VW Passat, Audi A4, A6, and A8 no heat, clogged heater core fix, flushing the heater core.

Is your Volkswagen Passat, Audi A4, A6, or A8 failing to put heat out from the heater core at idle, or completely?
If your VW or Audi has no heat, due to a clogged heater core, you've come to the right place.
This video shows how to flush the heater core on Audi and VW Passat vehicles that commonly clog up due to their position in the system.

[@seafair9851]

Thank you! I'm getting ready to perform this flush on a 2005 Passat, and having this video will help my confidence for the task. Great job.

[@cptsopiens]

Thanks so much! I performed this flush on an 2004 Passat Saturday and now I have awesome heat cranking, just in time for fall. I am grateful to have saved hundreds of $$. Total cost for me $20.

[@qwiklok]

Good video. I have worked these issues and offer these insights 1: If the heater gets cooler at idle than at high speed, then the heater core is partially clogged and needs to be cleaned as in this video 2: Reverse the in and out hoses for a few weeks. This will cause a backwash effect thus dislodging particles. 3: Sometimes the purge hole has to be used 2-3 times to get all the air out. 4: If you fill the overflow tank too much, it will / may spill over when the engine gets hot thru the spill over tube at the bottom and onto the engine - thus creating that sweet smell of anti-freeze. Get 24" of 1/2" ID hose and hook it to the bottom of the tank and let any overflow go thru that. 5: Make sure the heater core tubes are perfectly round and not mis-shaped otherwise you will not get a good hose connection and then get leaks of air and water - not good. 6: Sometimes a blast of compressed air into the heater core will blow out particles faster than water.

[@gfraser7007]

Thanks for posting. Very helpful.

[@thekarencrowe]

Good job! Your demeanor is polite and informative.I just had my entire engine swapped out; how much contact do you have to have with the heating system in general? Would they have to flush the heating core as part of the process? My heat ran great before the " swap" now no good at all. Blessings brother- Could I just bleed the core myself- without flushing it first.

[@DaytonCarCare]

I had a A4 B6 with weak heat flow through the heater core. I just used a couple short pieces of garden hose and garden hose pressure to flush out heater core. Worked well and heat flowed well after that.

[@hjackgbr78]

Did this flush a couple of days ago. Its been pretty chilly driving this past winter! Should have done it months ago. I didn't have any parts to do this so I bought a $35 12V water pump from Harbor Freight, clear vinyl hose, fittings and CLR from Home Depot. All in for under $100. Now the heater is roasting hot. $100 well spent! Seeing the coolant shoot out the bleed hole at 2000RPM was very satisfying. Instant heat after that. Great video, very informative. Although the couple of scenes that were doubled in your editing was weird and confusing on the first watch.

[@sammcdonald769]

Matt Sole did the exact same thing and purchase items from the exact same places worked like a charm. 😄

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

Good to hear, not sure if I mentioned it in the video...I think I mentioned possibly using an RV pump or something. I think I saw CLR at Harbor Freight last time I was there too....

[@scorpius7jeremiel500]

@@GermanAutoInstitute you are the best thank you for sharing your knowledge with the average Joe 🙏💪🙏

[@stephenduby]

Performed this today and solved my heat issue on my 2003 1.8T Passat. So thankful for these instructions

[@drowization]

Well done good sir,,,, cheers

[@adnanbaha8071]

Very insightful. I'm going to have to try this out soon. Thanks.

[@crf150rfoxracer]

This just saved me before winter. Except I didn’t use a pump. I used my garden hose with an adapter to the see through hose I bought that attached to one side, and another see through hose on the other emptying it into a bucket. This way I wasn’t recycling the used fluid back in. Worked great and only cost me $15. I’ll be bleeding the system and suspending the reservoir tomorrow to see if I get any better results. Thank you for the video!

[@RetroRepair]

How did this work out for you? I was planning a similar approach

[@nineteen8122]

What a freakin informative video! Thanks a lot.

[@zxtenn]

I have a 96 Jeep grand Cherokee with poor heat at idle but when I get RPM to say 2000 its better but not hot as in my car, BOTH heater core hoses feel equally hot so I am going to try that flush with a sump pump for a few hrs each side- Replacing the heater core on my Jeep is about a 10 ++ hr job so I will try that isnt Do you feel its ok to maybe lightly put a piece of mechanic wire looped at the end down both inlets to be sure there isn't nothing plugging the tubes?

[@inkredablek]

Only driver side heat works the other vents to passenger blows cold air. I was told that it’s a blendoor actuator. Should I have it flush first to see if that would resolve issue? Thanks!

[@bettykent426]

GREAT video Thank you!!

[@SilverBlackG]

After doing a complete coolant flush, is it possible on a MK4 golf to reverse the pipes to the heater matrix so it now runs in reverse or do they only operate one way round?

[@liviudaniel5082]

great video,great job ,big thumb up!nice explication!

[@villimagg]

Did you just loosen the bottle and lift it? Or did you bleed somewhere on the bottle? Thanks in advance.

[@stover560]

Is your garage door closed while the car is running?

