VW Fox Overheating: Faulty Radiator Fan Alert

I had a similar issue with my 2009 VW Polo diesel about a year ago. As someone with moderate experience working on VWs, the symptoms you describe sound very familiar. My temperature control problems started exactly the same way, inconsistent fan operation and overheating issues. After diagnostic testing, the workshop found a faulty thermal switch that was causing irregular fan blade operation. The entire repair, including parts and labor, cost me 250€. The thermal switch is responsible for activating the cooling fan at specific temperature thresholds. When it fails, you get exactly what youre describing, intermittent fan operation and overheating, particularly in slow traffic when theres less airflow through the car radiator. Before giving more specific advice, could you share: Have you noticed any fan noise when it does run? Are there any other warning lights besides the check engine light? Does the temperature gauge show consistent readings or does it fluctuate? Has the cooling system been serviced recently? This information would help determine if youre dealing with the same root cause I experienced.

I had a similar issue with my 2009 VW Polo diesel about a year ago. As someone with moderate experience working on VWs, the symptoms you describe sound very familiar. My temperature control problems started exactly the same way, inconsistent fan operation and overheating issues. After diagnostic testing, the workshop found a faulty thermal switch that was causing irregular fan blade operation. The entire repair, including parts and labor, cost me 250€. The thermal switch is responsible for activating the cooling fan at specific temperature thresholds. When it fails, you get exactly what youre describing, intermittent fan operation and overheating, particularly in slow traffic when theres less airflow through the car radiator. Before giving more specific advice, could you share: Have you noticed any fan noise when it does run? Are there any other warning lights besides the check engine light? Does the temperature gauge show consistent readings or does it fluctuate? Has the cooling system been serviced recently? This information would help determine if youre dealing with the same root cause I experienced.

Just had my latest service done last month and still experiencing these problems. Thanks for the detailed response. To answer your questions: The radiator fan makes a loud grinding noise when it runs, and I hear clicking sounds from the engine bay. No other warning lights besides the check engine. The temperature gauge shows steady high readings most of the time. The grinding fan noise started about 2 weeks ago, getting progressively worse. I did notice the engine cooling issues became more frequent after that. Based on your experience with the thermal switch problem, I might have the same issue plus potentially damaged fan blades causing the noise. Could these symptoms point to multiple issues that need fixing? Id rather address everything at once during the repair.

Just had my latest service done last month and still experiencing these problems. Thanks for the detailed response. To answer your questions: The radiator fan makes a loud grinding noise when it runs, and I hear clicking sounds from the engine bay. No other warning lights besides the check engine. The temperature gauge shows steady high readings most of the time. The grinding fan noise started about 2 weeks ago, getting progressively worse. I did notice the engine cooling issues became more frequent after that. Based on your experience with the thermal switch problem, I might have the same issue plus potentially damaged fan blades causing the noise. Could these symptoms point to multiple issues that need fixing? Id rather address everything at once during the repair.

Thanks for providing those additional details. Those symptoms definitely add more clarity to the situation, and they actually differ a bit from my previous thermal switch issue. The grinding noise from your fan motor combined with clicking sounds suggests youre likely dealing with a failing cooling fan assembly, rather than just a thermal switch problem. When I had similar noises on my VW Fox, it turned out the fan motor bearings were worn and the fan blade was slightly warped, causing it to scrape against the shroud. The progressive worsening of the fan noise is a classic sign of bearing failure in the fan motor assembly. In my case, the complete fan replacement including labor ran about 400€, which was more than just the thermal switch repair but solved all the engine cooling problems permanently. The steady high temperature readings, unlike the fluctuating temperatures I experienced with just a bad thermal switch, also point toward a mechanical fan failure rather than a control issue. Based on these symptoms, I would recommend: 1. Get the fan assembly checked and likely replaced 2. Have the fan motor wiring inspected while its being worked on 3. Still test the thermal switch since these components often fail together Its worth fixing everything now since a completely failed cooling fan can lead to severe engine damage.

Thanks for providing those additional details. Those symptoms definitely add more clarity to the situation, and they actually differ a bit from my previous thermal switch issue. The grinding noise from your fan motor combined with clicking sounds suggests youre likely dealing with a failing cooling fan assembly, rather than just a thermal switch problem. When I had similar noises on my VW Fox, it turned out the fan motor bearings were worn and the fan blade was slightly warped, causing it to scrape against the shroud. The progressive worsening of the fan noise is a classic sign of bearing failure in the fan motor assembly. In my case, the complete fan replacement including labor ran about 400€, which was more than just the thermal switch repair but solved all the engine cooling problems permanently. The steady high temperature readings, unlike the fluctuating temperatures I experienced with just a bad thermal switch, also point toward a mechanical fan failure rather than a control issue. Based on these symptoms, I would recommend: 1. Get the fan assembly checked and likely replaced 2. Have the fan motor wiring inspected while its being worked on 3. Still test the thermal switch since these components often fail together Its worth fixing everything now since a completely failed cooling fan can lead to severe engine damage.

The grinding noise really concerns me. Thanks for breaking down the likely causes and sharing your repair experience. That 400€ cost for the complete fan assembly replacement sounds reasonable considering the alternative of major engine damage from car overheating. My local workshop can check it next week. Will definitely have them inspect both the fan assembly and thermal switch as suggested. Makes sense these parts could fail together and cause these engine cooling problems. Better to fix everything at once than risk further issues. The clicking sounds and steadily high temperature readings you mentioned matching my symptoms gives me confidence about the diagnosis. Rather deal with a 400€ repair bill now than face more expensive engine repairs later. Will update once the repairs are done. Thanks for helping identify the likely culprits behind these cooling system problems. Glad I asked before the fan completely failed.

The grinding noise really concerns me. Thanks for breaking down the likely causes and sharing your repair experience. That 400€ cost for the complete fan assembly replacement sounds reasonable considering the alternative of major engine damage from car overheating. My local workshop can check it next week. Will definitely have them inspect both the fan assembly and thermal switch as suggested. Makes sense these parts could fail together and cause these engine cooling problems. Better to fix everything at once than risk further issues. The clicking sounds and steadily high temperature readings you mentioned matching my symptoms gives me confidence about the diagnosis. Rather deal with a 400€ repair bill now than face more expensive engine repairs later. Will update once the repairs are done. Thanks for helping identify the likely culprits behind these cooling system problems. Glad I asked before the fan completely failed.