I've had a poke about and there doesn't appear to be any pipes under the dash so Looks like the matrix has gone. I started trying to get to it but removed quite a bit of the dash / instruments and didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The car is a daily drive so i thought I better put it back together and wait till i had the new part to hand.
I've since read its a complete dash out job
We are supposed to be going on our jollies to devon in a fortnight, 800+ mile trip, typical. I've stuck some K-seal in the coolant and it appears to have sorted it. On the bottle it says permanent fix, in my opinion its temporary but I'd be grateful to hear peeps experiences using this as I really can't see myself getting time to do a permanent fix before our hols and a dash out job will cost more than the cars worth at a garage.
If I'm to risk it I might rig up a bypass before I go just in case, presumably the heater matrix pipes stick through the bulkhead and the rubber hoses fit on from the engine bay, anyone know what the OD of the matrix pipes are?
I'd also appreciate any tips on doing the big task, does the dash really have to come out? I read a post somewhere which claimed it was possible to do it by removing the central portion? Does the steering wheel really need to come off, I hate messing with airbags etc. Is there anyway of finding out what the code is for the radio before I take it out, i'll be buggered if i can find the paperwork (typical)
TIA
Andy