[@woodyboyd2961]

How much does one dilute CLR? Do you warm it, what temp? Why an acid based solvent and not an alkaline (NaOH-LYE, i.e., PurplePower, SuperClean, Dawn Power Dissolver, etc)? Can one circulate with 20-30 psi compressed air siphon vs water pump? Thanks.

[@stephengiles2423]

thanks dude I just learn't alot!

[@the2120company]

hi I do same way flushes, only difference that i use vinegar , it works but eventually I had to replace my core

[@CollinWATB]

Hey there im about to try this out could you let me know what size hose to get?

[@brendonlind7197]

Is that a CHS Vikings Hat?

[@scorpius7jeremiel500]

thank you very much for your awesome video brother and for teaching us how to save money with your highly appreciated procedures best video on KZbin.

[@SunnySingh-yl3mh]

sir can you help me i really need it i got 2008 audi q7 it runs hot only when vehicle cool all the way u drive 7 to 10 miles it will show gauge its running hot it will start coming down by itself and sometimes you have to stop for 2-3 min and it will come half way down and u can drive 200 miles no problem gauge works perfect then i already changed thermostat/ temp sensors/flush radiator but problem still there can u suggest anything most of mechanics told me to buy new cluster but i dont think gauge is bad dont want to waste 1000 on gauge

[@analeija4894]

it could be fan

[@treskadeka1]

The instant replay he was talking about occurs at 7:19... might want to edit out the extra repeated clip...

[@d.a.2742]

Lesson 101 when working on any vehicle ,no strings (his hoody) should be dangling into a running engine .

[@DaytonCarCare]

Would be very hard for him to get those very short strings in the fan of the front of the engine where he was nowhere near LMAO

[@fn5k]

DaytonCarCare Hard is not impossible LMAO 🙄

[@JettaRedIII]

I haven’t tried to bleed the core after replacing my head gasket because I was getting some warm air out of the vents. But I did run the HVAC active test using an Autel MaxiDAS scan tool and reset to factory settings. Now only cold air blows when the engine is at full operating temp and the heater is all the way on Hi. Any idea why or what to now do?

[@AlbanianGee]

Might be a flap problem. The flap motor that changes hot to cold air has died

[@ecmoney801]

on my audi a4 2002 wagon, I can't figure out which one is in and which one is out. One is above and one is lower, not left and right. I'm assuming that the top Which is slightly smaller is the coolant in to the heat core, and the bottom which is slightly bigger would be the out. But I'm not too sure

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

Think of it in terms of thermodynamics. GENERALLY, the hot goes in the top since heat rises. It honestly doesn't matter for what you're doing. Also since since the bleed hole is in that hose, it would likely bee the feed as well.

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

+DubAutowerks radiators are ALWAYS like that or you'd fight the heat to cool it down. Now maybe maybe maybe since you're trying to keep it WARM they'd do the oppositr, if you shoot it with an infrared temp gun after flushing let me know, whatever hose is hotter is inlet

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

Not sure what you mean by the instant replay

[@richardbarros8176]

Whats the diameter of the hoses

[@fiddynutz68]

Pretty good video even with the editing goofs 🤣

[@ammaralalo6465]

👏👏👏👍

[@GEODJGEO]

Where are you located I stain in Seattle WA how much would you charge me to flush my car ? Thank you have a great day

[@GEODJGEO]

Stay*

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

I'm on Northgate Way 2 blocks west of the mall

[@GEODJGEO]

Dub autowerk my email is [e-mail] email me like that i can give you my number so we could meet up thanks

[@IAmGRX]

do you travel? I have a 2000 passat V6 wagon and I think this is the likely culprit

[@InstantKarmma]

do you travel? I have a 2000 passat V6 wagon and I think this is the likely culprit (sorry for the double post. Husband was signed in, horrible about checking his email)

[@marianciprian6000]

Hello there, i have a passat B6 and left side is heating when right side and in the back is giving me cold air at same intensity, what should i do?

[@gpzjeffrey7974]

MARIAN CIPRIAN Sabou run a diagnostic on the Climatronic. You can use a VAGCOM or there should be a self diagnostic mode. Likely you have a bad servo motor that controls the air flaps. The diagnostic will tell you which one.

[@CristianSalazarSantos]

What if anti freeze is coming threw the vents like crazy I'm burning threw it fast

[@phillipjackson1632]

Sounds to me that your heater core is no good, you need to replace it..

[@ItsBigJC]

Learn to swim fast

[@Rosas18745]

Are you from MN? You should do mine?

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

I'm not from Minnesota but I AM A Vikings fan

[@boscoseitzer7193]

+DubAutowerks Funny, I saw the Vikings hat and thought the same thing :)

[@phillipjackson1632]

Is anybody else experiencing deja vu,,lol . But good job though very informative..

[@richardpickell6700]

You ever have a problem with the code 65535 airbag?

[@traynice9633]

Richard Pickell check your seat belt

[@richardpickell6700]

TRAY NICE how do I check the seat belt?

[@nineteen8122]

Did you ever find the issue. I’ve got the same code

[@diamari91]

Soooo, what does it mean if i have heat but only if im at 1000 rpm or higher?

