CR-V Diesel PTC Issues: Overheating & Warning Lights Alert

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars and had a similar issue with my 2015 Honda HR-V diesel last year. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I went through. My heater was acting weird, and I kept getting warning lights too. Took it to my regular mechanic, and yep, the electric auxiliary heater was toast. They diagnosed it pretty quickly with their diagnostic tools and replaced the whole PTC heater unit. Set me back about 350 Euro, but it fixed the problem completely. Before jumping to conclusions though, How often are you topping up the coolant? Any unusual smells from the heating system? Does it happen more during cold starts? This might help us confirm if you're dealing with the same issue I had. Let me know these details, and I can share more about what to look out for!

Thanks for the detailed response! Really helpful to hear about your similar experience. I'm topping up coolant about every 2-3 weeks now, which is definitely not normal. There's a slight sweet smell when I run the heater, and yeah, it's way worse during cold starts. The warning light usually pops up after about 10-15 minutes of driving. My CR-V's at 188,353 km now, and it was just serviced last month, but they didn't catch this issue. Definitely sounds like I'm dealing with the same PTC heater problem you had. Guess I'll need to bite the bullet and get it checked out properly. Did your repair last long after fixing it?

Hey again! Yeah, those symptoms you're describing are spot-on with what I experienced. When you mentioned the sweet smell and the timing of the warning light, it's like déjà vu from my situation! My repair has held up perfectly since then, it's been over a year now with zero issues. The sweet smell was actually coolant leaking into the heater system, which explained why I was constantly topping up. Just like you, I was doing it every few weeks. Quick tip from my experience, while they're replacing the PTC heater, get them to do a full coolant system flush. My mechanic suggested this and I'm glad I listened. Apparently, when these heaters fail, they can leave some debris in the system. The flush added about an hour to the job but gave me peace of mind. Don't make my mistake though, I initially kept driving it hoping it would sort itself out. Bad idea! The constant leak meant my engine was running hotter than it should, which could've caused bigger problems. 188k km is actually pretty similar to when mine started acting up. These units seem to have a fairly predictable lifespan. Let me know how the repair goes, would be interested to hear if your costs are similar to what I paid!

Thanks so much for all this information! It's really reassuring to know your repair has held up well for over a year. I'll definitely take your advice about the coolant flush, that makes total sense about the debris. You've convinced me not to put this off any longer. I've already called my mechanic and booked it in for next week. They quoted me roughly the same as what you paid, which seems fair given the work involved. I was a bit worried about costs spiraling out of control, so that's a relief! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, having someone who's been through the exact same thing has made me feel much more confident about getting this sorted. I'll stop topping up the coolant as a Band-Aid solution and get it properly fixed. Will let you know how it goes after the repair!