# Instrument Panel air vent cover (decor panel) stays open, does not close when it should [added to TOC]



## onefastdriver (Dec 26, 2007)

Just got took delivery on a 05 Phaeton.
After reading thru most of the newbie FAQ section and getting all the setting done on the vehicle, I turned off the ignition and the center vent wouldn't come down.
I tried getting it open and close a couple of times via the climate control with no luck. I tried starting and stopping the engine, the locking and unlocking from the outside.
You guys think it's just broke?
Good thing this is still under factory warranty, better make a call to the VW dealer and schedule an appointment.
Hate to part with it already...
Chris


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: Help with stuck center vent cover... (onefastdriver)*

I had the same problem when I first got my car. However, It's worked flawlessly since they fixed it.


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: Help with stuck center vent cover... (Auzivision)*

Somebody once forced mine open and stripped the gears in it. I hope that's not it. There's a lot of disassembly involved to replace the motor and gear set.


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## Prince Ludwig (Mar 24, 2007)

_Quote »_Somebody once forced mine open and stripped the gears in it.

I have a strange desire to clobber that person over the head.


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## mhoepfin (Dec 20, 2007)

*Re: Help with stuck center vent cover... (Paldi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Paldi* »_Somebody once forced mine open and stripped the gears in it. I hope that's not it. There's a lot of disassembly involved to replace the motor and gear set.

That is why nobody else is allowed to drive my piece of art.


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## onefastdriver (Dec 26, 2007)

I just hope that it's covered under the VW warranty...


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: (onefastdriver)*

For what it's worth... Mine was covered under warranty and the tech stated he has had to replace a number of these.


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## UKDave (Mar 22, 2009)

*Stuck AC Vent Cover*

I have just taken delivery of my V6 TDi and the dealer apologised because the far right dash vent cover is stuck in the open position.
The other three covers all move as expected.
I have done a reset of the AC sub-sytem which made no difference.
The dealer will be contecting VW technical support to get a recommended course of action, but I thought that in the meantime I would tap into the collective wisdom of the forum.
So - any thoughts


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover (UKDave)*

When I bought my car, the center vent cover had some kind of notch when closing, and subsequenly, would sometimes not open unless with the help of a finger, to pass the notch.
When my car was at the dealer for another problem, I mentioned it and apparently, it was a known problem that was taken by the manufacturer warranty. I think they told me they had upgraded the system so that the problem would not appear anymore.
P.


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## UKDave (Mar 22, 2009)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover (Zaphh)*

Ahhh - the old finger gepoken fix . . .








I tried that - it won't budge sadly.
Cheers
Dave


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## Reflect (Apr 4, 2007)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover (UKDave)*

I had same problem. Here's some troubleshooting before we say it's broken.
First go to climate controls and make sure thy are all selected. All 3 up down and left and rift arrows in both sides.
If that's already done,
Next step make sure the manual overide it's not on. To do this make sure under the vent not opening that the light under with a 0 on the left and a guy sitting on the right is all the way to the guy. 
On my car someone at the dealer selected the off position and it wouldn't open until I did that.


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## UKDave (Mar 22, 2009)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover (Reflect)*

Thanks for the fault process Reflect. Sadly it didn't move the vent.
BUT 
There is news . . . . 
Accelerating the car up a fairly steep slope the cover just fell out of the dash into the closed position. It now just flops about totally unconnected to any mechanism.
The dealer is having it back on Thursday to install new parts. He's quoting a three hour period. I'm hoping this indicates he's not going to have to dismantle too much of the dash and surroundings.
Any thoughts or knowledge of what's required to replace the drivers (RHD) vent mechanism. Should I be concerned and looking out for follow-on problems?
Regards to All
Dave


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## UKDave (Mar 22, 2009)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover - Resolved*

Part fitted yesterday - everything now as per spec


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## Kuwaity (Apr 2, 2004)

*Re: Stuck AC Vent Cover - Resolved (UKDave)*

I have the same problem on the center vent, but it works in the summer with no problems...


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## calmone (Feb 15, 2006)

*a/c vent cover issue*

any experieance or sggestions involving the failure of one of the vent covers to remain open while the others operate normally? i thought it might just be "stuck" for some reason (dirt, etc) but it could not be pulled down to the closed position.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

You can check it for sure using the manual a/c controls on the climate menu. One of mine was stuck when I bought the car, then the VW stealership broke it whilst trying to fix it, so they had to replace it. The new one is also scratched.....


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## Jxander (Aug 5, 2008)

*stuck wooden AC blind*

I don't want to be an alarmist but I recently experienced the same thing on my center vent cover - it was stuck open. I tried the same things you did to no avail and even checked VagCom codes on the AC system, also to no avail. Mine is under CPO so I just took it to my local VW dealer assuming it would be a "trivial" repair. Wrong. They had the car for nearly a month and spent an enormous number of hours. The center blind now opens and closes when the car starts/stops but I'm not sure it will close to provide indirect ventilation as designed. They ended up replacing about 3 of the "flap" motors in the AC system as well as the controller. 

Hopefully your tech will be able to diagnose your problem more quickly and remedy it less invasively than in my case.

Keep us posted as this one intrigues me since my tech had such trouble. By the way VW Tech Services was also involved in my repair.


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## jimay (Aug 1, 2006)

*Vent doors*

Notice the oblong bump on the dash at the bottom center of the windshield (windscreen)?

It has two eyeballs in it (taken from baby seals, I think)

They watch the sun

When it's on the left, the left vents get extra air.

When it's on the right... you guessed it.

It's not extremely quick to adjust, so you might not think it's working. Until you get used to what these eyeballs do, those vents will cause much worry.

If you're shutting the car off and the vents don't close, then I'd suggest you make a note to start worrying if it doesn't go away in a couple of days.

Mine had the right vent cover replaced during the CPO prior to my buying it and it doesn't exactly match the other wood. I wish the dealer understood how this stuff works before they replaced it.


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## 04phaeton (Feb 19, 2009)

My front passenger vent had the same issue - would stay open.

I had the motor replaced under warranty about 2-3mths ago but as soon as I left the dealership, it stopped working again.

I just brought it in for an oil change and as it turns out, the center vent has to be replaced as well since the mechanism is connected to the passenger vent and both need to be replaced to work.

I'll be getting that done in the next couple of weeks and will keep you guys posted.


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## calmone (Feb 15, 2006)

i was at the dealer to get a price on a door handle replacement (i suspect it got broken because somone pulled hard on it trying to break into the car, hopefully insurance will cover most of it's $525 cost) and asked about the vent. the tech said replace the motor ($325).

and so it goes.


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## ct boy (Jun 18, 2010)

Hi

Similar issues here. My passenger side vent opens and closes paradoxically. That is, it opens when the others are closed and closes when the others are open. The motor works fine, just in reverse. No VAG-COM error codes thrown. Drivers side usually works OK, but sometimes only opens/closes part way. Dealer (of course) suggests replacement of the motor on both sides.

I have read here that this is a particular issue with 2004 models. Did they change the motor/design for 2005+ cars? If so, is the replacement motor also prone to malfunction? Do they replace it in a 2004 with an updated motor or is there a replacement 2004 motor and a different replacement motor for 2005+? 