[@streetmetl1]

That's because someone has put the wrong coolant at sum point.. use only g12 purple only..

[@nineteen8122]

It’s pink

[@gpzjeffrey7974]

Generally not a smart idea to recommend pulling the heater hose off to the bleed position on a heated and pressurized system. Someone's going to get burned. No need to do this with it running, it can safely be done with the engine off. In fact, with it running and flowing, there is actually a risk of it sucking more air in unless the system is pressurized...but if it's pressurized then you run the risk of the hose blowing off and scalding you. Next time, don't run the engine while bleeding, just be patient and keep adding and elevating the expansion tank.

[@amgtim4636]

Psiho

[@MrTeatreeoil]

2001 volkswagen passat is a piece of garbage

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

I've owned a few with no real major issues. You merely have to maintain them. This problem is caused by people not changing the coolant because VW calls it lifetime. Generally it's caused by shitty mechanics

[@kenb.1829]

You are oh so right on about VW's so called lifetime antifreeze. In my 20+ years as a VW/ German car technician, I have seen scores of examples of corrosion and leakage caused by merely leaving the factory fill in and believing the marketing hype. On the other hand, It is not fair to blame "shitty mechanics". Yes I am aware there are many out there that fit the description, that is not a catch all cause for cooling system problems with VW's. Kindly take the time to consider that ultimately, the maintenance performed on any given car is ultimately up to the owner. Technicians can only make recommendations which are subject to approval or not by the car owner. Personally, I have seen far more examples of VW owners only seeking diagnosis long after cooling problems have occurred. Not so much Audi owners or even owners of upmarket VW models, yet the owners of the more economy models tend to under perform any maintenance at all. Once the problems appear, too late..... Generally, most technicians today are not likely to fall into the "shitty" category. Otherwise they would likely be shoveling shit in some other occupation.

[@MrTeatreeoil]

Ken B. I had the 2001 VW passat station wagon and the Maintenence problems was a pain in the ass, it only had 133k miles I spent a large sum of money for Maintenence on that piece of JUNK CAR!!!

[@GermanAutoInstitute]

Ken B. I wasn't REALLY talking about professional grade technicians, especially dealer ones. That's why I used the term mechanic. People either don't get a buyers inspection or don't get it at a VW/Audi shop and get stuck with as you say a totally un-maintained car. The biggest issue ends up being when Passats or Audis drop to a value where they are now a 6 or 7k dollar car or less, people buy them because the price and don't take into consideration the maintenance. I have no doubt that TeaTreeOil bought a Passat that was in abysmal condition. Every 100k they're going to need control arms, shocks and struts, timing belt, breather system valve covers, fluids and filters. It's 2k in parts or something, but at shop prices it can be really expensive. Other than the control arm stuff it's all pretty standard for any car. MrTeeatreeoil, This whole thing gets real tricky discussing costs, because in reality parts COST at wholesale level doesn't really vary much vs any other car...VW and Audi barely make any of their own parts. The markup to the shop is the main place where the markup happens and makes the parts more. Buying them online, or through a friend's shop is going to really cut down on that. For example the dealer sells control arms by Lemforder at $140 each times 8, or on the aftermarket, Febi Bilstein has a kit for $400 for all 8 arms plus tie rod ends and swaybar links....WAY cheaper. That's why I started this page. The cost of some of this stuff seems expensive vs other cars, especially the suspension, but a proper Passat or Audi is way more safe and holds a higher g rating on the skid pad than a Toyota, or a Focus, or a Chevy Cobalt. Some of which shouldn't even be LEGAL, and I have no doubt has killed people. I recently spun a Focus on a hwy offramp doing the posted 25 mph speed, and I normally do 40 in my VWs. Likewise, I've seen Audi S4s in the wrecking yard that have hit trees doing 80+ and the driver walked away from, not happening in a Camry. They ARE safer, believe me or not, and most of the airbag tech and traction control tech on NEW American and Japanese, the Germans came up with 20 years ago. Hell Ford trucks are FINALLY getting traction control to help with towing, and the Jetta and Golf had it in the late 90s. VW and Audi at least doesn't have ignition switch failures killing people they cover up, or bad airbags, or any of that crap...I'll take dieselgate any day. Teatreeoil whoever owned your car before you screwed you by not maintaining your car and then selling it or trading it in, then you didn't have a dealer inspect it, or they'd have found the 4 grand that I KNOW was wrong with it when you got it. I'll be doing more videos on the stuff. But you do the maintenance at 100k that it needs and it would need nearly zero for another 100k.

[@abramsmm1]

Problem is, most shops take the lowest common denominator when doing repairs. Fix an oil leak without really cleaning the engine, or use aftermarket parts, and the problem is back in no time. Many other examples. Unless you have the mechanical skills, or a friend in the business, you are probably over matched. My experience with a 2001 2.8 30v 5-speed was brutal, but I will miss it when it's gone.

[@GermaniNazibastards]

Why THEY USE?!!!!!??? PLASTIC TUBES COVERS PLASTIC?! WHY NOT USE... ALUMINUM IS BETTER ALUMINUM WITH HEAT COVER PAINT.... CAR WILL LAST LONGER