Octavia Warm-Up Time

[Skodabuyer]

Greetings from Ireland and Happy Christmas to all the mob!

I don't own a Skoda yet; that's for next year.

However, on my recommendation, two directors at work opted to take Octavias this year and both have the same complaint. It takes an age for the heater to produce hot air especially from -4 degrees. The cold doesn't seem to affect my Lexus IS 200 though!

The two cars are a 170BHP VRS Combi diesel and a 1.6 CRD hatch.

The dealer says that's how it is but I have not come across any complaints about heating on the forum so I'm hoping there is a solution because i'm already known as "the wally who gave us a bum-steer on the cars"

Does anyone else have this issue?

Mike

"If you can't fix it with a hammer, it's an electrical problem"

[Guest Tim31]

Diesels are known to take longer to heat up than petrols.

I wouldnt say there was anything faulty with the two cars.

Tim

Edited 17 December, 2010 by Tim31

[silver1011]

It has been discussed on here before as others have also complained.

The answer seems to be that diesel engines are more thermally efficient and therefore less heated is wasted/available for the interior.

I'm not sure this affects just the Octavia as it has also been mentioned in the Yeti and Superb sections.

Just something you have to get used to I'm afraid.

[vectra1]

How's the "Wally from Navan"

Sorry bud.. Just had to say it..

Anyhow,

Greetings from Cork,Ireland.

I bought my first Octavia vRS CR170 just this October gone.

Absolutely love it.

If I were to be picky it would be that the windscreen does tend to fog up quite a bit and I do feel slightly disappointed in the time it takes to clear it with with the Climate control on.

BUT

once it is cleared it is Happy days again

As for heating up time?

well,

I went for the leather option with Non heated seats.

Many owners here seem to think this is a no-no but I take no notice of it to be honest.

Off topic.. Do you know Derek McLoskey up your part of the country?

If you do say hello from me

[Jerseyman]

Hi, not sure if there is some some technical reason to use one of these, but below might be worth looking into;

http://www.superskoda.com/dk/Skoda/OCTAVIA-II/Octavia-II-09-11-Facelift-winter-grille-cover

I have exactly the same problem with my Jan'07 Classic 1.9tdi dsg, estate.

Might get one my self, but not so much a problem down here in Jersey.................

[Raglits]

As stated above, diesel cars take longer to warm up from cold... had the same problem with my Saabs and Jag X-type, although there are some manufacturers that fit (electrical) heaters to help with the problem and Skoda isn't one of them

[silver1011]

Hi, not sure if there is some some technical reason to use one of these, but below might be worth looking into;

http://www.superskoda.com/dk/Skoda/OCTAVIA-II/Octavia-II-09-11-Facelift-winter-grille-cover

I've read on here that grill covers don't work on modern cars due to the thermostat , all you do is risk overheating the engine...?

[countryboy]

Same with mine, it is a characteristic of all diesel engines, but some are quicker to heat up than others. My current Octavia takes a good 4-5 miles to produce appreciable heat and 10 miles+ to get up to temperature whereas my old Fabia vRS had the temperature guage up to temperature after about 5-6 miles.

Ian

[mannyo]

Grill cover will make no difference, since no water will flow through the radiator until the engine has warmed up. Fitting the cover will just mean once the engine has warmed up and the water flows through the radiator the engine will just overheat as it cannot get the airflow it needs. The covers are intended for much colder climates, like eastern europe where in the winter its not uncommon to have permanent snow and temp in the daytime of -10c or below.

In cold weather, whilst sitting stationary a diesel engine will never warm up. My superb diesel takes about 10 miles to warm up to 90 with the external temp around 0c, and a lot longer if the temperature is colder. Previous Octavia was the same, and it to was also diesel. Diesels are just more thermally efficient than petrol engines.

[geverard]

My 2008 Octavia 1.9tdi takes ages to warm through as soon as the temperature drops near to or below freezing. My previous Renault 1.5dci was no better, but previous to that I had a BMW 530d and 330d and both warmed up much, much faster.