When the motor is replaced, does this also include a new wood vent cover? The reason I ask is because the veneer/wood grain on both drivers side and passenger side vents on my car are different from the rest of the grain on the car (subtle, same wood, different grain). For this reason, I believe the vent covers were replaced in the past (I have no service history). If so, they appear to be failing AGAIN and I am worried that replacement will only be a temporary fix and failure will inevitably recur.

Thoughts?


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## Rowayton (May 29, 2004)

I've had a similar experience with my passenger side vent cover with my '04. It's only happened after the car interior has been left soaking in the hot sun for a prolonged period of time. My passenger vent gets hung up in the half open position (it has only happened three times in four years). Once the interior has reached a livable temperature all the vent covers function perfectly. I rectified the problem those three times by using the climate hard keys as recommended above to cycle the covers and a _gentle_ finger assist. My guess is that something is swelling due to the intense heat and is binding on the cover. 
Ron


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## ct boy (Jun 18, 2010)

Ron

Thanks for your reply. Your comments regarding ambient temperature are right on. I live in Arizona and it was 111 yesterday. Maybe I will wait until fall (November around here) to see if the situation improves.

On a side note, as my user name implies I am originally from CT. My uncle lives in Middle Haddam and is somewhat of a car guy. Perhaps you know a slightly eccentric guy from there with several old Jaguars and Mercedes?

Cheers

Andrew


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## mhoepfin (Dec 20, 2007)

Rowayton said:


> I've had a similar experience with my passenger side vent cover with my '04. It's only happened after the car interior has been left soaking in the hot sun for a prolonged period of time. My passenger vent gets hung up in the half open position (it has only happened three times in four years). Once the interior has reached a livable temperature all the vent covers function perfectly. I rectified the problem those three times by using the climate hard keys as recommended above to cycle the covers and a _gentle_ finger assist. My guess is that something is swelling due to the intense heat and is binding on the cover.
> Ron


This happens on the center vent for me. Usually the first hot day or summer its a little slow opening, seems better as the summer goes on. It's always been slightly slower than the others. Certainly not a part of the car I want anyone monkeying with.


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## MichaelGa (Dec 1, 2009)

I'll add my two cents here. I have an '06 and the covers always open and close at the same time. But there are times for instance in cooler days when the covers do not open, the air is circulated top / bottom as it should but if the sun is on one side of the car I've noticed that the one side with the sun will open but not the others. Turn off and the sun is now behind me and the cover closes on it's own. For me the covers work independently unless its in the hot summer where they always open.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

MichaelGa said:


> I'll add my two cents here. I have an '06 and the covers always open and close at the same time. But there are times for instance in cooler days when the covers do not open, the air is circulated top / bottom as it should but if the sun is on one side of the car I've noticed that the one side with the sun will open but not the others. Turn off and the sun is now behind me and the cover closes on it's own. For me the covers work independently unless its in the hot summer where they always open.


I think that's the correct operation, isn't it? That's how mine work now, open from April to October, then open or closed depending on localized climate. When I bought the car, the driver's side (left) vent was stuck closed and was rectified fairly quickly by the dealer without replacing any motors as far as I know, although they did leave a scratch on it (MY04).


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## ct boy (Jun 18, 2010)

Invisiblewave

Do you recall what the dealer did to fix the problem if it was not a motor replacement? 

btw, I don't think my problem is related to differentials in temperature or direct sunlight. My problem happens in my garage when the ambient temp is the same all around, hot or cold...and always on the same side...It's gotta be the motor or tracks it is gliding on versus a faulty signal from the car telling it to open at the wrong time. Could the car electronics think the vent cover is in a different position than reality, thus telling the motor to move in the wrong way? Is the message the car sends to the vent a specific "open" or "close" or just a "operate motor to move vent to different position"?


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## remrem (Jan 20, 2008)

I'm sure you've already tried this, but just in case you haven't you should perform a reset. Simply push the "climate" button, then push the "reset" button, and then confirm that you want to reset (NOT "reset all"). Then raise the thermostat setting to the highest (for heat) and see if the panel closes.

Otherwise it does sound like you'll be taking a trip to the dealer. Hopefully then it will only be a flap motor replacement. Good luck.

Ron M.


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## Rowayton (May 29, 2004)

Hey Andy,
I lived in AZ (Phoenix/Scottsdale) many years ago and got tired of the blissful "dry heat" that Arizona is so famous for. It took me three years, two months and six days to pull up stakes and run. I've had several Jag's over the years so perhaps I'll bump into your uncle up here and say hi from you. Does your uncle happen to live on Town Street? The historic section of East Haddam is often referred to as Middle Haddam. If he does, your uncle lives three houses away from my house in a house that could only be described as - absolutely stunning. 
Ron


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

ct boy said:


> Invisiblewave
> 
> Do you recall what the dealer did to fix the problem if it was not a motor replacement?


No, sorry, I don't. I don't know for absolute certain that they didn't swap the motor, but they fixed it really quickly so I think it unlikely they'd have had time to change the motor. From the scratch, my guess is there was some sort of excessive kinetic force involved in the repair!


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## Reflect (Apr 4, 2007)

happens when its very hot. also i believe the automatic recirculation button on the climate controls takes care of the car pushing more air where it thinks its needed. i have this off and i never experience this problems


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## calmone (Feb 15, 2006)

after a 5 month rest the vent cover decided on it's own that it had recovered enough to return to work. how long this wil last, of course, is a mystery.


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## eurolok003 (Mar 16, 2009)

*Center vent servo motor replacement requires decor panel too?!*

Hi, all, 
I recently encountered the center vent cover servo motor failure problem. The dealer says warranty company will cover the cost of replacing motor, but the wood panel will ALSO need to be replaced, which they will NOT cover! It seems strange that the decorative panel is not a separate part. Is this true? Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

It is a separate part, of course...


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## eurolok003 (Mar 16, 2009)

The tech at the dealership said both needed to be replaced at the same time. Does anyone have the part number to the servo motor that opens and closes the panel?


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## johnt26 (Dec 3, 2009)

Can you get the servo motor used and reuse the wood?


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

If one can't be replaced without the other, you might want to have a conversation with your warranty company.

I had my replaced under VW warranty and can check the records for part numbers when I'm back home in early March. 

I don't recall off the top of my head about the wood panels needing to be replaced and if they were, they matched them nicely.


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## eurolok003 (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks for all your help.

Had another conversation with the service advisor. Now the explanation is that there is a chance the wood panel may also be broken, and therefore the POSSIBLE need to replace. What are the chance of that happening--as I have never forced the panel open or closed after it failed to operate correctly. Is there a high likelihood that during the disassembly of that part of the dash to get to the motor, the trim pieces maybe damaged? Is anyone familiar with the process of disassembling that part of the dash?


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

I seem to remember that there are indications somewhere on the forum. I also seem to remember that the panels slide so I don't see how they could be damaged.

The motors have been replaced on mine without any adverse effects on the wood panels. Indeed, finding a good match for new wood panels will be very difficult, so it is very likely everything has been thought for so that panels can be easily removed without damaging them.

P.


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## eurolok003 (Mar 16, 2009)

That's good to know. It's just that the SA's statement got me worried. Thanks.


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

I have an issue with one of my side ventilation vents. Over the past 2 weeks or so, one of them refuses to close, even when the vehicle is switched off.

