Vauxhall Zafira B Heater Problem Blowing Out Clold Air

[@4wheelsgood]

Just wanted to say thank you! Have noticed the same issue on our Zafira B this month. Again had recall done in summer. Went straight out and checked after watching this and Lo and behold, connector not clipped in. I had visions of £££s worth of repairs. Many thanks again!

[@retrorestore]

That's great Jon, well done for giving it a go and saving a fortune.

[@RetroBoy94]

what's good about your videos Martin, is the fact you go in to every situation completely blind, which is how many owners have to do to find a problem. these videos help many.

[@andyclifford5610]

This video solved the problem I had, I was just getting hot air, took glovebox, side interior panel off and found that a Vauxhall trained technician had kindly forgotten to put the plug back into the black box, the plug had been neatly tucked away so it took a bit of searching for but I found it, plugged it in and everything now works, Great video, very helpful. As far as my Vauxhall dealership goes I’m not impressed at all

[@retrorestore]

This seems a common theme.

[@andyclifford5610]

Thanks for doing that video mate, if you didn’t do it, it would of possibly cost me hundreds, top man

[@garymucher9590]

Sad that you have to fix what supposedly a well paid professional forgot to reinstall. For the cost you would have to pay to get that repaired, if you didn't find it yourself, is simply amazing... Thumbs Up!

[@brianmatthews8295]

You absolute diamond you saved me so much time and grief, my sister had heater problem backwards and forwards to different garages she was told to get rid as head gasket was gone. I reluctently said I'd have a look for her and that is when i came across you. Problem solved in 10 mins. Told my sis her car is fxxxxd and i'm now the proud owner of a nice warm zafira for scrap money you're a star thankyou very much Brian

[@retrorestore]

Excellent Bri, well done bud.

[@darrenk5280]

What a excellent video, wife complaining of no hot air blowing through, so after watching your video, firstly removed glove box and check that connection was in place, it was, so next step remove scuttle panel, matrix pipes were cold, disconnected them, flushed through unrill clean water was coming out, refitted pipes and hot air was restored. Thank you for this money saving video. 👌👍🏻

[@retrorestore]

Glad it helped

[@jonathanb6159]

Just found this video, as I have collant getting in to my passenger footwell, but also problems with the lack of heat, and moisture getting on the window with the blower on. Well done on finding the various actuators / gears etc as I'll be pulling mine apart this weekend to try and troubleshoot. you've helped a lot!

[@jebsails2837]

Great find! My Jersey friend's Honda dealer service was excrement, although charged for a "cabin filter" it was never replaced. An independent repair shop found that it had never been changed in 150K miles. I've also had instances where an overfilled glove box tumbled contents onto some electrical connections and shorted out the AC, unfortunately not found till after full replacement. Narragansett Bay

[@jackfairweather199]

Had the same problem on my old Dodge Intrepid (now departed). Devil of a problem to figure out. Nice work!

[@colintx800]

My Corsa C had this problem and it was the heater matrix. I forward flushed it and it was as clear as anything but when I back flushed it in to a 5 litre bottle the amount of crap that come out was amazing. All nice and hot now. Nice work Martin 👍

[@krzysztofmakos1196]

Great stuff guys. Saved me for winter. My vectra c exactly the same issue. I went straight for glove box and plug was just hanging there. Saved me lots of time and money probably. Thank you👍🙏

[@retrorestore]

Nice one. well done bud.

[@jeffmorgan182]

Thanks Martin, a long outstanding heating issue on wife’s Zafira sorted after watching your video. Turns out the plug to the heating control valve was not fully pushed home. Again like others have mentioned heating worked fine before it went in for the resistor recall works 🤔. Makes you think, that’s a lot of coincidences with people having similar problems after being recalled, enough said or I’ll get myself in trouble. Keep up the great work 👍

[@retrorestore]

Nice one Jeff.

[@Parknest]

My first thought was a blocked heater matrix. Glad it was an easy fix in the end. You did the right thing by checking the simple stuff first. Please fit a new pollen filter. They should be replaced every year as part of the annual service. I had a 1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire which had no heat when I first bought it and it was a blocked heater matrix. I took it to a mate who had a hose pipe and we flushed it in both directions and it was fine after that.

