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Is it better to pay for expensive heater repair or buy a cheap power invertor kit w/spaceheater

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2014 Heater Assembly Replacement Nightmare

3135 Views 30 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  gman1
The Volt uses a heater system that is complex and expensive to replace. It uses a heating system which relies on an electric heater to heat up coolant that is going through the coolant line. The heated coolant is then sent to a pump which then provides heat to the cabin. Without an in-line coolant heater, the system does not work and requires the replacement of the in-line coolant heater (also known as GM part no: 22851153, 22747764, 22788440, 22792167, 22794426)

I have been trying to fix this problem by first going to a local GM dealer, only to find them asking 3800 dollars for replacement of the inline coolant heater and heater pump and the 8 hours of labor it takes to get access to the parts and replace them. Just the in-line coolant heater alone would cost 1700 dollars. I did find a new one on GM part exchange for 1000 dollars. I don't have that much available to spend on repairs so I then found a local mechanic that would be able to use parts I found on Car-parts.com-a used car parts online search service.

That lead me to Green Light Auto in Southern California, where they had the part listed including the correct part number. Only problem is they ripped the part off and the High Voltage wire and connector were missing when I received the part in the mail. The wires cannot be spliced according to a certified GM Volt tech because that could heat up and start an engine bay fire.

So back I went to look for another replacement part, and there are not many used in-line coolant heaters available anymore (even though they are interchangeable through all Gen 1 years). The next place I called still hasn't returned my call, my car-part.com price quote, or any of my emails. All I wanted to know was if the part they list on their website and on car-part.com is actually the GM part number I listed earlier.

So now I'm stuck buying the $1,000 plus tax in-line coolant heater new (can't afford) or just buying the power inverter kit that is on this forum and plugging a space heater into it which all together would cost $500. Which is the best way to go in this situation, and has anyone else dealt with this? Been a Volt owner for over 2 years and it's a 2014 Volt with 111k miles.
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120 watts to "..heat your car in under 30 seconds..."? So 0.12kW, for 1/120th of an hour, or a total of 0.001 kWh is all that is needed?
Who needs a 7kW heat draw with a factory heat system when 0.12kW is sufficient?
I have a couple of solar powered calculators with cracked displays. I can salvage the cells and never have to plug in the car again!

I understand your situation. I had my own 2014 electric heat coolant pump (not heater, just the pump) unit fail. I had an extended warranty that covered the replacement, but the warranty cost more than the two repairs it covered. That warranty has expired now. If my heater fails again I'd be more than annoyed, but here's what I'd do:
Bypass the hood latch electrical switch to keep the ICE running. Use the waste heat from the engine coolant.
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Looks like Gen 2 Volts ended up having the same problem but with a different coolant heater. This seems to be the same issue but with the Gen 2 Volts version of the in-line coolant heater.
Looking like GM is letting this problem happen to owners of both Gens of Volts.
Why did you allow GM to let this problem happen to you?
Yes, that is sarcasm.
GM agreed to warant they'd be responsible to correct defects in material and workmanship of specific items for a specific period (time and/or distance) provided specific conditions were met. Are you still covered by the waranty? No? Then it's not their responsibility now. It's yours.
Fix it to re-gain full functionality, or develop a work-around to re-gain some functionality, or do nothing.
My flame-resistant suit is on.

How handy are you?
Your link to a ebay listing for a solar water pump makes no sense, and you are not helping this discussion with your "sarcasm."
You appeared to be balking at the cost of a factory replacement of the implied "defective" design with another, identical "defective" component. I followed with what my lateral thinking led to as something for you to consider: a stand-alone in-line water pump in a price range that might be financially palatable. You could spend more for an in-line hot water pump as well. See Jeg's or Summit racing.
I truly (and that is not sarcastic) want you to get a remedy that fits all your criteria.
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