Also, the centre vent has recently been 'stuck' with a 1cm gap at the bottom, so not open and not closed. It also refused to budge when car was switched off. This has curiously fixed itself today.

Anyone got any idea whats going on? Messing with the manual controls doesn't seem to affect this.

Regards

Ian


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

This is a known and documented problem. Early motors need to be changed (mine were) after which, the problem should not appear anymore.

I'm therefore afraid there is no other fix than going to your dealer...

P.


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

I did look at the FAQ and could not find anything. For an IT applications developer I'm not great at searching for stuff.

I did take out a VW warranty at great expense so hopefully it will be covered if it is a motor. Its a 2008 so I would not regard it as an 'early' car.

Anybody any comments?

Regards

Ian


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

AFAIC, the expenses were taken care of by my (French) VW warranty, so I should hope yours will take it. I even think there is a service bulletin on the problem, but I am surprised this should happen on a 2008 car...

P.


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

Got in today and all of the vents were closed. Selected manually to open the vents on both the screen control and the buttons under the vents and only the side ones opened and closed ok. The central one moved half an inch or so and stuck so I couldn't see the clock.

Are these controlled by the same motor or is it three separate ones? It does feel like an electronic glitch to be honest.

Ian


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## calmone (Feb 15, 2006)

i believe there is a seperate motor for each door. i had the same issue a year ago, one of the doors stayed open. tech said i needed a new motor, about $250.00. before i got around to fixing it the door started to work properly and has continually done so. (knock on wood).


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

RUDDY1965 said:


> Got in today and all of the vents were closed. Selected manually to open the vents on both the screen control and the buttons under the vents and only the side ones opened and closed ok. The central one moved half an inch or so and stuck so I couldn't see the clock.
> Are these controlled by the same motor or is it three separate ones? It does feel like an electronic glitch to be honest. Ian


Hi Ian,
There is one motor for each blind, 3 in total. The climatronic also has 22 additional motors to control all flaps of the system. This type of numbers never seizes to amaze me.
I too sometimes have the impression that the motors do not work, or at least do not respond to whatever button I depress when they are closed. But they do at least close when I press the corresponding "reduce" button until the underneath indicator fully dims. They also open up automatically when I park my car (which is part of the auto ventilation system using the solar panels on the roof), and close when I press the ignition button upon entering the car.

The behaviour of the blinds, opening and closing at apparently random moments, almost seems to be controlled by some "higher power", which in my opinion perfectly senses - long before I do - when it will be too cold or to warm in the car.
Although these motors can be fixed, dealers will always replace them because they were not constructed to be serviceable. Normally, not the motor fails but the little gear box as a result of gumming up of the grease inside. Personally, I like to fix these motors myself by carefully prying open the sealed gear box and replacing the grease inside. I find it fun to do, especially since the part would otherwise be discarded and replaced at high costs by the dealer.

Willem


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

Car is in garage next week whilst I am away in spain.

Its costing £250 (excess on VW warranty I have) for them to remove the dashboard. Great car but its going to start costing I think.


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

All fixed. I have had to pay the dealer £250. The rest was covered by my extended warranty. I wonder if VW may pay some of the £250 excess?

Is there a link to this being a 'known problem'. Are there any service bulletins or recalls?


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

RUDDY1965 said:


> Car is in garage next week whilst I am away in spain.


Your trip to Spain was on extended warranty?


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

RUDDY1965 said:


> Is there a link to this being a 'known problem'. Are there any service bulletins or recalls?


Although this problem has been reported before, I don't think it is widespread enough to be called a 'known problem'. Just my personal opinion.

Michael


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## Zaphh (Jul 5, 2008)

When the mechanic changed the motors on my car 2 years ago, I clearly remember that he said that this was a "known problem" and that VW was changing the motors for free. Now, whether this was part of the 2/3 years warranty the car came up with, or whether this was paid for by VW even out of warranty, I don't know...

P.


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## VW611 (Apr 14, 2011)

*ventilation vent stays open*

I am a new Phaeton owner having just purchased a 2006 car with 21,700 miles. The left side vent stayed closed for the first couple weeks, then one day opened and has stayed open from then on. The other vents seem to work normally. I have tried resetting the climate system to no avail. I have not found much information on this problem on the forum. I guess a trip to the dealer is in order.


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

That is exactly the type of behaviour I was getting. To be honest it felt like an electronic problem rather than a faulty motor, but what do I know?


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

All I know is that the blinds are controlled by measuring the outside temperature, inside temperature, desired temperature and possibly other sensor readings are taken into account to determine whether they should be opened or not.
During spring time, with partial sunshine, they start opening and closing intermittently. They always fully open or fully close, never something in between. Their apparently arbitrary opening/closing always makes sense with respect to outside weather conditions.

When they are closed, it is possible to open them by pressing the middle arrows in the left and the right columns in the AC main menu. The ones which do not open, can be opened by pressing the control under the respective blind. That control may have been adjusted to close when they were open previously or on a previous trip.
When they are open and you wish to close them, simply increasing the set temperature while the AC is in auto mode will close them.
I once used my VCDS (VAG-COM) to check the operation of the AC cooler and noted that also the vent blinds can be tested as part of an extensive testing scheme. When in doubt whether the blinds are mechanically stuck or an electronic glitch prevents proper operation, then perhaps VCDS can provide the answer.

Willem


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## Jxander (Aug 5, 2008)

WillemBal said:


> I once used my VCDS (VAG-COM) to check the operation of the AC cooler and noted that also the vent blinds can be tested as part of an extensive testing scheme. When in doubt whether the blinds are mechanically stuck or an electronic glitch prevents proper operation, then perhaps VCDS can provide the answer.
> 
> Willem


Willem:

I had a my center blind not opening a while back. Since I was under CPO I had VW deal with the issue. They had fits with resolving the issue and spent upwards of 20 hours plus replaced several servo motors and the HVAC controller. i always thought that diagnose of the servo motors could be done through the measuring block info provided by VCDS. Is this how you do your diagnosis on the HVAC ventilation control motors?

Jim X


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Jxander said:


> i always thought that diagnose of the servo motors could be done through the measuring block info provided by VCDS. Is this how you do your diagnosis on the HVAC ventilation control motors?Jim X


Jim,
You could diagnose the ventilation control motors by means of measuring blocks. The blocks for the front blinds can be checked with group 024, 025 and 026. They tell you whether they are "sensed" open or closed.
The test I was referring to is the "Output Tests 03". You can press this button when you are in the Climatronic controller menu, where you can also find the adaptation and coding buttons. The "Output Tests" starts a "sequential output test" as it is called. The test is semi automatic. All you need to do is press "Next", and then the pop-up window tells you what is going on. There are about 70 different tests, mostly related to all motors for flaps, blinds and fans. Some of them show you the temperature of the coolant, inside and outside temperature, pump status etc. Very interesting experience: each time you press next/start, something new happens, wind is blowing, flaps open/close, then it gets very cold.:snowcool:
Unfortunately the test has not been documented. So you need to press a lot of "next" and after 50 tests, you will get to the front blind tests. I only documented one of them, called Left Outlet Blind Motor (V207). Underneath, some values are reported with no units, looking like 128.0 ; 250.0 ; 5.0 ; 250.0. Perhaps they indicate the positions and settings of related flaps and fans. 
As I mentioned in my previous post, I used this test sequence to check the operation of the cooling system. I could check whether the coolant pressure was sufficient and the temperature was going down, which was not the case. So from that test, I concluded that my cooling liquid needed replacement, which indeed solved the problem. Perhaps when someone has a document which describes all these many tests and what should be expected running each test, the VCDS will be even more helpful. But I'm afraid this information is only available with VAS5051 and 5052.:banghead:

