Robsters

so the heating matrix has given up the ghost in my mk5 2001 ford fiesta car my mechanic tried everything else a year ago with the heater valves etc and came to the conclusion its the heating matrix, how easy or hard is it to replace these? i found a good one on ebay for https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW...53.m1438.l2649

any advise and thoughts are welcome

Adam-M

Piss easy there's a square panel you remove on the bulkhead scuttle panel that gives you access, no need to strip the dash out. It sits under the heater control valve that is troublesome on mk5's.

Robsters

great yeah we were looking under the heater control valve and saw 4 screws to a panel thats the one you mean yeh? cool so the link to that part on ebay will fit, thats good news is thats the access to it

Adam-M

Yeah four screws and the panel comes off, then there should be your matrix with two hoses going into it.

Your eBay link didn't show anything

Robsters

great my mechanic will be happy to know its that easy he said did one before on a polo and was a nightmare as it involved taking the dash out, he said if my fiesta was that easy it be easiest car in the world to repair...lol

also here the link let me know if this works and if the part will work https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW...53.m1438.l2649

RSmark84

Easy to do, just a shame the MK3 fiesta wasn't as straight forward as this. As that sits behind the dash(which I dont think needs removing).

Robsters

great thanks, basically getting no heat anymore sometimes u can feel a bit in mild weather but not enough to warm the car up... heater valve been changed and did nothing, guessing the heater matrix has had it?

Adam-M

Remove heater matrix and put a water hose to one inlet and see if the water makes its way out the other end. Some bodgers pour radiator stop leak in their header tanks and it clogs the matrix. That's about the only problem you get with them either that or they can leak.

Did they fit a genuine ford heater valve as I read at the time the aftermarket ones where crap?

Can you hear your blowers coming on?

Robsters

thanks for the advise yeah the blowers are working just dont get any hot air sometimes be warm on the lowest setting if i been driving for a while but as i said not enough to feel any benefit from it in the real cold weather

Adam-M

Had that before was the matrix, worst thing in this weather lol.

gcfcos

My sister ordered a heater valve off eBay for her fiesta, I fitted it for her and the thing nearly set the car on fire! There was smoke pouring out of it. Got a genuine one and it was fine. Bloody cheap Chinese crap

Robsters

yeah i have no idea a genuine one or not i believe it would be now think one before it wasnt :/ been changes so many times over the years wouldnt surprise me if it buggered the matrix up. and yeah i agree on the chinese crap imagine the new mg3 all chinese prob explode

gcfcos

I’m amazed In this health and safety obsessed country that we are allowed to import such poor quality stuff that hasn’t been tested. My mate bought a new toothbrush charger from China and the thing just started melting on the bathroom cabinet, could have been a bad house fire. They should introduce some sort of product testing for items before they are allowed to be imported

Robsters

yeah that is worrying :/ i agree as well! house near where my folks lived was burnt to the ground never found the cause of it but could of been some dodgy appliance....but yeah all build chinese car cant see it lasting long. my grandfather would turn in his grave to know the new mg are built in china now, he loved his MG cars even if was 5k more if they built a genuinely good basic mg car here in uk gave good finance on it im sure could sell them like hot cakes on fact built in the uk, even £8000 at £100 a month i def aint interested i stick to my old fiesta thank you these city cars arnt much better no boot to be seen in the back didnt think could get any smaller then my car but some how they do, my mate calls new aygo city car vampire cars haha!!