[@booleanenator]

I had a 280ZX that had the heater core(matrix) blow a hole on the passenger while driving. It was a mess, but I learned a lot about how that system works

[@stevebarker1974]

Greta vid Martin as always mine did this last year I changed fan which in my omega was behind glove box...its a pain the the hole when that happens as its hats and scarf lol and mine went in Jan couldn't go in summer.......👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@paulyh4531]

Great trouble shooting , common sense and logic Martin well done , bound to help someone else out with same issue . Cheers 👍

[@adeh503]

Patience of a saint Martin your an inspiration 😇😇

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Ade

[@katiereilly4396]

My Astra has the opposite problem, only blows warm air. Not a big deal in winter but in the summer it is an absolute pain. I’m going to try this on the weekend and I’ll update if it’s fixed it

[@syam1895]

Thanks for going all the way mate! Appreciated

[@vdubs6068]

Great vid Martin 👍you see it quite a lot in the trade called out to a breakdown a few months ago car would cut out and lose all dash lights and that was a loose battery terminal the car had a new battery fitted at a well known fast fit centre three days before it broke down

[@retrorestore]

All too common bud i'm afraid.

[@tiddabob4223]

Great video thanks- I had the recall done in the summer so will check mine. As my dealer was to busy trying to get me to approve their 2k worth of faults free of charge health check.

[@dilnawazkhan7051]

This is the only video that make sense excellent

[@cabdriveruk]

Great video Martin. Takes a lot of investigating i thought it was the thermostat ! You never know what you will find. Cheers, Jeff.

[@retrorestore]

Exactly Jeff, So easy to go into forums and do what they say but each situation could be different. Forums were all saying thermostat too lol

[@belle218]

Thank for a brilliant vidio you've saved me nearly £200 possibly more, I followed all the steps and got to the in and out flow pipes flushed it through with the hose and a load of sludge came out,,popped the pipes back on gave it refill of coolant checked for airlock. Heat is now bellowing out to the point I'm worried about getting my frozen peas home from shops lol. Brilliant thank you

[@retrorestore]

Well done for giving it a go.

[@billywhizz98]

Martin you and Garry are marvels getting to the root cause of the problem

[@retrorestore]

Cheers William.

[@thatsmethere79]

I'm starting to think leaving the plug off is the recall. Mine has been like this since Vauxhall did the recall. Will defo check that plug.

[@carldavies4662]

Brilliant investigative process....... exactly the same on my Zafira .... nice one lads

[@davidyoung6608]

Great video Martin. Can't believe a single wire would cause the heater not to work.

[@cmac5110]

Great fix Martin good to see you back doing a vid on a car keep up the good work mate 👍

[@guinnessdublin4669]

Another Great Result, that’s what I love about you Martin like me you don’t just jump in & assume you start with the simply things first then go from there! Have you contacted Vauxhall for some redress on this as it has to be them at fault & you can prove it as it’s all documented, pretty shocking!

[@retrorestore]

It was during the summer and the chances are non existent for them to admit to this.

[@Charlie_Crown]

@@retrorestore Especially as they probably done it on purpose, so they could say to some unsuspecting punter there's an expensive job needs doing, as not everyone will go into the detail you've just done to suss it out. Well done Martin, nice one 👌

[@acars8345]

Amazing video , has helped me a lot with my Astra J

[@lord.onk99]

Martin you wizard, should have been a detective, well done.

[@darrenwinstanley4163]

more vids ,like this martin lad ,thats what we want ..

[@hopetondavis2637]

Big thank you for this video,it inspired me to fix the same problem myself on my zafira 55 plate. Last but not least you saved me a bit of cash! Keep sharing. Cheers

[@retrorestore]

Great 👍

[@eifiondavies2662]

bang on martin another video thats helped people come across that problem

[@driftwoodturning6846]

Hi Martin. Thanks for the video. We'll done. Is there anyway to know which of the matrix pipes is flow and return. Also do you know if the two pipes are fed from the block core alone. Thanks again

[@retrorestore]

Hi bud, the warmest of the two is the flow. Its normally the lower pipe. Not sure about the other part.