Willem


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## Jxander (Aug 5, 2008)

Willem:

Thanks for the info. i feel that the HVAC system in the Phaeton possibly gives VW techs more trouble than any other component. Thus, my question was because i would like to learn all I can so that I can diagnose and resolve control issues with the HVAC myself. I know repairs of this system often requires a tremendous amount of dash disassembly but as everything, the more you do it the better you become.  I was recently unable to open my glovebox. It was not actually locked but the pushbutton would not open it. I can attest that VW does not make entry into a "locked" glovebox very easy. From parts diagrams I reasoned that the cable must have broken or more likely had come loose(probably due to previous work on dash vents by VW tech). To fix it i had to do a bit of dash disassembly to resolve the issue and can't say it was fun but it was doable - just time consuming. The problem was that the tip of the cable was loose as expected. It would not have come loose on its own, so it had to be a collateral damage from repairing the HVAC. 

i did appreciate your comment on the servo motors that the typical problem is "gummed up" gearboxes rather than motor failures. After reading that I've started operating manually(using control switches) all of my directional vent controls trying to keep these from becoming sticky. I know the auto function does a little of everything but I want to make sure that al motors get used regularly. Having owned an aging BMW and frequenting an owner's forum I was always amazed at how robust most components were and that very often "repairs" were not much more than a removal of a part and performing a good cleaning. I think as more owners get involved in Phaeton repairs we will find the same is true.

Thanks for all the help. Michael has been our resident computer systems expert and technical information resource. I believe you are becoming the expert on all electrical problems. Between the two of you, we have a sporting chance of keeping these Phaetons in service. 

Jim X


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

FFS, after paying out £250 to fix the centre vent, the right vent will now no longer close.

I feel a sale coming on :-(


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## fdtinc (Dec 31, 2010)

Phaetons with stuck-open vents are an annoyance to Phaeton owners, but no one else would even notice!

Does a vent with stuck open blind blow air if its manual control button is off? If no air comes out then, why sell the car? The function is not impeded, the glitch could be lived with.
Of course the personal annoyance factor would remain


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## RUDDY1965 (Sep 16, 2008)

I know, you are right. I fear it is the start of things going wrong, thats all.


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## VW611 (Apr 14, 2011)

I recall reading a thread a while back where someone reported that the vent motor mechanisms require re-lubing as they get dried out and stick. I cannot find this thread now. Does anyone else recall this or can anyone advise how this is done? I've read posts where the dealer has disassembled the dash board to correct a mis-behaving vent and afterwards the car has more "issues" as a result of the invasion to the dash internals. If, with patience and good instructions, an owner could repair a dash vent himself I would prefer to attempt it rather than risk more problems by having a dealer who hardly ever sees a Phaeton tackle the work. Thanks in advance for any thoughts / help.


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

*Tp / tb 2013396/1*

Jim,
You are most welcome for the compliment. I too think that regular use of the motors keeps them going. Let’s hope they are easy to reach, in case they need an overhaul.

Ian, 
Between some freshly gathered literature, I found a German TP, code 2013396/1, describing the problem and the solution in detail. The problem description is that the blinds do not open at all or just partly, or are making a squeaking during opening/closing. It appears that the little gear box, with its eccentric plastic bearings, either gets damaged or the grease “fails”. There is no explanation about how failing grease looks like, but probably it simply dries out and then gums up the bearing or its gears. VW has issued an updated version of the bearings, which are made of brass. To avoid future problems with the other blends, these need to be updated too, according to the bulletin. The part number is 3D0898222 and each set consists of 2 eccentric bearings, 3 Teflon discs or washers and grease. So perhaps it is a good idea to contact the service manager of your dealer and tell him about this bulletin, which clearly states that all 3 blinds need to be treated like this and not just the one that failed. I’m sure there is also an English version, as it applies to all vehicles outside NAR, at least that was the situation back in 2006, when the TB was issued.

*VW611*,
Perhaps you saw my posts about this. I repaired some seat motors by re-greasing / revitalizing them. It is described in This Link.



RUDDY1965 said:


> I know, you are right. I fear it is the start of things going wrong, thats all.


Ian,
You remind me of this Scottish fellow in “Dad’s Army” who always expressed his feelings in critical situations by saying the magic sentence: “*We are doooooomed!*” :laugh:

Willem


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Attached (in the German language) is the technical bulletin (Technische Problemlösung) that Willem referred to in his post directly above. I'm sorry that I don't have this available in the English language.

Michael

*TP 2013396 - Vent Covers*


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

*Left Side A Pillar Trim Removal To Fix A/C Vent Cover*

I've set about to repair my left side air conditioning vent blind that appears to have lost its connection to the motor assembly. After looking at the service manual diagrams it of course looks like a rather easy task. Step 1, remove trim from A pillar. Step 2, remove left side instrument cover. Step 3, fix A/C vent blind. In practice, I'm struggling to get past step one. 

The diagram I referenced shows two fasteners holding the A pillar trim piece in place but gives no detail as to how they fasten the trim to the frame. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I've tried pulling out as per the diagram and pulling up as per my observation but to no avail on either account. I'd really not rather break anything, although those lessons learned tend to stay with you the longest. It's probably one of those things that once you understand how it goes together, it's simple but until you have that knowledge, it's a pain. 

One I get to the motor that operates the wood cover, it looks like it'll be straightforward (hopefully). 

Any help would be most appreciated! 

Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Of course, there are some button presses that give the appearance of a broken vent motor. But I assume you have run the VCDS HVAC diagnostics, to make absolutely sure that you have to do this physical repair? 

Good luck, 
Chris


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

Chris, 
I'm sure that it's a mechanical issue. The vent cover moves by hand as if it's not attached to anything. When the Climatronic calls for the cover to actuate, I can hear the motor run but the cover doesn't move. Looking at the diagram, it seems as though there's a tab on the cover that fits into a slot on the motor which allows it to power open and closed. I think either the tab has come out of the slot or the tab has broken off. 

When I took delivery, I attributed the behavior to a software setting, however; after doing some research, I fully believe the problem to be mechanical. 

Cheers, 
Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi Steven, 

I think these are the usual vehicle trim bent metal clips that push into a socket, and come out with brute force. Like the RH battery cover. Very stiff. 

But - I haven't actually done it! Hopefully someone has. Perhaps a trim clip tool will get some purchase on it without doing damage. 

Chris 










image (c) volkswagen


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

That's the diagram from which I've been working. I've got the repair manual on a different computer so I haven't been able to post the reference material I'm using. 

Good to know that it's brute force, although I'm not much of a brute myself. Not having worked with these particular fasteners before, I'm not sure how much force is too much. I'll give it shot after work. 

Thanks, Chris! 

