Think I have found the problem with my heater matrix...

[8vRicey]

I replaced my valve with copper pipe mod back in September, lovely hot air all winter and no blown matrix !! 

[Uruk Hai]

I just bought the two hoses from GSF (£20 the pair) and fitted them, no copper pipe, no bypass valve.

[cняis]

GSF trade on ebay using a different name, and sell a matrix advertised for all mk2s and mk3s, about £30/£35 i think

this is what i have.

i also got a complete water hose kit from "tierod69" (who sells a LOT of vw stuff, recommend them to anyone), about £35 iirc. as posted above ignores the bypass valves.

[clipperjay]

Just to add some facts
The heater by pass valve was a safety recall where in the old days the old heater matrix’s' were bad and made from cheap metal parts. These old matrix's could only handle a certain Psi of pressure i.e. boiling water. So loads of people ended up with boiling water down there feet. No the by pass valve is exactly what it said on the tin a valve that stops the foot well from flooding with hot water.
The bit VAG does not tell you is that the modern MKIII heater Matrix (same design, fit) is made much better and less likely to explode might leak, but will not explode! Which means you don’t need the bypass valve anymore?
So save some money and just have a through pipe minus the bypass saves loads of grief.
They stop making the bypass valve the last time I checked I know some people use other valves as a cheaper source.

 
 

[opel]

i got told that becoz of the recall u cud still take car back and get them to sort it. so sumone told me anyway