Rear Window Heater

[Andy74]

Hi. Just looking for general thoughts on how well the rear window heater works. I have the Superb Estate 4x4 on a 61 plate. Brand new and less than 4,000 miles done and I'm finding it a bit on the poor side.

Probably due to me carrying wet boots and things over the winter the inside can get quite heavy condensation which I would expect this to clear. It doesn't really make much impact at all other than a couple of milimetres around the elements.

I've also had some trouble with the hot air blowers not working in low temperatures (only talking -2 or -3 not extreme!) and so I'm probably taking it in to be looked at anyway, just wondered if the rear window should be added to my list or whether it just generally doesn't perform that well.

[davekmoore]

HRW will clear a misted-up screen. Air con will help remove condensation. If you've got auto blower control it won't blow warmer air until warmer air exists.

[Andy74]

HRW will clear a misted-up screen. Air con will help remove condensation. If you've got auto blower control it won't blow warmer air until warmer air exists.

Thanks, the blower issue is it not blowing at all. I hear the clicks for the unit to work but no blowers working at all. It's only happened in under freezing conditions.

The rear windown might just be too much condensation for the heated window. Previous cars have cleared that type of stuff though so had expected it to make more of an impact than it does!

[BlackCat3000]

I've had lots of problems with the HRW on my 2009 2.0 TDI hatchback. I found that the HRW had failed completely shortly after I bought the car at 9 months and 2,200 miles old. The window was replaced under warranty in 2010 and was working again but I was never very impressed with it. It failed completely in December 2011 and went to my Skoda dealer in January for repair but they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Worried that it might run out of warranty while this problem existed, I contacted customer services at Skoda UK and they arranged for it to go back to the dealer, advising them what to check next. It turned out that of the two earth wires that go from the tailgate to the roof, one was damaged and the other was burned out (!). After 2 visits to my dealer and a total of 4 days driving a courtesy car, the HRW is now working very well indeed - better than ever, in fact. I can't believe I've tolerated it for the last two years in its badly-working state.

Skoda UK has offered to perform the next service for free as compensation for all the inconvenience - how's that for customer service? :love:

[davekmoore]

Thanks, the blower issue is it not blowing at all. I hear the clicks for the unit to work but no blowers working at all. It's only happened in under freezing conditions.

The rear windown might just be too much condensation for the heated window. Previous cars have cleared that type of stuff though so had expected it to make more of an impact than it does!

HRW won't clear condensation. Air movement will. The lack of heater blowers needs sorting.