Steven


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

I found the source of my problem. Thanks to Chris' advice above, I removed the A pillar trim by force. Unfortunately, I was wrong in my initial assessment of how the vent cover works. 

The bottom part of the bracket that moves the vent cover has broken off in the location indicated by the arrow. The actuator turns the axle and the bracket has a "D" shaped hole that slips over the end of the axle. The curved part of the "D" has broken off which prevents the bracket from completely engaging the axle. I found the piece when I removed the left instrument panel cover. 

I don't know if I'll be able to repair that bracket or if I'll have to replace the whole assembly. Thankfully it's not the passenger side as it appears that you must buy the center and passenger side vent as one unit (item #10 in the diagram). 









Image (c) Volkswagen


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Is it this part? 

Chris 

(_Link active for only a couple of weeks_) 



[*Edit*: Here is a generic search for the air vent that might find one on an auction site, since the item linked above is obviously long gone: Search.


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

That's the one!


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## JulianBenjamin (Jun 22, 2007)

Crazy glue won't fix it?


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

I was able to remove the driver's side vent in its entirety this evening. It looks like I'll be ordering a new assembly.

Here's part of the problem:










Unfortunately, I don't think crazy glue is going to work. Belzona might do it but I don't think there's enough mass there to make a repair. It wasn't too difficult to do the tear-down required to remove the vent assembly but it was such that I'd rather not have to repeat the process due to a failed repair.

I also found one of the plastic clips that attaches the cover bracket to the axle connecting both sides of the bracket to be broken.

The axle (you can see one of the white plastic clips to the right side):










And the broken clip (my apologies for the insufficiency of my camera's focal length):











I'm trying to do a failure analysis to determine what necessitated this repair. My best guess at this point is that the mechanism bound up causing the break. How it bound, I don't know. Any input would be welcome.

When I was looking for door trim strips, VWDiscountParts.com out of California had the best prices that I could find. Does anyone know of a good discount supplier on the East Coast of the US for the vent assembly? If I could read Polish, I'd investigate the auction that Chris noted above.

I'll do my best to post pictures of the reassembly.

Cheers,
Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi Steven,

If the VW list price is very high, that $30 part in Poland can be viewed in Google Chrome browser which will auto-translate to English. Google translation doesn't work in IE on that web site, for some unknown reason.

Usually, emailing the vendor (include both English text and the Google translation to Polish text) will get an international postage price from them. It's then possible to set up an account on allegro.pl. then some vendors allow a credit card payment, which gives some element of financial security.

If you don't want to create an account (that setup page doesn't translate, so filling in the form is a bit of a guess) or if they don't accept credit card payments, it's cheaper than street bank charges to make a direct bank-to-bank payment using GlobalWebPay. No transaction refund is possible, but most vendors should be legitimate, same as eBay, they want to stay in business.

If you take that route, maybe I can use my Allegro account to help.

Bear in mind there's no warranty whatsoever on used parts, and it's not worth the aggravation of trying to return parts internationally for an (unlikely) refund. But in some cases it's worth the risk.

Cheers,
Chris


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## autonut1992 (Mar 29, 2012)

*Vent Cover Removal*

I have been searching these forums (as well as others) for a procedure to remove the center vent cover. I was planning on sending all of my vent covers to Madera Concepts in California to be refinished, though I do not want to enter this project without an idea of how to remove the center vent cover. 

Thank you!


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## StevenFT (Jan 26, 2012)

I've not done this removal myself but have access to pictures from the service manual. This should give you a general idea of the work involved. I'm not sure what the policy and/or protocol is for loading pictures from the VW service manual to the forums. I'm going to err on the side of caution for now and not post multiple images in this thread. I think one or two is kosher but don't know about more than that. 

That being said, you may find the following link helpful  
Useful Info 

The first step is to remove the trim that runs below the center vent cover and includes the right front vent cover control button. Unfortunately, that does not look like much fun at all. 

Once you have that off, there are two screws that secure the wood panel above the glove box. 

After removing the aforementioned wood panel, remove the six screws that secure the underlying design trim piece. You should now have access to the center vent cover mounting hardware. Two more screws hold the vent housing to the dash. You'll need to disconnect the wiring harness. 

Three screws hold the wood panel to the motorized arm that moves the panel. 

Hopefully this gives you a direction in which to start. 

Cheers, 
Steven


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

Hi (Sorry-I-don't-know-your-name), 

There's some discussion in these threads, although I think it mostly just duplicates what Steven has provided. 

How to remove the front wooden panel with the chrome clockring 
Cleaning repairing wood trim dash 

Good luck, 
Chris


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## autonut1992 (Mar 29, 2012)

Both of your posts have been very informative. Thank you very much! 

Happy Motoring, 
Alex


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## Gabs08PHTN (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi all,
The front left vent cover was fairly weak lately. Sometimes it did not open, sometimes it remained opened and so on, until it died a couple of days ago.
This issue started last year in winter time. At that time I sorted it out removing the servomotor and lubricating the gears. This time I tried that too, but it refused to work, so I ordered a new part that was worth 150euro .
After installing the new unit and testing it to make sure that everything was fine, I decided to play a little bit with the old servomotor. To my surprise, if I fed it with 12V it would spin either side flawlessly and felt quite torquey. That made me think that perhaps there was something wrong with the feedback side of the servomotor.
I opened it up and disassembled it. I could see that there was a quite simple PCB attached to the gearbox, where the connector and the electric motor wires were soldered to. Also, there was what looked like an encoder. I removed a cover and spoted a plastic washer with four tiny bruhes on it that slided on a track embeded on the the PCB. Both the track and the brushes were quite oily, possibly due to excess lubricant.
So I decided to clean the tracks, the brushes, the gears and the case and to put it all back together after lubricating the gears with just a tad of silicon grease. Now it is just a matter of testing it . What will the result be....? I will keep you informed!

Gabriel


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Might be good to know! Mine centre vent stuck halfway up during opening a couple of days ago.


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## liburni (Jan 5, 2014)

*middle vent stuck opened*

Hi all,

Does anyone have the manual how to rwmove center vent on phaeton 06 ,
Because the center door of vent stuck opened and need to replace.

thanks.


----------



## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

There's a thread somewhere where Chris posted a diagram, I don't have a link to it. It requires quite a lot of dismantling, you have to remove that grey trim strip first that runs right across the dash. Some of the parts are also very delicate, while looking at mine I discovered that the parking sensor switch housing had previously been removed and broken, it has some very small and delicate plastic clips (I was able to glue mine, but you can buy a new switch housing too). My vent suddenly started working again, much to my relief because even with the limited investigation I did, it looked like a difficult job. During the investigation, I did come across a cheap trim removal set on Amazon which I bought anyway and which has turned out to be very useful.


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

> Does anyone have the manual how to rwmove center vent on phaeton 06 ,
> Because the center door of vent stuck opened and need to replace.


Hi (I'm sorry, I don't know your name),

Welcome to the forum! The thread referred to above is probably this one: How to remove the front wooden panel with the chrome clockring.

I hope that's of help.

Chris


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Gabs08PHTN said:


> front left vent cover ..Sometimes it did not open, sometimes it remained opened and so on,
> 
> What will the result be....? I will keep you informed!





What ever happened with your testing?

My left front vent stuck halfway and stayed there for several car cycles. Then it decided to work again a few times then back to stuck halfway.

