the R12 days when refrigerant actually worked.

[@halfcrazedrob]

Fun fact: Ez Off can easily melt the soft touch off interior panels and doesn’t mess with the ABS plastic of the panels.

[@eletourneau9424]

this is ok for the Mk4, I need info on fixing the blend door on a Mk5. Motors operate, but still getting heat when temp is set to cold. Usually about 7 degrees over the outside temp, so I know its a blend door position problem.

[@TeksTherapy]

Wow, that takes a lot of work!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I accesed the blend doors by removing the radio tray and going thru the center of the dash. Since that was a few years ago, and now im occasionally catching a whiff of coolant and using about a cup a month, im so excited to remove my dash to replace the heater core and see if any of the blend doors can use a touch-up. Not! 😂

[@MrTheHillfolk]

23:25 yup,that's another reason to pull mine out,I do feel some heat occasionally when the fan is off and cool on the temp control. Use a nice closed cell foam so it lasts.

[@CommieGIR]

Doing this on my 90 Quattro right now. So much fun/sarcasm

[@MOTA_KRAMPUS]

@HumbleMechanic what grease did you use for shifter? Great video! :)

[@Adriel3050]

Charles, where do i find the video in which you teach how to replace the shifter bushings? I need to do it in my 9N Polo that uses the same kind of shifter.

[@blue32nu]

So jealous of cold AC and no foam coming out of the vents😅