[@bedebill]

Gordini Bennetto , this caper was like a Carry on Film , well done , the Fitter that left that cable off needs flogging bloody useless WOS.

[@ablemike11]

Yep. That's what the dealership experts are capable of. Had mine returned with wheel nuts done up barely hand tight and damaged alloy wheel on the inside face. 😬

[@PoopyPants-1955]

Top notch investigative there work there Inspector Martin. 😉

[@alanhodgson5975]

Diagnosis Martin the diy mechanic sleuth always finds the culprit in the end lol keep up the good work 👍 👍 👍

[@retrorestore]

Haha, cheers Alan

[@jasongardiner8485]

Had the same probs......10 plate zaf was recalled in March.......didnt notice heating wasnt working until a few weeks ago....thought the thermostat was faulty.....just checked the plug and it was unplugged now hot air is blowing.......someone or something needs to be done with these Vauxhall dealers surely they're either cutting corners on the recall or.....they're unplugging so you take it back to be repaired at your cost???? Makes you wonder

[@robbykimani]

Thanks Martin, my Vauxhall zafira went in for a recall in October 2019 and came back with no heating and the vents we’re doing totally the opposite of what they were supposed to do. I took it back again and they had a look and said issue has been sorted out. I did not use the vehicle over December holidays and due to covid-19. Last week I realised the issue was not sorted 😔No heating and the dials are doing the opposite. I called vauxhall and asked them to revisit the recall again but they are now claiming it’s nothing to do with the recall and it’s one year since then. I have dropped the vehicle off after watching this clip and requested them to look at it at their own cost however they are insisting they will charge me for diagnostic £114+ for a fault that the vehicle didn’t have before it went to them.

[@retrorestore]

Unbelievable. Hope you get it sorted at no cost.

[@robbykimani]

feedback from yesterday, I picked up the vehicle from Vauxhall and was assured the problem with the heating has been sorted at no cost since they realised it was not connected back properly ( receptionist words).On my way home I noticed the heating is only on when on cold setting, so I took it back😞. They had a look while I waited, to cut a long story short, I managed to sneak out the waiting area,obviously keeping my distance (covid-19).I had a chat with the guy who was working on it yesterday as he drove it out ( very lovely guy)and he did say the guys who worked on it on its last recall tampered with the heater control panel.He did mention am not the only customer to have heating problems after a recall, they keep on coming back.They have agreed to order a new panel and fit it at their own cost. Am planning to ask for compensation for my time wasted and petrol(4 trips and counting). For anyone out there with the same problem after recall, please don’t be put off by them telling you it’s nothing to do with the recall and there will be a charge!

[@retrorestore]

@@robbykimani you couldn't make it up. We put our trust in these companies and get cover ups and lies. Well done for persuing it.

[@vijayantgovender2045]

Thank you Martin always teaching me something new and merry Christmas to you and your family

[@derbyjohn1258]

Good advice . I've got the same problem on my Audi A4.

[@jonah290]

Great video. My partner’s Zafira B cabin air goes from cold to only just warm when the heating selector is turned to hot. So there is a slight change. I will check the heater pipes going to/from the bulkhead first and then the wire. Is it possible to see those flaps working from the passenger footwell?

[@jonah290]

Sorry I mean check the blend flaps from the passenger side footwell.

[@jimtrimble3040]

good troubleshooting skills displayed.....another reason among many that I watch you

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Jim

[@jimturner6400]

One of the best car repair videos I’ve watched .The lighting could be improved on but a minor thing . I’d be happy to pay for this kind of info as I run an old Zafira on a budget … Pos you could set up a website ? Thanks anyway 😊

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Jim. I do have so many repair vids on different cars on my channel.

