exeo tdi auxiliary heating

[jlindstrom]

I was just browsing through the exeo owners manual (ok, bring on the jokes!!!)..

Anyway, it mentioned about auxiliary heating being turned on automagically when necessary (available only in cold regions). Does anyone know wether that means the extra ptc elements in the airducts or do we actually get factory built webasto or similar "real heater" ?

I'm more inclined to think the ptc element, but wanted to be sure before investing in a pre-heating system before the winter. And yeah, I've thought about asking the dealer but as we all know, the stealers behind their marbledesk aren't the most reliable source of info

//Juha

 

[jlindstrom]

to reply my own message, it means the ptc-elements. Darn... now I need to invest in defa or similar pre-heater + cabin heater.

 

[Tangit]

Could you explain a little more a heater for what?

 

[jlindstrom]

Well, first of all I live in Finland so we can have extremely cold winters (such as last winter) reaching temps of close to -40C at peak. So this places some extra requirements on heating the car.

The pre-heater/auxiliary heater I was referring to is used to heat up the engine before starting it. It is actually recommended policy to run such heater in temps below +5C for a good 30 minutes before firing up the engine. This puts less strain on the engine and improves fuel efficiency for the first 10 or so miles. Not to mention running the pre-heater + cabin heater is quite an improvement on driver/passenger comfort since the car is already waiting for you nice and warm. Also you then don't have to scrape the windows…

Anyway, some cars have had Webasto (or similar) fuel/diesel (depending on car) powered auxiliary heaters installed straight from factory while most cars these days have electric PTC elements in the airducts entering the car to keep the cabin warmer. The thing is that those Webasto's etc can be used as pre-heater where the PTC elements only work when engine is running. Also the PTC elements only heat up the cabin where Webasto heats up the engine as well. So Webasto is about 150% better.. but also when installed afterwards about 3 times more expensive.

There are also electric pre-heater + cabin heater kits available from brands such as Defa. Those also work fine, but require you to plug in the car and of course only work when the car is parked..

So combination of Defa + factory default PTC elements equal about 80% of the comfort of Webasto for about 1/3 of the price. What you do miss is that during extreme weather even the PTC elements aren't necessarily good enough.. meaning your cabin won't be as warm as you'd like it to be.

I'll keep you informed which way I decide to go. It's either adding the Webasto or the Defa kit. PTC is there by factory default (and for you probably as a part of the winter kit).

Also in the market for decent studded winter tires. Probably going for Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 for those, but that's a whole other thread

//Juha

 

[Tangit]

Thanks for that explanation i see what your on about now. When i was in Canada most of their cars had the plug in ons as you could see a dangled wire under the front bumper. If they suggest you should use a heater below 5 degrees C well we should have them in UK as it regularly gets that cold during winter