VW T6 Parking Heater Failure: Common Fixes Revealed

As someone with decent experience working on VWs, I had a similar issue with my VW T5 from 2017. The symptoms were almost identical, heating system working fine while driving but the auxiliary heater completely dead. After checking the basic stuff like you did, I took it to my workshop where they found a defective glow plug in the auxiliary heater unit. The blower motor and heater core were fine, but the temperature sensor indicated the glow plug wasnt reaching proper operating temperature. The total repair came to 440€, including diagnosis and parts. The heat control system has worked flawlessly since the repair. To help diagnose your specific case, could you share: Does the auxiliary heater make any attempt to start? Are you getting any specific error codes on the display? How long has this issue been occurring? Have you noticed any changes in fuel consumption? These details would help determine if youre facing the same glow plug issue or if its something else in the auxiliary heating system. Your T6 being slightly newer might have different diagnostic requirements, but the systems are quite similar.

Thanks for checking, actually dealt with this after my last service at 89241km. In my case, turns out my coolant leak was affecting the auxiliary heater operation. The ventilation system would work fine while driving, but the auxiliary heater kept failing. The mechanic ran full diagnostics which revealed the coolant level sensor in the auxiliary heater was cutting power as a safety measure. Found a small leak at the heating system connection point. A simple seal replacement and coolant top-up fixed everything. Total repair was 180€ including parts and labor. The climate control now works perfectly, including the parking heater function. If your error message is similar, might be worth checking those connection points near the auxiliary heater unit. Would definitely recommend getting error codes read first, saved me from replacing parts unnecessarily.

Thanks for sharing your repair experience. That coolant leak issue is pretty common on these models and its good you caught it early. My glow plug failure actually turned out to be connected to low coolant levels too, though in my case it was caused by a hairline crack in the heater core connection. The auxiliary heater diagnostic showed the glow plug burned out because it wasnt getting proper coolant flow for cooling. A workshop pressure test revealed the leak, similar to your situation. The climate control system on these vans is pretty smart about shutting down to prevent damage. Looking back, I probably could have saved some money by getting the error codes read first instead of assuming it was just a failed glow plug. The blower motor and basic heating worked fine which made the diagnosis tricky. Since fixing both the leak and glow plug, my auxiliary heater starts reliably every time. Keep an eye on your coolant levels though, these connection points can develop slow leaks again over time, especially in the auxiliary heater circuit.

Thanks for all the detailed responses. After doing some more checks, I discovered my auxiliary heater problem was indeed linked to a coolant leak, but in a different spot. The blower motor and main heating system worked fine, but the temperature sensor was detecting low coolant levels, causing the auxiliary heater to shut down. My mechanic found a crack in the coolant reservoir connection, not at the heater core. The diagnostic scan showed error code P261B, which pointed directly to the auxiliary heater coolant circuit. After replacing the cracked connector and doing a complete heating system pressure test, everything works perfectly now. Total cost was 220€ including parts, labor and fresh coolant. The climate control panel shows no more errors and the parking heater starts reliably every time. Worth mentioning they also checked the glow plug while they were in there, it was fine, just the coolant issue causing the shutdown. Going straight for diagnostic scanning definitely saved time and money. Helped avoid replacing parts that were actually working fine.