Anybody have anything to add to the E46 heater valve retro?

[knunger]

I'm referring to this post:

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130485

Has anyone found a better HCV to retro fit? The e46 valves are now north of $100.

I'm going to go ahead with e46 valve unless someone comes up with something better. I mean. it's a friggin' solenoid valve!

Any additional tips will be much appreciated!

TIA

[tig]

I'm referring to this post:

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130485

Has anyone found a better HCV to retro fit? The e46 valves are now north of $100.

I'm going to go ahead with e46 valve unless someone comes up with something better. I mean. it's a friggin' solenoid valve!

Any additional tips will be much appreciated!

TIA

WDF would you start a new thread vs. asking on the previous one?

[knunger]

I'm referring to this post:

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130485

Has anyone found a better HCV to retro fit? The e46 valves are now north of $100.

I'm going to go ahead with e46 valve unless someone comes up with something better. I mean. it's a friggin' solenoid valve!

Any additional tips will be much appreciated!

TIA

WDF would you start a new thread vs. asking on the previous one?

Please excuse me if I have violated some rule of responding on this board. Sir Charles, my transgression was certainly untended.
Please see my addendum to the referenced thread

I just want to fix my f***ing heater

[Mike W.]

Eh, no big deal to me. I see it as an either or... Charlie's easygoing in person, he must be having a bad evening. Maytag must have been misbehaving.

[tig]

Please excuse me if I have violated some rule of responding on this board. Sir Charles, my transgression was certainly untended.
Please see my addendum to the referenced thread

I just want to fix my f***ing heater

Sorry that I came across as being so harsh. I intended my "WDF" to add levity ("why da fu**"). I totally understand the frustration with HCVs in these cars. Makes me grumpy (obviously) too.

[LarryM]

Just for the record don't bother or waste your $$ on a new valve from the dealer. Now labeled "Made in China". I recently went through two of them and both leaked profusely; had to return both. On each one the plastic valve body apparently wasn't sealed properly.

I ended up buying the (Bosch) factory rebuild kit which worked fine.

[danc]

Just for the record don't bother or waste your $$ on a new valve from the dealer. Now labeled "Made in China". I recently went through two of them and both leaked profusely; had to return both. On each one the plastic valve body apparently wasn't sealed properly.

I ended up buying the (Bosch) factory rebuild kit which worked fine.

Are you referring to the replacement kit, or the entire valve?
Kit p/n 64 11 8 390 132, correct?

I see the POS MTC part everywhere, and now others are offering BMW branded at over $150, but I haven't seen a Bosch part. I was also under the impression that the BMW branded part was NLA.
Where did you get the Bosch kit?

[camplo]

The first thing I did when I bought mine was take out the stock valve and put in a used e46 one. Worked great, came with the pigtail too for $40 used. I just checked ebay and the first three are brand new(third party I think) for $44 and even a used one for $22. I would make the jump already and stop thinking about trying to fix the stock one.

[jhh925]

I see the POS MTC part everywhere, and now others are offering BMW branded at over $150, but I haven't seen a Bosch part. I was also under the impression that the BMW branded part was NLA.
Where did you get the Bosch kit?

I think the Bosch-branded part is no longer available. I don't know who the actual OEM manufacturer of the BMW part is, but the MTC, Bosch and BMW parts are all slightly different. (See this thread with a link to an MB thread comparing the three parts in detail.)

FWIW, since starting that other thread, I've swapped my MTC part out for BMW, and the heater is now working correctly. One small surprise for me when I removed the MTC part is that the rubber diaphragm on that new MTC part had actually not torn, though the heat in the car seemed to be failing in the normal way (hot air at idle, cold air at speed). So, based on my experience and the info at that MB thread, the issue with the MTC part isn't crappy materials or manufacturing, it's a design flaw ... the rubber diaphragm is the wrong size for the valve body. If I were really enterprising, I might try to find a way to modify the MTC part to get it to work.

[LarryM]

Just for the record don't bother or waste your $$ on a new valve from the dealer. Now labeled "Made in China". I recently went through two of them and both leaked profusely; had to return both. On each one the plastic valve body apparently wasn't sealed properly.

I ended up buying the (Bosch) factory rebuild kit which worked fine.

Are you referring to the replacement kit, or the entire valve?
Kit p/n 64 11 8 390 132, correct?

I see the POS MTC part everywhere, and now others are offering BMW branded at over $150, but I haven't seen a Bosch part. I was also under the impression that the BMW branded part was NLA.
Where did you get the Bosch kit?

Yes, that is the correct part number of the factory replacement kit.

A few years ago I installed a Bosch kit in the heater valve on my E28. I was recently looking for one for my E24, but as stated by jhh925 the Bosch kits are NLA so I purchased a factory kit #64 11 8 390 132 which is marked "Made in France" (like I think the Bosch kit was) so it could very well be made by Bosch for BMW. The quality appears to be good.

[LarryM]

Just for the record don't bother or waste your $$ on a new valve from the dealer. Now labeled "Made in China". I recently went through two of them and both leaked profusely; had to return both. On each one the plastic valve body apparently wasn't sealed properly.

I ended up buying the (Bosch) factory rebuild kit which worked fine.

Are you referring to the replacement kit, or the entire valve?
Kit p/n 64 11 8 390 132, correct?

I see the POS MTC part everywhere, and now others are offering BMW branded at over $150, but I haven't seen a Bosch part. I was also under the impression that the BMW branded part was NLA.
Where did you get the Bosch kit?

Yes, that is the correct part number of the factory replacement kit.

I installed a Bosch kit (which I had laying around) in the heater valve on my E28. I was recently looking for one for my E24, but as stated by jhh925 the Bosch kits are NLA so I purchased a factory kit #64 11 8 390 132 which is marked "Made in France" (like I think the Bosch kit was) so it could very well be made by Bosch for BMW. The quality appears to be good.

[jhh925]

I see the POS MTC part everywhere, and now others are offering BMW branded at over $150, but I haven't seen a Bosch part. I was also under the impression that the BMW branded part was NLA.
Where did you get the Bosch kit?

I think the Bosch-branded part is no longer available. I don't know who the actual OEM manufacturer of the BMW part is, but the MTC, Bosch and BMW parts are all slightly different. (See this thread with a link to an MB thread comparing the three parts in detail.)

FWIW, since starting that other thread, I've swapped my MTC part out for BMW, and the heater is now working correctly. One small surprise for me when I removed the MTC part is that the rubber diaphragm on that new MTC part had actually not torn, though the heat in the car seemed to be failing in the normal way (hot air at idle, cold air at speed). So, based on my experience and the info at that MB thread, the issue with the MTC part isn't crappy materials or manufacturing, it's a design flaw ... the rubber diaphragm is the wrong size for the valve body. If I were really enterprising, I might try to find a way to modify the MTC part to get it to work.

Updating my post to this thread because pretty quick after I made this post my BMW-branded heater valve core failed. I'm now getting at least a little bit of heat in the cabin at all times. Grrrr ... another $150 down the drain.