Since the recent snap of cold weather, I have noticed that my 2001 TDi takes between 10-15 minutes before there is any noticeable warmth from the heater and a further few minutes before there is a nice hot flow of heat. The first 15 minutes is a drive around Weymouth at about 7.30am, so not caught in too much slow flowing traffic.... but not fast driving!

I am guessing that a radiator valve is stuck open - but no idea where it is on this car... I have a friend with a 110TDi golf (2001) who does the same trip around Weymouth (and her car lives outside, where as mine is in a garage) and she says her car is warm within minutes - I assume that her car does not have a pre-heater? Not sure on the trim level of her car though.

Cheers,

Matt

I would have thought its just down to the really cold weather and the fact that due to good thermal efficency it takes ages for a diesel to warm up.

Agree with Ross. Only way a diesel gets warm is when it's under load, unless it has an auxillary heater

Chris

Maybe I need to drive around town in 2nd and 3rd and not 4th/5th then.....

My Octy 2 TDI takes an age to warm up, done a 5 mile journey tonight and the temp gauge hardly moved, thank god for heated seats cos the heater takes forever to put out any decent heat.

Same on our 110 TDi

Only way to heat it up without using an external heater is to keep the turbo going. Not great for fuel economy that, but it will knock probably 5 minutes off that time. And yep, that's why diesels frankly s*ck for short-distance driving.

Its the downside to running a diesel in winter and couple this with the fact that the VAG common rail TDi engine was the most thermally efficient diesel engine fitted to a std production car at that time.

Maybe your friends golf heats up quicker because it may have a smaller radiator/radiator aperture compared to the Octavia?

Thanks for the info.... at least that means I don;t have to get cold fingers changing the thermostat today then! I expect that my friend is less concerned about mpgs than I am ;-)

Maybe I need to stick a lump of cardboard in the radiator grill!

My Pug 306 HDi used to be very slow, but my 405TD was pretty quick, as is my Felicia 1.9D (although my gf says it has a pre-heater in it...)

My 2002 Octavia Elegance TDi starts blowing out warm air after about 5 minutes and it definitely takes less than 10 minutes.

In addition, the last couple of icy days I've turned the engine on prior to getting in the car to let it idle for a few minutes. Each time I've done this, it's already blowing out warm air when I get back in (between 7 and 13 minutes later, I checked on the trip computer).

So I don't know what the problem is.

I do not agree with some posts. A diesel has to warm up to +- 90 degrees in less than 10 min, even in cold weather, because the engine is the most efficient at that temperature. Big radiator or small radiator, that does not matter. That only matters to cool the car down, not to warm it up. Until the motor is at it's temperature, no cooling should be done, so no water is going from radiator to the motor. That's what the radiator valve does...

'I am guessing that a radiator valve is stuck open ' =>> That would also be my first guess

Ok.... so back the my original train of thought - has anyone changed one, and how easy are they to do? I guess I will need to drain at least part of the cooling system, but I guess that would give me the opportunity to change all the cooling solution.

the last few mornings where it has been between 1 and -3 deg centigrade when I've left home for work, mine tends to take about 8-10 minutes before I start feeling warm air coming from the vents, and it takes about 20 minutes before the temp gauge hits the middle position. In the afternoons when it's been 6 or 7 degrees when I've left work for home, it only takes about 10 minutes to get to the middle of the dial. Always surprises me how much longer it takes in the mornings but there you go. My old jag xjr used to hit the middle of the dial and be kicking out hot air after about 4 minutes... but then again, it only did 12mpg around town :-)

Try this if you want from a totally cold engine - over night.

After a couple of minutes of 'normal driving, stop, open bonnet & check to see if the top hose & the bottom hose are the same temp by putting your hand on it - BE CAREFUL THE TOP HOSE CAN GET VERY HOT.

If the top hose is hot, bottom warm - that is normal.

Then try it again after another 5 minutes of driving.

If they are both cold, cool or lukewarm you may either have an air lock, or a open (failed) thermostat.

Pete

I'd still suspect the thermostat !

thank god for heated seats

mmm, agree with that, they are lovely this time of year.

The dealer told me our 2001 diesel Elegance Octavia had a pre-heater, like the Fabia. True or not? It certainly seems to warm up fairly quickly. I used to drive with an RAF colleague whose diesel Montego took 20 minutes to produce any warmth at all - thermally efficient, maybe, but rather chilly.

I have a 2001 Elegance, and given I started this post, either I don't have a pre-heater or mine is bust :-(