[@AliMackMechanical]

I have seen the gears go bad in the audi a4 and the Vw flaps go wrong also. Also seen the cable stretch on the Land Rover Freelanders. It's easy enough fix good job again Martin. Would have more and likely cost you 200 pounds the garage.👍👍

[@retrorestore]

Exactly Ali, No garages for me lol

[@AliMackMechanical]

@@retrorestore I don't use a Garage either but am a mechanic to trade lol. Keep up the good work mate. I really enjoy watching you work lol saves me getting me hands dirty.👍👍😂😂

[@robkemp091983]

I just bought one of these, runs great , heaters only getting Luke warm, just checked coolant it has creamy substance on the cap, it's still under warranty, should I take it to my garage first to get there opinion, or take it straight back, I don't want car sales to fob me off with excuses ,

[@retrorestore]

You might want to get an independent garage to do a test on the cooling system to see if the head gasket is gone. Its a simple test by using a special liquid kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYubdZV7mJulfsU Modern cars can "cream" up in the filler cap due to doing loads of short journeys too so the test will confirm this.

[@stephenmcmahon2217]

Brilliant job mate wondering if Vauxhall left it disconnected to get some money from the owner

[@tonygriffiths2485]

Shame how much stuff you had to do to get there, but got there in the end. If you already knew about the connector issue that indicates you have a lot of knowledge to work with. Verry impressive, thanks, I enjoyed that a lot :)

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Tony.

[@batesy1870]

This is great news as my Zafira b sri has the same problem. Now if mine is the same as this zafira b and I plug it back in I am really worried if it goes up in flames 😱

[@johnbryant6572]

Thanks for this I have the same problem with a diesel ford focus.hot pipes to the matrix and blowing cold air ill try again tomorrow.take the pipes off and the garden hose down the pipes drives me insane.all happened after a coolant drain and replace my anti freeze.air in the pipes I thought my thermostat was stuck open but then the hot heater gauge needle wouldent come off cold.and it's getting hot.

[@roboneoff3307]

The re-call fix was the unplugging of that connector !! lol Ford man soh .

[@retrorestore]

Haha, nice one

[@rasmo243]

Theres nothing worse than having flaps that won't open lol good job on the repair and all it cost was your time 👍

[@dimitrismed]

Perfect video. What i really needed to solve my problem! Many thanks

[@retrorestore]

You're welcome!

[@kirwanjohn101]

Excellent piece of deduction.

[@jasonjuggler3457]

hahaha good work Martin, bet there were a few naughty words about the garage that left it unplugged.

[@retrorestore]

its becoming all too common where things like this happen.

[@p-j-g]

5:25 top is feed, bottom is return. Green "clips" are original. Also you don't need to turn the pipe clockwise to release... jeez... but yeah... whatever works for ya!

[@thornwarbler]

Superb work lads. Well done

[@haydenuk02]

Brilliant work as always Martin keep it up thanks for the content

[@SCOTTISHPREPPERVARIETYCHANNEL]

A small plug but the way you both tackled the problem Methodical will help others as you said. Out how too but the way you do it which worked Rey enjoyable martin Ps glad see you got body wRm on keep warm

[@retrorestore]

Yes Chris, I'm getting older now so need to wrap up a bit lol

[@petefroud5308]

More car troubles but a good fix Martin and Gary.

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Pete.

[@johnblackburn7673]

Screw missing off the scuttle panel, damaged connector on the pipes and wire missing off the heater controls not impressed with the standsrd of work at the dealership send them a bill or at least a snotty email pointing out your findings. At least you can vent some frustration on them lol Good work Martin

[@barrythompson9670]

I have the same problem with my zafira. I have checked that lead and it's ok. What can I check next

[@retrorestore]

Check the water level and pipes as I did in the video bud.

[@mark170981]

Makes me wonder if that cable was left off as im sure the zafira had a recall on them due to the faulty heater so maybe someone at vauxhall forgot to reconnect it .

[@dangerranger-in3kl]

Love your videos , , thank goodness you have a zafira b , as I’ve got one, and have watched a few of your videos , to do things on mine,...PS I had the same issue with eurocarparts and the wrong size front brake disc , keep up the brilliant work and videos

[@iivaridark6850]

Good work! Lousy mechanics should be avoided at any cost!

[@dimmyjeans]

Great video. Well presented and explained at every step. Thanks lads.

[@120poundsound2]

Your videos are fantastic. Doesn't quite solve my problem as mine gets pretty warm but not hot but great nonetheless. 👍

[@andy_v4443]

nice one martin, i would of been kicking me self and calling people names if i had done all that just to find out it was a plug, that some so called vx tech had forgot to plug back in lol, you, youtube people do a great job :D

[@benmakepeace5759]

That warm air will feel extra cosey now in the knowledge you've sorted it for free.

