You are the second tuto I was looking for... I just changed mine after it broke down last month thanks to your tuto. A bit of work was needed, also a bit stresfull when not used to change things on an old car but now its working fine. Now I have to change painting but right now its all I needed. Thank uou very much ! Cheers from France ✌️
That brings back memories! I had to do that on my Mk2 some 20+ years ago. I had the tell tail wet patch in the passenger foot well. Mk2s are fantastic cars to work on and easy to upgrade. Good on you Beth.
So pleased to see a young lady interested in mechanics. Keep it up. You’re already better and more careful in your work than some adult (male) mechanics I know. Well done. 👍🏻
thanks for this - yes agree with those comments below, its great seeing younger folk (especially women!) spannering away on older cars. Im 67, Ive had my Mk2 gti for about 20 years, still love it. Your taste in cars and music stays with you! These were THE car to have when i was younger. Anyway found your vid very helpful, I ve already had the matrix crap itself in a violent steam explosion on another Golf I had a while ago, a total pain to clean up. So now Ive got the dread smell of antifreeze in the cabin, and a white film appearing on the inside of the windscreen - now Im doing this one before it explodes. Who would have though that composite plastic radiators wouldnt last more than 30 years!
Great job! When doing this much work, alway test everything when it’s removed so you know it all works correctly before reinstalling! I’ve been a mechanic since the age of 16. I ran a workshop/garage near Bournemouth, England for 20 years, I’m now 50! You my lady are one of the most enthusiastic young persons I’ve ever seen, that’s ever! (And I had a lot of trainees). You have a Lovely nature, great positive outlook, and probably great parents!? Ps... the best traits for a mechanic include being clean and tidy throughout each job, using the correct /best tool for the job, safety at all times, and most important of all, being methodical with everything you do! Keep up the good work! Remember, you’re only as good as you’re last job! I used to say that to all my workers! Ps... you also need a photographic memory! 😂 I can’t stop watching, I start talking to you via the screen, trying to prompt you at each step, just like an old school mentor! Some of the jobs you do I’ve done a million times and I know the pitfalls and remedies to fix faults. In time you’ll master the tricks of the trade! 🧐🙂 best of luck in your future!
Pro tip: if you ever need to do under dash work like this again, take out the drivers seat first. It is only 4 bolts and greatly reduces the need to be a contortionist.....
Only 1 screw and nut in an old VW I was thinking the same thing the but I'm old and stiff she looks far more flexible than me so no problem for her lol
Hi Beth I would never have attempted this major job and to film it all so professionally just amazes me and I'm sure you've just encouraged a new breed of DIY's to have a go at this very common heater fault.
Hi it was'nt coolant just rusty coloured water, i knew i would have to drain it sooner or later so i had'nt put the antifreeze in until i'd done the matrix, thanks for watching Beth
I had a VW golf Mk2 red stripe Gti when I was a young man, best car l have ever owned, did everything well. I can remember that the heater matrix was the subject of a manufacturer recall, they had a weakness in the pipe which steamed up the windscreen when you put the heater on! Hence the free recall to replace it. Early 90s I think .
This brings back memories for me. I owned an '86 Golf, 5-speed. I loved that thing. I had to do a water pump on it and it was a pain. I eventually traded it for an '89 Honda Accord LXi 5-speed. I loved both of these cars. They just don't make them like they used to.
hey, supercool video! that remembers me, when i was learning my job in vw garage. i`ve changed thousands of heat exchangers on this modell. don´t forget to put the original vw bypass on vorlauf / rücklauf. that will protect the heat exchanger from overpressure. my daughter is 13 now, i will show her that video... thumbs up!
Thanks Beth, I will try to do the same thing on my MK2 from 1988 :-) Your video is very helpful for plastic parts (every details not described in Haynes 286 pages - service and repair manual) Thanks again, ;-)
Love the way Beth just drops in the 'I've rebuilt the engine already...' comment at the beginning. Some of us can do that but a lot can't even change a tyre, men or women! Matrix jobs, one of my least favourite car tasks. Keep it up these are very good informative videos. Wish I knew how to do the media and film editing stuff too!
Damn! If i had seen this earlier i could advise you to duct tape the heater valve holes shut. I’ve replaced countless mk2 exchangers and always i split the heaterbox in two and put tape on the metal valves with the holes in it. If i remember correctly there used to be a foamy kind of tape on them and they direct the air through the selected vents, but will leak if they are open. Very nice work though, thanks for bringing an old mk2 into such good shape!
About to do mine on my 92’ the heaters are insane in the Mark 2’s (when they’re working at least) cheers, and thanks from Canada for the demonstration!