I have concluded that there are two reasons for it. Firstly, the BMWs have all-alloy engines, whereas the Skoda and renault have cast iron blocks which take longer to warm up. Secondly, the BMWs had auxilary fuel burning heaters underneath the car which would fire up at low temperatures and heat the cabin air before the engine had fully warmed up. BMW seems to have the engine warm-up issue sorted, as I expect Lexus has. In fact, the 530d would retain warmth for at least 10 hours so it was nearly always slightly warm to begin with! The Skoda loses it within 2 to 3 hours. Skoda doesn't fit the fuel buring heaters, but I believe VW and Audi fit them.

My advice is to only recommend the Skoda if you also recommend the relatively cheap option of heated seats - I wouldn't buy another without them after two cold winters. My car doesn't blow warm air in these temperatures for at least 10 miles of light driving, and appart from the Renault it's the coldest car I've ever owned. Alternatively buy a small petrol engine - they tend to warm faster.

[GAFF]

I find the petrol takes a while to heat up also.

[skippy41]

I have the same problem,but I have found that if you turn the heating off and drive for about a mile it warms up quicker

[franek]

Hi all,

I have 1.9TDI Octy y2006 with factory webasto (parking heater) system and its a great thing:)

For example now its -3C here in small Croatian town near Slovenian border and its snowing so I just turn it on and there is a heating working almost instantly.

Also there is an option to set the timer to preheat the car (for example I usually set it on 30min before going to work in the morning.

Also FL Octy has a remote as I can see from new user manuals...>>

http://new.skoda-auto.com/Com/Documents/Manuals/A5_Facelift/t3-k0249.htm

I think its a great addon to take (maybe instead of leather if not enough money) and if its available here with Skoda Croatia for sure should be availabe in UK and Ireland

Regards,

Frane

[ednmra]

I find the petrol takes a while to heat up also.

Oddly enough I was thinking of posting how QUICKLY my 1.8TSi warms up!! But I have noticed it is a lot quicker when the two buttons are pressed (the one for face level and the one for foot level.) This produces noticeable hot air much quicker than when the climate control button is used. I set that on 72 but don't know if it affects things when using the "local area" buttons.

I'm getting warm air from the vents within 2 minutes, when the outside temp is say a couple of degrees below zero.

[kentishman]

Oddly enough I was thinking of posting how QUICKLY my 1.8TSi warms up!! But I have noticed it is a lot quicker when the two buttons are pressed (the one for face level and the one for foot level.) This produces noticeable hot air much quicker than when the climate control button is used. I set that on 72 but don't know if it affects things when using the "local area" buttons.

I'm getting warm air from the vents within 2 minutes, when the outside temp is say a couple of degrees below zero.

My 1.8tsi also seems to take an age to warm up compared to my previous Subaru Forester - the local dealer stated the time honoured "They are all like that, sir"

[PhilP1903]

My FL vRS takes a while to warm up but i just go out of house 5 mins early ,start car, stand have ciggie while screen demists get in drive off. Simples!!!!! my Fiat stilo estate was just the same n that was a 1.9 TDi CR. People want everything instantly, well guess what "it aint gonna happen" have patience and give yourself (and your car) more time in the winter.

[pixor]

My Octavia 2.0 PD is the slowest car I've had to warm up, but that's the price you pay for a more efficient diesel, I guess?

I have heated seats, which helps, and if you put the front screen demist on, warm air seems to come through quicker than on auto climate control.

I did like my previous BMW 530i for heating (but not fuel consumption!). It heated up quickly and when leaving the car you could press a button, and it would draw heat from the engine into the cabin while it was parked, ensuring it stayed warm for a good half hour while you were in the shops etc.

Mind you, driving anywhere on ice and snow was another matter!

Edited 18 December, 2010 by pixor

[Hauptmann]

All Diesels are slow to warm up.

You could fit a Webasto or Eberspacher fuel-burning heater - but they are very expensive, a bit complicated and not very reliable (in my experience). Its also a lot of kit to drag around for whole year when its mostly not needed.