[@eadjh98]

Nice one Martin and your young lad!

[@davidvickers9029]

Nice job Martin and Gary, if you didn't know about cars would have cost a fortune for somebody else mistake.

[@retrorestore]

that's why I have always done my own repairs Dave.

[@ShAzEbMuGhAl]

Thank you for the knowledge much appreciated

[@retrorestore]

My pleasure!

[@denislostinlondon199]

Did you get a fault code or engine warning light?

[@retrorestore]

No bud, no fault codes

[@SJHughes]

Martin you need to watch out for that Clold Air is dangerous 😉😉😉

[@jamaldzirijamal515]

Amazing, you are a true genius 👍👍👍

[@UKscrapper]

Great video enjoyed watching at least you found the problem in the end great job

[@themowerman]

Another good video mate.. a fault well found.. hope your all doing ok mate

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Mick,

[@iandale]

My dad gave me his Zafira today because his heater hasn’t worked since it went in for the same recall. Guess where I’m looking straight away cheers 🤣

[@barryfoster2115]

Lovely Job Mart Baz,

[@sherm_92]

Very very useful video, many thanks

[@stevejohnson6458]

Another great video 😊

[@budycelyn]

just had third recall done on my zaf B, i would assume that plug is the problem they were recalling for

[@markalmeida3816]

Great investigative work, thank you!!!

[@hibbs79]

Great video well worked out cheers for sharing. 👍👍👍

[@stevebray3384]

Hi love watching your vids could you help me and tell me how I could get black sealant from around my motorcycle headlights please I've got them apart just want to know how to clean the stuff off thanks very much

[@retrorestore]

Thinners may do it but not if you have plastic lenses or it will melt them.

[@stevebray3384]

@@retrorestore ok thanks very much ye got plastic lenses

[@jameskiets-oe5up]

what the normal temp of these cars ? mine runs @105 to 107 is this normail!?

[@retrorestore]

Normally a thermostat opens at about 85 to 89 deg C

[@gixxer7907]

Same thing happened to my zafira B was only blowing cold air but mine turned out to be faulty thermostat, changed that and was all good again

[@tawermeister99]

Very good video. Well done

[@Biffo1262]

I'm 9:13 into this and I can tell you the thermostat will NOT be the cause of the problem. Older cars were cable operated and all you did was check the cables and the valves they operated. You have to do the modern day check of that. Electrical cabling (oh Zafiras usually have a plethora of broken cables, usually in the door wiring harnesses), electrical connections, power and relays. A good continuity tester and multimeter are a must.

[@retrorestore]

Yes I know all about multi meters bud, I was a sparks for 25 years. Just a bit of common sense and a logical approach on an unfamiliar vehicle as the video showed.

[@Jim-ie6uf]

Sometimes it’s the simplest things, you’d never expect that connector being left undone. Nice job. So, what’s the scoop on the Trotter?

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Jim

[@andycousins5016]

Top video lots of information

[@DavidMFranks]

Blimey - imagine what you'd pay for this level of investigation at a dealership!

[@paulyh4531]

They would prob put it on code reader first and charge 180 quid ! Thieves ! 😉

[@obedtweneboah1412]

My is having the same problem, and I have changed temostart ,water pump but still when it gets hot for 10 minutes it gets cold again

[@steveball1909]

Well done guys. Normally it's a problem keeping Zafiras cool, especially when they are on fire.😲 Perhaps Vauxhall figure it can't catch fire if it can't blow out heat. I have a similar thing on a Ford Galaxy where the whole climate control system shuts down intermittently and sometimes doesn't work for days. Do you know what your intro music is called? I keep finding myself humming it. 😄

[@retrorestore]

I had the music created Steve

[@pompeydan3]

Great vid Martin, cheers mate 👍

[@jackosallotment6224]

I haven’t finished watching yet but first guess is the actuator on the flap is faulty common on all vauxhalls

[@James-nk4sj]

same thing happened after I had mine "fixed" by recall!!!!