Can anyone tell me how long it takes their heated door mirrors to defrost? I had a five minute journey to work and they hadn't even started to defrost, whereas the rear windscreen defrosts really quickly. I have a feeling they may not be working......

Should be done in that time. I've found them to be quite effective.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

Mine start to defrost after about a minute and are clear at about 2 minutes.
You have turned them on on the door, I take it you are aware they are not on the same circuit as the rear window?

Mine start to defrost after about a minute and are clear at about 2 minutes.

You have turned them on on the door, I take it you are aware they are not on the same circuit as the rear window?

 

 

Doh! No, all my other VAG cars have had them on the same circuit! I'll try that in the morning! right after I read the handbook!

 

Many thanks

Be aware that there is no light to remind you they are on and they have to be turned off manually too as they do not auto turn off like the rear screen heater.

Don't worry if you forget to turn them off for a while. On the mk1 TT they come on with the ignition, rain or shine, and mine were still functioning after 10 years so they don't wear out that easily

Don't worry if you forget to turn them off for a while. On the mk1 TT they come on with the ignition, rain or shine, and mine were still functioning after 10 years so they don't wear out that easily

But while on they are consuming power.

Bit like opening the windows at home instead of turning the heating down.

But while on they are consuming power.

Bit like opening the windows at home instead of turning the heating down.

 

True, but it won't have any noticeable impact on economy.

 

Air con on the other hand uses noticeably more fuel when on, yet plenty of people run with that on year round when it is unnecessary.

True, but it won't have any noticeable impact on economy.

 

Air con on the other hand uses noticeably more fuel when on, yet plenty of people run with that on year round when it is unnecessary.

But it does affect economy so I chose to switch them off when their job is done, for me it's all about the satisfaction of driving correctly.

My air-con only goes on when the outside temperature is above what I want inside or to reduce high humidity and a 5 minute run once a month to keep the system in shape.

My aircon (or, more correctly, climate control), stays on all the time,  because  it does precisely that...it controls the climate inside the car,  winter as well as summer.  In winter it effectively dehumidifies the air inside the car,  considerably reducing condensation and the misting up of windows.  If you MUST turn it off,  remember to run it from time to time even in winter, to ensure the seals don't dry out with consequent leakage of refrigerant and need to regas.

My aircon (or, more correctly, climate control), stays on all the time, because it does precisely that...it controls the climate inside the car, winter as well as summer. In winter it effectively dehumidifies the air inside the car, considerably reducing condensation and the misting up of windows. If you MUST turn it off, remember to run it from time to time even in winter, to ensure the seals don't dry out with consequent leakage of refrigerant and need to regas.

Exactly - the cost of having your refrigerant replaced because the seals have dried is far more than the fuel saving these days. The air con only engages when temperatures are above a certain level or humidity is detected in any case. The compressor pump is also far more efficient on modern cars.

I used to drive a Nissan Sunny in Saudi during the early 90s and if you turned the air con off it gave you another 20 mph on the top speed[emoji23]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Exactly - the cost of having your refrigerant replaced because the seals have dried is far more than the fuel saving these days. The air con only engages when temperatures are above a certain level or humidity is detected in any case. The compressor pump is also far more efficient on modern cars.

I used to drive a Nissan Sunny in Saudi during the early 90s and if you turned the air con off it gave you another 20 mph on the top speed[emoji23]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm in no way recommending that people leave their heated wing mirrors on, i'm just stating that people waste far more energy by keeping their air con on all year round.

 

Yes they are more efficient but i can't see a reason having it on if its not required. I run my air con a few times a week to keep the lubricants flowing round the system. Apart from that I hardly use it in winter and I never had a problem with condensation unless there's 3 or 4 people in the car. If anything using the air con gives me more condensation when first getting in the car in a morning due to the moisture that's left on the evaporator from the day before

My Fabia I had for 10 years and is now nearly 11 years old (I sold it to a chap over the road to me) had the air-con only running when the car needed cooling or de-humidifying but was run for 5 minutes once a month is still cooling the car when needed really well and has never had the refrigerant topped up let alone replaced.

I just leave them on all through the winter. I'm sure that technically there's an impact on economy but it will be so small it's probably not measurable.

Many manufacturers they are on permanently (eg BMW) so being able to turn them off in the summer on the Yeti is hood enough for me.

Tried them this morning and they work perfectly! Not sure I like the fact that they're on a separate switch, but it's about the only about the Yeti I don't like! 

 

Thanks again

The reason there is an on off switch is the risk of overheated glass, particularly if you park in hot sun (when it arrives). In theory that shouldn't happen because the heater is usually a self temperature regulating PTC thermistor. But there is also a second consequence of the mirror mount adhesive failing. The mirror glass goes floppy, gets unstuck and the glass drops off on the Motorway! Gently poke your glasses on the corner to check they are still solid! Fixing the glass early is a lot cheaper than replacing the whole assembly.

 

If you search on heated mirror faults you will find mirror glasses do crack. We leave ours on during Winter and Autumn but otherwise turned off. You can tell when the heaters are on, just touch the center of the mirror glass after a minute.