My 2013 Passat now has about 65,000 miles on it and is on its 4th heater core. I knew the heater core was clogged because there was no heat on the passenger side, but I didn't want to spend yet another $1,000 to fix it. The dealer claimed the heater core was a "wear item" and made us pay each time to get it replaced.
It recently started overheating - specifically after a long drive in hot weather, it would overheat when stopped. I had my (independent) mechanic tear apart the entire cooling system and what he found was pretty nasty.
Bottom of heater core:
Top of heater core:
He hasn't had a chance to cut the radiator in half yet, but I am assuming it will be pretty similar. He is going to do a major flush of the whole cooling system and replace the thermostat while he is in there (by the time this is done, it will cost me about $2,000)
Is this normal? Is there any other part that should be specifically checked/replaced?
It recently started overheating - specifically after a long drive in hot weather, it would overheat when stopped. I had my (independent) mechanic tear apart the entire cooling system and what he found was pretty nasty.
Bottom of heater core:
Top of heater core:
He hasn't had a chance to cut the radiator in half yet, but I am assuming it will be pretty similar. He is going to do a major flush of the whole cooling system and replace the thermostat while he is in there (by the time this is done, it will cost me about $2,000)
Is this normal? Is there any other part that should be specifically checked/replaced?