Quote of £1500 to fix heater problem on Renault Grand Scenic

[Newcastle55]

Hi - we have a 2015 Renault Grand Scenic -the heater works fine on the windscreen and dashboard but not in the footwells. Garage has quoted £1500 for repairs as it involves a lot of labour to get to the heater parts.

What do you think might be causing this - there was a clunk and then the footwell wouldn’t heat up.

What is the expected cost of a repair?

Thanks for any help/advice

[PhilboSE]

There’s usually a little flap with an arm attached to a motor to direct the airflow, and one of those breaks in some way. As you’ve been told, these things are buried behind the dashboard/fascia and it’s a load of work to get to them. Plus you’ll probably have a rattle for ever when something doesn’t go back quite as it was.

[Little Pete]

It s a big job!

[Little Pete]

[Miserablegit]

Wear thicker socks and save the £1500.

I can’t recall the last time I used the footwell option on any of my cars.

As you can see, it’s a huge job and that’s where the cost is. The wipers broke on my old landrover. I had to take the dash out to fix them. Took me a weekend. Dealer would have charged a fortune given the time it took.

[Legacywr]

Awful job, it’s easier to change the engine.

[Lo-Fi]

Miserablegit said:

Wear thicker socks and save the £1500.

I can t recall the last time I used the footwell option on any of my cars.

As you can see, it s a huge job and that s where the cost is. The wipers broke on my old landrover. I had to take the dash out to fix them. Took me a weekend. Dealer would have charged a fortune given the time it took.

I use the feety heater every time it rains. Which is always. Wet shoes+metal pedals=potential disaster. I want my soles dry asap.

[sixor8]

It's not an old 60s car, I'm sure there'd be rubber covers on the pedals.

[Dog Biscuit]

Lo-Fi said:

Miserablegit said:

Wear thicker socks and save the £1500.

I can t recall the last time I used the footwell option on any of my cars.

As you can see, it s a huge job and that s where the cost is. The wipers broke on my old landrover. I had to take the dash out to fix them. Took me a weekend. Dealer would have charged a fortune given the time it took.

I use the feety heater every time it rains. Which is always. Wet shoes+metal pedals=potential disaster. I want my soles dry asap.

Do you iron your underpants too out of interest?

You seem theat type

[Newcastle55]

Thanks for your replies - it felt like
really bad design of Renault to have to go these lengths to sort out the heater but sounds like lots of cars have this.

One last thing - the garage has phoned to suggest a cheaper option of fixing the footwell heat part permanently on. What do you think about that option ?

[SimonTheSailor]

It would be unbearable in the summer ?

[OhHamburgers]

Newcastle55 said:

Thanks for your replies - it felt like
really bad design of Renault to have to go these lengths to sort out the heater but sounds like lots of cars have this.

One last thing - the garage has phoned to suggest a cheaper option of fixing the footwell heat part permanently on. What do you think about that option ?

Imagine it’s summer, one of those 30° days and you get back in the car after it’s been roasting for hours in a car park. Let’s say one of those Ikea trips where you get dragged around the store looking at scented candles and lots of head bobbing in agreement. You than slurp your meatballs as it’s now late lunchtime and you realise you’ve wasted half a day to come away with a few bits and a new blue bag. The car has been sat slow cooking since 10am, it’s now 2pm and you open the doors to let some air escape. You sit on the seat and it instantly makes your back roast. T shirt stuck to your back kind of weather. Your feet are sweating hard in the presumably adidas samba/gazelles that you wear (plenty of assumptions here) and you crack the air conditioning on. You feel a wave of cool begin to enter the giant cabin of the Renault after you get 10 minutes down the road and it’s kicked in just nicely. But your feet are still dripping, if anything they’re getting hotter. They are almost pulsating as they’ve swollen from the torture you’re putting the trough. Presumably, this repair will also affect the passenger footwell which may be useful as it could prevent people asking to go places in the summer.

Jokes aside, unless you wear socks and sandals in the summer, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it

[TomTheTyke]

That it s a very minor problem you ll hardly notice on an 11 year old car.

Not sure I d be spending anything on it, but that s just me.

Edit: And as others have said I’d find the resulting trim rattles from putting the dash back together twice as annoying as the footwell heater not working, but that’s also just me.

[Its Just Adz]

I'd put it with it for that cost.

[georgeyboy12345]

Time to look for a new car

[Miserablegit]

Newcastle55 said:

Thanks for your replies - it felt like
really bad design of Renault to have to go these lengths to sort out the heater but sounds like lots of cars have this.

One last thing - the garage has phoned to suggest a cheaper option of fixing the footwell heat part permanently on. What do you think about that option ?

How would they do that? Would it prevent the demister setting working? Clear screen more important than toasty feet. As far as I’m aware the controls simply divert the airflow down different hoses -

[TomTheTyke]

Miserablegit said:

How would they do that? Would it prevent the demister setting working? Clear screen more important than toasty feet. As far as I m aware the controls simply divert the airflow down different hoses -

That’s the only way they could do it as far as I can see, and would therefore surely make the AC rubbish in Summer when you want air to the face.

[FNG]

Newcastle55 said:

Thanks for your replies - it felt like
really bad design of Renault to have to go these lengths to sort out the heater but sounds like lots of cars have this.

One last thing - the garage has phoned to suggest a cheaper option of fixing the footwell heat part permanently on. What do you think about that option ?

I’d hope they are talking about making the footwell airflow permanently on, not heat to the floor.

Double check with them, but it is probably fairly simple to sort the flaps so that you’re always getting air to the floor regardless of control settings.

Then in summer you turn the heater temp down and get cooler air to your feet. It’s just you won’t be able to shut the flow off.

Also your screen demist won’t be as effective as you can’t direct all the air to the screen. But having the footwell flap open doesn’t mean you won’t get any to the screen, just that you’ll only ever get roughly half.

If you can live with that, let them do that. Otherwise I’d sell up rather than get the dash removed. It’ll never go back in perfectly.

[Newcastle55]

Thanks -
We were worried about this suggestion and being too hit in summer. They aren’t planning to leave the heater on permanently. I would get another car but my other half takes their bike inside the car for bike rides and this car does the job perfectly.
You have all confirmed that this is a big job and the quote makes sense now given the amount of labour. Looks like we have to choose between thick socks/blanket on our knees in winter (!!!!!) roasting in summer - or stumping up £1500 to get it fixed - but maybe rattling for the rest of the cars life ????? We trust our local garage but will it all be worth it. Decisions Decisions !

[valiant]

Surely the cost of repair must be near enough its trade in value?

Not saying get rid of it if it’s been a good workhorse but there comes a time when some faults simply become ‘character’ and you learn to live with it.

Ignore it and invest £10 in a blanket/thermals if necessary