I'm also inclined to think the motor itself is fine and the feedback circuit is just dirty so the car gets confused.

I am about to take the motor apart and clean the contacts.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Keep us posted (I know you will)! My centre vent is doing exactly the same thing. While you have the dash dismantled, it's probably a good idea to do them all I'd think.


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## Gabs08PHTN (Jan 6, 2011)

PowerDubs said:


> What ever happened with your testing?
> 
> My left front vent stuck halfway and stayed there for several car cycles. Then it decided to work again a few times then back to stuck halfway.
> 
> ...


Hi Josh,
My latest experience with the left vent actuator is at the end of this thread.
Although I disassembled, cleaned and lubricated the actuator I ended up purchasing a new one. I keep the old unit as a spare, just in case...

Gabriel


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

*Instrument Panel air vent cover (decor panel) stays open, does not close when...*

Yes, I just did the same. I used a soldering iron to gently scrape off the mushroomed ends of the plastic posts securing the mechanicals, released the clips holding the board and removed the parts as a unit. 

I see no damage to the gears nor any dirty contacts. What I do see is where grease has migrated into clumps. I'm guessing (and hoping) that this is the sole cause of the car getting confused and deciding not to move the wood cover. Given it's position sensing, and the gearing, it wouldn't take much to mess up the readings.

I carefully removed all traces of the grease then reassembled.

I used little clamps to hold the bits back onto the posts and just a drop of gorilla superglue on each. It is currently sitting for a bit to dry and I will reassemble and keep my fingers crossed.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

I had the same theory that perhaps the electronics decided there was too much resistance or something and decided not to move it, but if that were the case I would have expected something to be logged and mine scans clean when the vent sticks.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> I see no damage to the gears nor any dirty contacts. What I do see is where grease has migrated into clumps. I'm guessing (and hoping) that this is the sole cause of the car getting confused and deciding not to move the wood cover. Given it's position sensing, and the gearing, it wouldn't take much to mess up the readings.


I would pay the most attention to the mechanical parts. The design cover control motors do allegedly have position-sensing potentiometers, and they are wired up according to the wiring diagrams, but it's unclear if they're ever used. The Climatronic diagnostic interface shows position targets and live feedback for every motor except the three design cover motors, and during normal use they never seek any position other than an end stop. I've also never seen anyone post a DTC for any of those motors, even people complaining about those motors specifically.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

invisiblewave said:


> I had the same theory that perhaps the electronics decided there was too much resistance or something and decided not to move it, but if that were the case I would have expected something to be logged and mine scans clean when the vent sticks.




What if the car doesn't think it is broke? It just thinks it is closed, or open? I'm not an electronics guy.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

jyoung8607 said:


> and during normal use they never seek any position other than an end stop.




Precisely. I'm not sure how it determines 'stop' but I think it thinks it is stopped. I think. 


There are no physical stops within the gearcase assembly itself, just the actual flap the wood cover is attached to has limits to its movements.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> Precisely. I'm not sure how it determines 'stop' but I think it thinks it is stopped. I think.
> 
> 
> There are no physical stops within the gearcase assembly itself, just the actual flap the wood cover is attached to has limits to its movements.


I'm not sure. They do seem to stop mid-way when you trigger position re-learning for all motors in VCDS, but never any other time. It could be as simple as timing. Drive the motors long enough toward closed and they're guaranteed to be closed, and they're closed at every shutdown. After that, it could be nothing more than running them for N seconds to open and another N seconds in reverse to close. They could get tricky and measure current draw from the motor, but I doubt they did something tricky or sophisticated when they didn't even care enough to use the potentiometer.

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Makes sense. Similar to holding the window switches up/down to readjust.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

jyoung8607 said:


> I'm not sure. They do seem to stop mid-way when you trigger position re-learning for all motors in VCDS,





Hi Jason,


Do you have a walkthrough for that procedure? I put the motor back in today..and nothing happens. But as I mentioned before, earlier on the unit had stopped working...then started working then stopped again. 

Other than some slightly gritty grease buildup, I can't find anything wrong with the assembly. The gears were sticking when turned by hand before, but after a good cleaning and manually working them back and forth everything turns smoothly now. No signs of any damage to the gears or potentiometer. I was fully expecting it to work and am bummed it isn't.

Seeing as the other guy above had a vent that didn't work and he tested the motor as working.. something strange is going on. I'm holding off on spending another $200+ for a vent if we can figure out what is causing the malfunction.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Open the module and go to adaptation, if I remember correctly you put a 1 in the first box and hit Go. I think it tells you how to do it when you open the adaptation.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

What Martin said -- go to adaptation channel 1. However, I believe it's set to 1 already and the procedure calls for saving a 2 to trigger the process.


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## Gabs08PHTN (Jan 6, 2011)

PowerDubs said:


> Hi Jason,
> 
> 
> Do you have a walkthrough for that procedure? I put the motor back in today..and nothing happens.


Hi Josh,
Did you check that the actuator was operating before reinstalling it?
When I fixed/replaced the driver's side vent actuator I fed 12V to the two uppermost pins of the connector in order to align the shaft with the vent hub, that way I made sure that it was working.

Gabriel


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

The motor itself? No, I did not feed it power. Since it worked then stopped then worked again, I doubt the motor is failed.

I didn't need power to move it to realign, I just set the gears in the box to be where I wanted them before I set the motor back in. Since it has a worm drive, it slides right in.


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## jyoung8607 (Feb 14, 2006)

PowerDubs said:


> The motor itself? No, I did not feed it power. Since it worked then stopped then worked again, I doubt the motor is failed.
> 
> I didn't need power to move it to realign, I just set the gears in the box to be where I wanted them before I set the motor back in. Since it has a worm drive, it slides right in.


Did the adaptation procedure not help?

Jason


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Haven't had a chance to play with it.


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## Phaeton2 (May 18, 2013)

I'm not sure if this is the same motor (connector in different location) but I have a few posted on ebay if you determine you need a new one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271501901655?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Thanks for the heads up, but if I am going to get another one, I am going to buy a new one, not used. New ones can be found online for $195, so paying $125 to risk on a used one isn't worth the gamble.

Thanks.


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## Phaeton2 (May 18, 2013)

Hey Josh, sorry I was going to mention that I could sell them to any vortex member for $75 each. If it is defective I'll take it back and send you another one.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Problem solved. Unsure as to why though.


As mentioned, I had cleaned and reinstalled the assembly to no function.

Today I fired up VAGCOM and checked the measuring blocks for all the vents in the dash. 

All showed open, I shut the climate control off, all showed closed. But only 2 ever moved. The one I have been having the problem with stayed still.

I then tried the procedure for adaptation of the vents. Again only 2 moved.



Frustrated, I took the assembly back out, opened it and diced to put power to it to see if the motor would spin directly. I stuck 2 wires directly into the terminals on the motor and the other ends of the wires I put right onto the battery terminals in the trunk. As expected, the motor spun. I gave it about 10 seconds to make sure it spun with no restrictions from the gearing. I then reversed the polarity at the battery and let it spin the other way for a few seconds.

At this point, I knew the motor worked (as I expected it to) so I was at a loss as to why the flap wouldn't work while in the car. I put it back together and then back onto the flap in the dash. I turned the car on and WTF it worked exactly as it should! 

