VW Crafter Parking Heater Malfunction Fix Guide

Had a similar heating system problem with my 2015 VW Transporter TDI. The car heater would not activate and the climate control system kept showing error codes. After some troubleshooting at two different workshops, they found a defective glow plug was causing the auxiliary heater malfunction. The temperature sensor readings were all over the place, which prevented the heat control unit from working properly. The entire repair, including diagnosis and parts replacement, cost me 440€. The fix was pretty straightforward once they identified the correct issue, but getting there took some time. My level of experience with car repairs is moderate, I can handle basic maintenance but leave the complex heating system work to professionals. To help diagnose your specific case, could you share: What error code are you getting exactly? Does the main heating work when the engine is running? Have you noticed any changes in starting behavior, especially in cold weather? Any recent work done on the climate control system? These details would help determine if your issue matches what I experienced with my van.

Thanks for the input. Just had my service done last week at 83895KM and they didnt spot any issues with the ventilation system at that time. The error code is P0245 and yes, the main heater works fine when the engine runs. No starting issues even in cold conditions. The auxiliary heater just wont turn on at all and the dashboard shows heating system error. Started getting this after I noticed a small coolant leak near the front. Could be the coolant level sensor triggering a safety shutdown of the parking heater. Going to get it checked next week but wanted to see what others experienced first to avoid unnecessary repair costs.

Based on your description, this definitely sounds different from my Transporter issue. While both involve the auxiliary heater, your coolant leak is likely the key factor here. The heating system has built-in safeguards that prevent the parking heater from operating when coolant levels drop below a certain point. After dealing with my glow plug problem, I learned these heater cores are quite sensitive to coolant levels. The P0245 error code, combined with the coolant leak you mentioned, suggests a potential issue with the heater core or surrounding connections rather than the electrical components that caused my problems. In my case, the temperature sensor malfunction showed different symptoms, erratic readings and intermittent operation rather than a complete shutdown. Since your main heating works fine with the engine running, this further points to the auxiliary heater system being disabled due to low coolant rather than a component failure. Before heading to the workshop, check the coolant reservoir level. If its significantly low, that could explain the heat control system lockout. The repair cost should be much lower than what I paid (440€) if its just a leaking connection rather than a component replacement. Just make sure they properly pressure test the entire heating system after fixing the leak. This helped prevent repeat issues in my case.

Thanks for all the details. This really helps narrow things down. The connection between the coolant leak and auxiliary heater shutdown makes perfect sense. P0245 combined with a visible coolant leak definitely points to a simpler fix than I initially feared. Already checked the coolant level and its noticeably below minimum, so the heat control system is probably just doing its job by preventing potential damage. Going to have them focus on finding and fixing the leak first, then verify if the auxiliary heater starts working again once proper coolant levels are restored. With any luck, this will cost way less than your 440€ repair since no major component replacements should be needed. Will update once I get it checked out next week. The climate control system is otherwise working fine, so fingers crossed its just the leak causing the temperature sensor to trigger the safety shutdown. Also good tip about the pressure test, will make sure they do that to avoid any repeat issues with the coolant system. Really hoping to avoid multiple workshop visits for this problem.