Rear window heating on Seat Altea petrol 2014 not working: Possible connection with exterior mirror heating?

Hi, I'm not an expert, but I do have a bit of experience with cars. I had a similar problem with my Seat Leon from 2012. The cause was a defect or oxidized plug connection on the mirror glass, just like yours. It cost me 155 euros. If you need more details, can you please provide the exact vehicle details? It would also help if you could tell me if and what error messages were displayed. Hopefully my experience will help you. Good luck!

(Translated from German)

Hey, thanks for your quick reply! The error was read out and it shows "Heating element for exterior mirrors defective". The exact model variant is an Altea 2.0 TSI with 211 hp. At the last inspection at 118500 km nothing was done to the rear window or outside mirror heater. Did your defect in the mirror glass also paralyze the rear window heating? That's the big problem for me - especially now that it's getting colder outside. I would be very grateful if you could give me more details about your repair. Is it something I could do myself, or do I need a garage to do it? I look forward to your reply!

(Translated from German)

Hey, in my case it was actually the case that the mirror glass defect also affected the rear window heating. I think that both systems are somehow connected, perhaps the power supply runs via the same path. After the repair, everything worked as it should again. Regarding your question about whether you can do it yourself: I decided to have it done in the workshop at the time. There were some instructions on the internet on how to do it yourself, but I wanted to make sure it was done properly. It probably depends on your manual skills and confidence whether you prefer to try it yourself or take it to the garage. The repair cost me a total of 155 euros, which I think is reasonable. I hope this helps you and that your Altea will soon be fully functional again! Good luck!

(Translated from German)

Hey, thanks a lot for this helpful answer! It's good to hear that I'm not alone with the problem and that you could solve it too. I'm not an ace handyman, so I think I'll have it done in a workshop too. The cost seems manageable too, which is certainly helpful. It's always good to have an idea of what to expect. I'll try my luck and hope it gets fixed soon. Thanks again for your support, it's been really helpful. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. Thanks and see you soon!

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