I opened and closed it numerous times from the climate control fan speed and no glitches. I scanned, no codes. I even went ahead and performed the calibration again even though it has never appeared to be needed on any of the vents regardless of my disassembly.


I'll keep you updated to if it continues to function. At this point, if anyone has a flap stop working..my advice is disassemble, make sure the gears turn freely and smoothly by hand once the motor is popped out. Clean if need be. Then hit the motor w/ 12v direct. For whatever reason, it worked for me.

:screwy:


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## Gabs08PHTN (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi Josh,
Electroshocks are sometimes useful  !!!
Just kidding, don`t take me wrong.

Gabriel


----------



## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

That tallies with the behaviour I've observed with mine. It'll stick for a week, then randomly start working again.


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## madreg98 (Jun 1, 2009)

Just fixed the horn, stabilizing bar links, and vacuum connection to the engine mounts and went out for a drive. The left side AC vent is staying in the up position! After a VAG scan will be disassembling and performing a Josh!! I love this car.


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

> Then hit the motor w/ 12v direct. For whatever reason, it worked for me.


There are posts in other car threads about loading a certain brake switch with an amp or two instead of its usual microamps, this being to clean its contacts with a little sparking and correct a high-resistance problem.

Since the flap motors could very well operate with less than 12V when driven by the controller, perhaps a good blast with 12V cleans the commutator and brushes. The poor little motors must get very bored working for 5 seconds a throw, then resting for maybe months waiting for some sun... 

Chris


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Whatever the cause, it is still working fine since I shocked it.


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## madreg98 (Jun 1, 2009)

Took my defective motor from the driver side to the passenger side and it still did not work while the passenger side unit worked perfectly on the driver side. So, at first I also thought it was a defective motor. However putting it on a Dc supply at 12 v it worked just fine. Ran it both ways as Josh did, put it back in the car and it is working well. I don't think it has anything to do with shocking the motor since it is rated at 12v. There must be some sort of on/off components in the switch that is activated when the vent reaches a detent. Since the motor leads are wired into the rest of the circuit and the circuit has discrete components-capacitors, maybe the application of the 12v power is affecting some other components in the circuit. Whatever the effect I'm happy my vent is working properly.
Dennis


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

There are no switches in the motor assembly. I'm guessing it starts and stops movement / position based on current.


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Btw, glad juicing it worked for you as well!!

A new motor is $200ish.


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## der hauptmann (Jul 17, 2006)

StevenFT said:


> I was able to remove the driver's side vent in its entirety this evening. It looks like I'll be ordering a new assembly.
> 
> Here's part of the problem:
> 
> ...


I know this is an old thread at this point, but do you have the pictures of reassembly? It seems my vent door hinge failed much like yours, and I'm trying ot figure out how to remove the whole vent unit. 

Thank!

-Aaron.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Are you sure the hinge has failed or has the motor just stuck?


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## der hauptmann (Jul 17, 2006)

invisiblewave said:


> Are you sure the hinge has failed or has the motor just stuck?


The motor works fine, I've got that out, but moving the wooden cover hinge by hand it flops around, so I'm guessing the hinge on the side inside the dash is broken, but I can't see that side. 

Which is why I'm hoping someone can give me some tips on getting it out.


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## SoundsoftheSuburbs (Jan 17, 2017)

The center vent cover on my car is stuck halfway down and does not retract like the side vent covers do. When I push it up with my hands, it inevitably falls down to the halfway point when I brake. How do I fix this?


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Remove the glove box, remove the wood panel above the glove box, remove the stereo console, pull off the clip over the rear shade switch to the right of the console, remove the grey trim strip, remove the vent (trim comes with it, it's attached with arms, so don't push too hard in your frustration), remove the faulty actuator and replace it with a new one (I don't remember which one it is, a scan will tell you), they're about $110 if you buy online. I did a complete write-up on the procedure, search the forum for it. It's awkward, tedious, time-consuming, but can be done. Get yourself a small electric screwdriver before you start. And before you ask, the answer is no you can't get to it without taking all that crap off!


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast said:


> The center vent cover ..... How do I fix this?


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast said:


> The center vent cover on my car is stuck halfway down and does not retract like the side vent covers do. When I push it up with my hands, it inevitably falls down to the halfway point when I brake. How do I fix this?


I noticed in your eBay ad it was missing and in your Vortex ad you mention having a replacement complete air vent with cover.

I don't think a replacement wood cover will match the rest of your wood. 

Do you have the original wood vent cover? If so, include that in the sale and tell the buyer that he or she must save it.


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

My driver and passenger vents work flawlessly however the centre vent doesn't work. It gets stuck in the open position but now and then on a bumpy road it will drop down. It's not connected properly by the looks of it, perhaps a snapped link, as when it drops down it is not perfectly level, the right side feels more secure and lines up with the other panels whereas the left does not.

The motor still works as when I turn the car off you can hear it whirring trying to close the vent, then after ~15 seconds of no luck it gives up and leaves it open. Any ideas?


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

I have just ordered a new centre vent assembly off eBay for £20. It has the correct wood (which doesn't really matter as I'll switch in the current wooden panel assuming there's not damage to it once I disassemble) and its just a plug and play job. It has the gears, motors and vents all fully working and isn't difficult to replace yourself. £20 fix as opposed to a £300 dealership job and addresses all the issues of whether its gears, motors or some snapped part connecting to the wood.

Link to part: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282854030115

If you do this, make sure you check with the seller that it is the complete functional unit and not just the panel. I assumed the full module would be much more expensive so was sure to check.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

There aren't any gears in it. The piece that fails, like all the other vents, is the flap motor. Someone probably stripped the plastic gears trying to raise it manually. That particular one isn't worth doing without replacing the motor with a new one, since it's such a pain in the ass to get to it. I posted full instructions somewhere.


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

invisiblewave said:


> There aren't any gears in it. The piece that fails, like all the other vents, is the flap motor. Someone probably stripped the plastic gears trying to raise it manually. That particular one isn't worth doing without replacing the motor with a new one, since it's such a pain in the ass to get to it. I posted full instructions somewhere.


Do you have a link to the instructions at all? It would be really helpful for when I give this replacement a go.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

I don't have a link, but you should be able to find it with a search. You have to dismantle a large part of the dashboard. Glove box out, wood panel off (be careful, follow instructions), radio out, grey trim strip off, button cluster swivel. While it's in pieces, check the motor on the side demister (V205 I think), that one's easily accessible once the glove box & wood trim are off. I spent a couple of days doing it, going very carefully. Left me with a very sore back. Also, use an electric screwdriver, there are approximately one million screws to get out.


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

Following another thread giving me some motivation, I'd like to replace my centre vent as the motor has gone, it winds but the wood panel has clearly snapped at one of the connectors as even when it falls down I can't even push it in line.

I have a complete centre vent assembly complete with the folding cover, gears and motors so I am just wanting to install this myself. I had a read through this forum but didn't see any guides. I don't suppose somebody has any guide on how to access it? I know its a long job.

