A/C Blower Resistor Pack Replacement

[Spec83]

Hi All,

Since I am on holidays, I have finally had a chance to do a bit of digging and find out why my 'Fan Speed 1' no longer works... From net searching it appears to be the Fan Speed Resistor Pack has most probably failed in some capacity.

So, using this Guide I set about trying to locate the resistor pack, but had no luck. Does anyone have any tips for removing the glovebox or an idea of how to reach the resistor pack from the passenger footwell without removing the glovebox??

Finally, if someone has a part number for the resistor pack that would be great, as I am trying to hunt one down through the wreckers... VW wanted near on $100 for the part

[gregozedobe]

If you get the old one and take it to a proper electronics place(eg Jaycar, not "Richard" Smith) they can probably sell you a replacement for less than $10.00. Most smaller resistors have coloured bands on them that tell you their resistance and current carrying capacity.

[Spec83]

Well, with the help of ElsaWin I had a crack this morning at getting the resistor pack out... All in all was out, inspected and back in within an hour and all the tools needed are a T12 Bit, screwdriver, socket wrench and some sockets to fit the T12 Bit (the screws at the top of the glovebox are especially ahrd to get at!!!)

On a visual inspection alone, there appears to be nothing wrong with the resistor pack (e.g. no burn marks), but it is covered in a green-ish ceramic shrinkwrap that I did not remove. Overall, the external condition of the resistor pack appeared fair to poor. There was surface corrosion present on the only visable resistor and the ceramic shrinkwrap had begun to crack in places. I guess this is to be expected when it is paced in the airstream just after the a/c condensor coil (nice humid air).

Now for some piccies:

First of all, you need to remove the 3 x screws on the underside of the passengers storage shelve. Once done, give a slight pull outwards and upwards to release the clips. The leave time hang.

The remove the 6 x screws holding the glovebox inplace (3 x in top of glovebox and 3 x below glovebox). You will need a socket for the top 3 as space is tight



Once the glovebox screws are out, pull outwards and then downwards to remove glovebox. Don't worry if u hear a glue ripping sounds.

Next you will be present with the blower and air plenum as per below. The resistor pack is a large plug located in the top right corner with 4 wires. To give yourself some extra room to remove the resistor pack, unclip the wiring loom.



Unclip the resistor pack wiring loom and you should be left with something siimilar to below. Note the only replacement VAG part no. on the resistor pack housing is 12375





Replacement is an exact reverse order of the removal process. Note, the resistor pack is a little fiddly to get back into place. Ensure you put the clip facing up towards to windscreen and put in last.

Hope this helps out anyone in the future with a similar problem. Cost of the part from a dealer is ~$96, however, I am chasing down some wreckers to see if I can get a better price.

Cheers

[gregozedobe]

Good work, and I'm sure someone else will find the "how-to" useful

You might also find the resistor pack on-line (e-bay and specialist VAG suppliers) a bit cheaper than Oz dealers (but no practical warranty). Being fairly small the freight shouldn't cost too much. I find airmail from the UK is pretty quick and reasonably priced these days.

[gtimonkey]

Hi

Mine went yesterday!!

Thanks for posting this up - I am going to order a new resistor

b

[noone]

I have not experienced any issues with this, but always appreciate a good writeup with some photos.

Thanks for your input, it will no doubt be useful as the Polo's get on in age.

[gtimonkey]

Any ideas where to order the part?

I have tried a few sites without much success - $96 for a couple of resistors sounds a bit steep.

Maybe I should go to jaycar and rebuild the thing with my soldering iron and multimeter but I can think of better things to do with my spare time

[Spec83]

I ended up getting mine from Highway Volkswagen for $88... I rang around all the wreckers and had no luck plus on-line searching turned up nothing.

I am not sure if you can re-build the resistor as it is covered in a ceramic-like substance, then the resisters are housed in a plastic casing (I pulled my broken one apart ) Breaking the ceramic coating will have an effect on the performance

[rba]

All in all was out, inspected and back in within an hour and all the tools needed are a T12 Bit, screwdriver, socket wrench and some sockets to fit the T12 Bit (the screws at the top of the glovebox are especially ahrd to get at!!!)

My fan lost setting 1 last week. After zeroing in on this thread, it's fixed.

- Got a new (non-VW) resistor pack off ebay for $10.99 including shipping from Hong Kong. It seems the part number to use is 6Q0959263. Only took 5 days.
- followed the instructions here with no problem, except that all my screws seemed to be T20
- it was a bit tricky to clip the new pack into place - couldn't get enough leverage. I found it easier to rotate it until it slipped into place then twist it back to the upright position. (I suspect it could be removed by twisting anticlockwise rather than prising it out with a screwdriver)

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread, especially Spec83. Makes it so much easier when you know others have done it.

[Polo GTEye N9]

Well said RBA and thanks from all of us Polo owners who may require this part replaced at some stage!
Cheers Al