Alternatively get a Hot Frog, which plumbs into the heater hose. Gets the coolant up to about 80 deg in half an hour. You can put it on an overnight timer and get a very small and neat electical connector. The kits cost under £100 and are dead easy to fit.

Another alternative is DEFA, who do a range of electric sump heaters for the whole VAG range. They are pretty cheap and very simple to fit.

[pilotwoo]

I put on the air recirculation. It seems to warm up quicker as its taking air from inside the car, rather than the outside.

[PumpeDuse]

It's to do with the material the engine is made out of. Cast iron takes a long time to heat whereas aluminium is very quick to heat up. The diesels use cast iron for their blocks because it is a stronger material whereas petrols use aluminium unless of course you are a Honda I-CTDI which uses aluminium.

[Hauptmann]

A lot of Diesel engines that use aluminium blocks, including from Volvo, Mercedes, Isuzu, Toyota... Similarly there are plenty of petrol engines that use cast iron blocks. Everyone is trending toward alloys though, because of the weight reduction.

Diesel tend to warm up more slowly because of the fact that Diesel combustion is more thermodynamically efficient and therefore there is less waste heat going into the coolant.

Moreover, whereas a petrol engine runs at a relatively constant air-fuel ratio of 15.7:1 (stochiometric) a Diesel runs a varying air-fuel ratio according to power demand. At idle, a Diesel is running something like 150:1 which means its largely pumping cold air through itself. An idling Diesel will take a very long time to warm up...

Edited 18 December, 2010 by Hauptmann

[PumpeDuse]

A lot of Diesel engines that use aluminium blocks, including from Volvo, Mercedes, Isuzu, Toyota... Similarly there are plenty of petrol engines that use cast iron blocks. Everyone is trending toward alloys though, because of the weight reduction.

Diesel tend to warm up more slowly because of the fact that Diesel combustion is more thermodynamically efficient and therefore there is less waste heat going into the coolant.

Moreover, whereas a petrol engine runs at a relatively constant air-fuel ratio of 15.7:1 (stochiometric) a Diesel runs a varying air-fuel ratio according to power demand. At idle, a Diesel is running something like 150:1 which means its largely pump cold air through itself. An idling Diesel will take a very long time to warm up...

I thought we were talking about the VAG diesels, which are if I am not mistaken made from cast iron. Brother's Honda I-CTDI engine heats up much quicker.

[Danntec]

I put on the air recirculation. It seems to warm up quicker as its taking air from inside the car, rather than the outside.

+1

[Hauptmann]

I thought we were talking about the VAG diesels, which are if I am not mistaken made from cast iron. Brother's Honda I-CTDI engine heats up much quicker.

Irrelevant whether VAG or other brand (although VAG do use aluminium block Diesels - e.g. 1,2TDi) - laws of physics don't change. In any case, coolant for the heater is drawn from the cylinder head, which is invariably aluminium these days on almost all passenger cars. The block (whether alloy or cast iron) heats up much more slowly.

There are lots of things that can be done to speed up warm-up, mostly commonly reducing the capacity of the water jacket around the head, although this can be a bit fraught if the systems drops below par in the hotter months.

[PumpeDuse]

Irrelevant whether VAG or other brand (although VAG do use aluminium block Diesels - e.g. 1,2TDi) - laws of physics don't change. In any case, coolant for the heater is drawn from the cylinder head, which is invariably aluminium these days on almost all passenger cars. The block (whether alloy or cast iron) heats up much more slowly.

There are lots of things that can be done to speed up warm-up, mostly commonly reducing the capacity of the water jacket around the head, although this can be a bit fraught if the systems drops below par in the hotter months.

So why does my Brother's Honda I-CTDI heat the water up quicker than my cast iron block, cast iron head on my 1.9tdi and therefore blow hot air quicker, a quick search on the internet suggests cast iron is slower to heat than aluminium, but once cast iron is heated it is able to retain it's heat for longer.

Edited 18 December, 2010 by PumpeDuse