Thanks


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## Pimmy_96 (Nov 9, 2018)

Following Guy's comment, my '08 Phaeton which I will be taking delivery of on Friday may also have an issue so any tips would be welcome


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

I posted the procedure somewhere. There's no need to buy the whole thing, you just have to change the motor on the side of it. In brief, you remove the A panel trim, the dash end plate, the grey trim strip, the wood trim above the glove box, the glove box, the stereo trim & stereo unit, the trim in front of the console and swing the parking sensor/rear blind switch out of the way. Long, fiddly job with fairly high risk of breaking things (particularly the fittings on the rear of the wood trim above the glove box). There's nothing really hard about any of it, the only thing I had a hard time figuring out was the A pillar trim, although I can't remember if that was necessary for the centre vent, it may have been for the V205. I highly recommend taking the time to find my detailed post, it's a long time since I did it.


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

Thanks for the insight. Mine isn't just the gears, there's definitely been something snap as sometimes the trim just falls down but its not straight, the left hand side drops down further than it should and sticks out, and I also have quite a bad rattle above 30mph there now so I've made it a higher priority to fix. The whole assembly was only £20 for me so it just seemed like the safer and easier route.


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

If you bought a used one, I'd strongly advise that you change the motor on it for a new one since it's so difficult to change. They're not cheap, but for this particular one it's worth it.


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## GuyPaddick (Jun 20, 2018)

Good advice. It came from a scrapped Phaeton that only had 22k miles on the clock, it had been in a collision and had irreparable damage to the boot, rear bumper and both rear wings. Based on the low mileage I would imagine it is in good working order (I asked the seller too and he confirmed all was working) but as a precautionary measure I'll take your advice and replace the motor. Do you happen to have a part number?


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

It's probably 3D0 820 511, but double-check that before you buy. Some of them do fail at low mileage, I bought mine at 40k and one of the flaps already wasn't working. Doesn't the one you bought have the part number on it? It's printed on the side of the motor.


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## kicku (Apr 8, 2018)

*Central trim flap broken.*

Some time passed since someone replyed to this thread.
I have same problem as jyoung8607 user.
Everything fine but nothing works as should.
Since past year, shortly after i have bought this car, did seen the central trim flap stuck opened, days later fell as a dead weight.
These days i've put the vcds on it, trying to understand what does not work.
First of all i've got V113 errors and V71. Others were because plugs were off.

https://picturepush.com/+15bgL

After cleaning errors, started adapting, then the V113 disappeared. Indeed, under general test (that one with the "next enter"), the readings from V113-G143 potentiometer demonstrate troubles, probably used carbon tracks.

Something strange is the way it behave the servo V208 on central trim flap. Pushing two times on start button, (equivalent to the second position on key), the V208 servo start to move trying to close the flap, with a 270° movement. If i stop everything the servo will not move at all but at next start will start to move yet again for another 270°, always simulate the closing movement. After every turn of 270° on measurement blocks will display "closed". 

https://picturepush.com/+15bgO

Meanwhile monitoring it's movement through the test board, the readings from the potentiometer of the V208 - G326, will remain fixed at 128.
When doing the adapt all the servos, the entire test start to move every motor learning the position ov everyone of them, when it will arrive to the trim flap, the ecu will move them at half...always as jyoung8607 has noticed.
So...how does work this?? It make use of potentiometer or not??

https://picturepush.com/+15bgP

Same behaviour for the left trim flap V207-G325 and the right one V209-G327.
At this point, started to take off entire central flap. Was a pain take it off...

The potentiometer is a 6kohm on G325, G326, G327 as 3D0 820 511
Hoped was just a tired potentiometer, so opened, cleaned, put a tear of contact cleaner but did not helped.

https://picturepush.com/+15bgD

https://picturepush.com/+15bg2

https://picturepush.com/+15bg5

https://picturepush.com/+15bg6

https://picturepush.com/+15bg7

https://picturepush.com/+15bg8

https://picturepush.com/+15bg9

The tracks were very nice looking, so i don't think at all it's faulty.

https://picturepush.com/+15bgA

https://picturepush.com/+15bgB

https://picturepush.com/+15bgC


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## kicku (Apr 8, 2018)

*Central trim flap broken.*

The second "surprise" was the flap itself: found it broken.

https://picturepush.com/+15bgF

Managed somehow to fix it with a 3D printed prothesis. My fear is that once put all together, the servo will broke again the flap arm as found already.
Found the inox axle flared also, this should transmit the movement from the servo to the other arm of the flap. Both plastic inserts who stays between servo and arms broken.

The 55A in this photo:

https://picturepush.com/+15bg0

The repair kit is 3D0 898 222A

https://picturepush.com/+15bg1

Did not find it (yet) anywhere for less than 75€. 

Started to print "something" just for be able to test everything without broke original good pieces. 

https://picturepush.com/+15bgG

Then sent to the printer

https://picturepush.com/+15bgH

And that came out

https://picturepush.com/+15bgI

After a little polish...

https://picturepush.com/+15bgJ

Glued all together with superatack...hope will last until the "new" one will arrive.

A few hours ago, took off the right hand trim flap servo for reference.
It have the same values ( 6 kohm ) as the central one.

Next i will try to change between them to see what will happen.


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

I checked eBay and got no results. Sometimes if you remove the suffix, you get results.

Here are the results I got searching for 3D0898222:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=3D0898222&_sacat=0


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## 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN (Feb 10, 2015)

kicku said:


> The 55A in this photo:
> 
> https://picturepush.com/+15bg0
> 
> ...


I am confused, 55A looks nothing like the part you printed. Is the parts diagram wrong?


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## kicku (Apr 8, 2018)

I've got lots of results 
This is the very first...not bad as price but anyway...i don't want to spend almost 70€ for two plastic "bearings", both weighting less than 1mg of plastic.

https://sunparts24.de/ar/3D0898222

The problem with them is they are very small, with my printer it's almost impossible to print something like that. Anyway, this piece must resist to the torsion created by servo. the only way of print this piece is standing up, with the base aka the input for servo axle droped to the printing bed. In this way printed layers will divide between them if force is applied. This is a common problem on oldies printers.
My printer is very old, it's not so good as the new models.
That's why, i've glued all together the broken "bearings", thus until i will understand where the problems is.
But spend 70€ on just one bearings kit, rather i will spend 100€ on a new 3D printer, with that one i will print every bearing i want.


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## kicku (Apr 8, 2018)

53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN said:


> I am confused, 55A looks nothing like the part you printed. Is the parts diagram wrong?


Indeed, 
i only printed just the half inner of the arm, not the bearings with "55A" - 3D0 898 222A


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## kicku (Apr 8, 2018)

So, today did some tests on it. First, inverted the dx servo with the central servo just to see the behaviour. Both, together turned for almost 270° simulating the close movement.
That's it, does mean that the HVAC ecu does not read really the movement from it's potentiometers inside of the servo. 
No errors about trim flap readen on faults by VCDS, at all.
Allegedly the ecu will activate the servos for some seconds, without logic... My clue is the ecu simply does not care about open or close position of trim flaps because even if it reads as closed, will try the same to blow air through the central air vents.

So, simply i've remount all the dash and tryed a few times for test, first doing the adapt by VCDS, then output tests.
I hope will last for some time, at least until the "new" one will arrive from the donor.

https://picturepush.com/+15bqP

https://picturepush.com/+15bqO

P.S. the glow light on speedo is because of random fault given by temp sender behind the fap, yes, again :thumbdown:


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