14 Jetta Heater Core

Hi,
Can anyone recommend a place to get my heater core replaced ?
My engine light is on and VW has determined it's my heater core but it's not
Covered and a $1050 repair. I called VW customer service and they confirmed that they won't cover it. I'm in the GTA but can drive anywhere.
Thanks for any help.

Precision Tuning. Keele and Rutherford Ave. in Concord

Dealer gouging there, that is about double what it should be.

It is only 2.9hr labor, the part is about $225, plus some coolant. Is Canada that different?

It does seem high and I was pretty sure they covered heater cores? They also charged me $172 to tell me sorry not covered. I'll check with Precision.
Anyone had any luck flushing the heater out or changing them yourselves ?
Thanks for the help.

Yeah I have an email and a letter that says the heater core was added to the list of covered items.


The purpose of this letter is to inform you that, in accordance with regulatory approvals, the list of components covered by this warranty extension has been updated to include certain emissions-related parts and, in some cases, the heater core. The heater core may be covered by the warranty extension in the case of (1) 2.0L TDI vehicles with a Generation 1 engine (i.e., VW Jetta 2009-2014, VW Beetle 2013-2014, VW Jetta Wagon 2009, VW Golf 2010-2013 and VW Golf Wagon 2010-2014), or (2) as to other 2.0L and 3.0L TDI vehicles if it is the cause of a check engine light or diagnostic trouble code.

As a result, repairs not previously covered may now be included in the extended warranty’s coverage and, if included, eligible for reimbursement.

What the heck goes wrong with a heater core that sets a CEL?

oilhammer said:

Dealer gouging there, that is about double what it should be.
It is only 2.9hr labor, the part is about $225, plus some coolant. Is Canada that different?

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2.9 hours of labour is 377 bucks at 130 an hour which the going rate at the dealer

The part is 225 usd so more like 400 cad... So 777 right there, then add dealer fudge factor and 1050 is not uncommon for a dealer. Still gouging but hey that's what you get by going to a dealer

Thank you Peytron for the info. I'm worried about the wording MAY be covered. I'm not sure what my car is doing for VW to be so against covering it. My car has 90k km's.
The CEL is on for the EGR valve registering cooler efficiency below threshold which led them to the heater core needing to be replaced. I have no heat in the car. If they won't cover it I won't get it fixed at the dealer but I was under the wrong impression when I purchased the car that anything that caused a CEL was covered.

Have they checked the thermostat or the mixer valve?

Bapam said:

Thank you Peytron for the info. I'm worried about the wording MAY be covered. I'm not sure what my car is doing for VW to be so against covering it. My car has 90k km's.
The CEL is on for the EGR valve registering cooler efficiency below threshold which led them to the heater core needing to be replaced. I have no heat in the car. If they won't cover it I won't get it fixed at the dealer but I was under the wrong impression when I purchased the car that anything that caused a CEL was covered.

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If the heater core causes a CEL or a code it should be covered. I would call VW Canada again and bring up this warranty extension. They may just be looking at the original document.

I'm not sure what they checked, I just read off the work order what they think it is. I've made an appt at another VW to see what they say and I'll ask them about checking those other things. I called Precision for a quote and he's going to get back to me.
I'll update when I find out anything else.
Thanks for all the help.

Bapam said:

I'm not sure what they checked, I just read off the work order what they think it is. I've made an appt at another VW to see what they say and I'll ask them about checking those other things. I called Precision for a quote and he's going to get back to me.
I'll update when I find out anything else.
Thanks for all the help.

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Which dealer did you first go to? There are quite a lot of useless vw dealers around the GTA...

Also, take everything you read off the work orders with a grain of salt. Techs usually don't bother putting in the full story, and majority of service advisors these days are clueless and don't know much about how cars work (let alone tdis...) . They usually just write up something up because they have to... Seen once too many times

Bapam said:

I'm not sure what they checked, I just read off the work order what they think it is. I've made an appt at another VW to see what they say and I'll ask them about checking those other things. I called Precision for a quote and he's going to get back to me.
I'll update when I find out anything else.
Thanks for all the help.

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Call them back and ask for details. Taking it to another dealer is not the solution. You still need to know exactly how they came to this conclusion. It is after all, your car. Don't be afraid to ask. Also, if you take it to another dealer, don't tell them what to do. They will just get pissed off.

I took it to where I bought it at Town & Country VW but know someone who less than a month ago had his heater core covered by Peterborough VW where I have my next appt. I live in Bowmanville and Owasco is my closest dealership but I don't have the greatest confidence in them from over the years with my other diesels. I was nervous to ask them but I'll call today and confirm why they couldn't cover it under warranty.
Thanks

Bapam said:

I took it to where I bought it at Town & Country VW but know someone who less than a month ago had his heater core covered by Peterborough VW where I have my next appt. I live in Bowmanville and Owasco is my closest dealership but I don't have the greatest confidence in them from over the years with my other diesels. I was nervous to ask them but I'll call today and confirm why they couldn't cover it under warranty.
Thanks

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You don't have anything to be nervous about... Dealerships are some of the worst businesses to deal with and they care only about the dollar so you owe them nothing. Bug them until they've had it with you and they give in to your demands. Escalate your issue to the service manager, and if he doesn't reciprocate, keep escalating higher. VW head office customer care is absolutely useless also... Another bunch of reps who usually know nothing about cars and just read off the pamphlet they have in front of them.

Believe me that if you keep pressing someone will give in. I ended up doing the same for something much less significant. I got my issue resolved when I contacted the owner of the dealership after having every manager and vw Canada say they can't help me

Took my Jetta in for a P2457 CEL. They said the heater core is clogged and needs to be replaced. They will be covering the heater core replacement cost but will not cover the triple coolant flush. He quoted me around $370 for triple flushing the coolant?

If the recommended process includes flushing the coolant system when changing the heater core why would it not be covered as well?

Because the dealer is trying to gig you for more money. Don't pay it. Do it yourself or take it somewhere else and pay them instead.

I put in a call to VW customer care to see if they can help. The agent told me she will have to call the dealer and discuss since she is not a technician. The call back time is 24 hours.

The Dealer also called me today saying the heater core arrived damaged so I have to wait another day for them to reorder the part.

If I understand correctly the flush is done after the new core is installed. So in theory I can get them to replace the core and then take the vehicle elsewhere to do the flush or perform it myself.

phantom1260 said:

I put in a call to VW customer care to see if they can help. The agent told me she will have to call the dealer and discuss since she is not a technician. The call back time is 24 hours.

The Dealer also called me today saying the heater core arrived damaged so I have to wait another day for them to reorder the part.

If I understand correctly the flush is done after the new core is installed. So in theory I can get them to replace the core and then take the vehicle elsewhere to do the flush or perform it myself.

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If you do that the warranty on the part and installation will be void. They are ripping you off. Any flush is part of the installation and needs to be covered under the warranty. As stated above, they are trying to rip you off.

Yea that was my other concern. If I do not follow their process they will blame me for any future part failure and void the warranty. I have not heard back from VW customer care yet either.