I sold my Golf Mk2 Gti to fund the purchase of my new Golf Mk7 R. Had the Mk2 for nearly 20 years and I can honestly say it was by far the best car that I had ever owned. It was starting to show its age when I sold it, small amount of rust around the fuel filler cap and on the bottom of the doors. A few months ago I attended the Newark Autojumble and was stuck in the queue of cars waiting to leave. I checked in my mirror and I could see a Mk2 in the queue directly behind me. I could see it was a Gti by the badging and the black VV badge in the grille. As I pulled forward I could then see the registration number - it’s my my old car! Must say that the new owner was looking after the old girl as the car was nice and clean with a great shine on the paintwork.
nice one tidy mk2 working on dashs and heaters in particular can be a head wrecker tight spaces etc hundreds of clips screws well done keeping the old girl on the road look forward to the next update
Brilliant. I had a mk2 jetta 1.6 n/a diesel for 4 years(put 100k on it as a daily) and ran it as a daily up till 5 years ago. It needed this heater matrix done and I'd not the courage to do it myself as I understood it was a dash out job. Great video shame did not see it before I parked up my mk2 jetta. .. Gave it away 2 weeks ago 😭😭
I’ve just found your channel today, and watched loads of your videos, I’m enjoying them so much 😃👍🏻. It’s amazing to see how good and passionate you are with these cars. My first car was a Mk2 Golf nearly 20 years ago, it was a tornado red 1.3 driver but highly modified to a big bumper GTi lookalike. Such a good car it was, i had a 1.6 after that. I’d really like a proper 16v GTi one day. I’ve subscribed and looking forward for more videos 😊
Just stumbled onto this video. An hadn’t seen it yet even tho I’m subscribed. A pleasant surprise for sure. The core in my 91 Jetta mk2 Went suddenly at an intersection on the one of the hottest days of the year As I was merging into traffic. It poured right onto my right foot on the accelerator to avoid getting hit I had to keep my foot on the accelerator. Hardest 30 seconds of my life haha! Pro tip chuck taylor covered shoes don’t offer a lot of protection from Boiling coolant. I needed up doing this same job with a Burnt and bandaged foot. Keep up the good work.
Good job Beth!, i've done this twice too and it's a nasty job! One little thing though, maybe you should have refurbished the flaps in the heater house because the holes in it are normally closed with foam. But over the years it wears down and disappears, therefore the cold air comes in too much.
Hi, thankyou! I hadn't done a heater matrix before and i did wonder if there should of been something there, so thankyou for saying i might have to do that now!-Beth
@@usherengineering179 Yeah maybe later because you will notice the difference when it's getting really cold outside. Nice to see a woman working on a car especially a Mk2!! :)
@@gti20vtMarcel Heh, I did exactly this job, without the part of removing the matrix, I put plexi glass with three types of glue, and double sided tape to make sure it wont loosen during heat air It works fine so far! But I get leaking coolant above my gas pedal it seems... We all know what that means
Great video. My son has a G reg Mk2 almost identical to yours ... just had to tape up the sunroof for the winter too. Good on you for keeping another MK2 on the road :)
I don't have a Golf anymore but I will give you a thumb up and subscribe just because you are the very first woman I see posting car fixing videos. And that's good to see! Also your format is to the point. Keep it up!
You have to dismantle a huge amount of the dashboard to access the heater matrix. I owned a MK 2 Golf years ago and it was one of the most solidly built cars. Well worth keeping on the road and a future classic.
Wow for the first time in my life I see a girl that is also into cars, instantly fell in love and subscribed, keep up the good work :) unbelievable.. why aren't there more girls like you :D
Wow thats a fair old job to tackle, not as easy as it looks. Don;t see many Mk2 Golfs nowadays, ive had a Mk1 GTI and 2x mk2 GTI's, brilliant cars. Great to see your keeping this one going. Really good to watch.
Heater matrix can be such a mind bender of a problem, but rest assured you clearly know what your doing! I'm a big lover of the mk1, just the mk2 is just as a classic at the mk1 nowadays. I love your video's, and your very pretty too. ☺️ keep it up Beth.
Wow that’s a clean rust free Mk2, that was my first car but my one had tones more rust 😂 the instrument panels where a nightmare my fuel gauge was for ever giving false readings and occasionally jump 10 miles in 1 😂
In 1994 my Jetta CLi 16V (South African spec) bust a heater matrix or pipe after a lo ooo oong trip, as I entered my destination. Was not impressed, but lucky for me I could pull in at VW. I remember my feet suddenly stinging without reason until i smelled the anti-freeze...
I probably did atleast a 100 of these when vw had a recall for all MK2 Golf/Jetta matrix,the syncro's were a pain since the tunnel is a bit taller than the others
This was a recall by vw due to toxic gases given of when matrix leaks bursts inside the cab nice colour polaris grey? Optional extra had one just like it
I always say to my friends, that they're not become real men, until they don't replace the heater core in their cars at least once. Nice work! :) XO from an Mk2 owner.
That's one of the jobs I don't want the garage to do. Mostly because it costs so much due to labor. I've had to do three in my lifetime so far and they all sucked to do.
Heater coils are always a big pain in the ass! I’ve had several that I had to almost completely remove the dash to change them out. After some cussing and throwing tools I finally got it done.
If you do this job, there are 3 nuts in engine bay that need to be removed before matrix can be removed...one just next to inlet pipes one to right of it as looked at from engine bay and one underneath ...
