Winter pack - possible after-market?

[tag1_uk]

Hi all,

 

I'm really interested in buying a Mk III Octavia, looking at a new one I'm really keen on the winter pack as an optional extra.  However I've also been looking at nearly new second hand examples to save a bit of money.  I wondered if anyone knows with it is possible to retrofit a winter pack to an existing car that doesn't have it?  I mostly after the heated windscreen - I presume to do all this would mean a new windscreen so would be prohibitively expensive and I might as well get a new one specced up?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[octaviaconvert]

Hi all,

 

I'm really interested in buying a Mk III Octavia, looking at a new one I'm really keen on the winter pack as an optional extra.  However I've also been looking at nearly new second hand examples to save a bit of money.  I wondered if anyone knows with it is possible to retrofit a winter pack to an existing car that doesn't have it?  I mostly after the heated windscreen - I presume to do all this would mean a new windscreen so would be prohibitively expensive and I might as well get a new one specced up?

 

Thanks for any advice.

You might find that, unless you are buyign with cash or non skoda finance, a nearly new Mk3 will cost more than a new car.  Some dealers are charging upto 10% APR on cars that are more expensive than the readily available deals through sites like carwow

[Czechers]

New screen, changing out the seats, switches, wiring looms etc. Then there's the coding. Doesn't sound cheap or easy. If you can't find a used vehicle with the winter pack then I would imagine a new car built to order would be a better bet if you can't compromise on spec.

[Dr Zoidberg]

If you want the Winter Pack, buy a car with it fitted. It'll be stupidly expensive to try and retrofit.

[glosrich]

A lot of Ford's have heated front screens as standard. Look at those also.

[Jaco2k]

What about adding only the webasto? That is pretty much the only thing I am missing...

[Alpha2110]

The question is do you really need heated windscreen, in my opinion that may be nessisary in Norway but in the UK? Really. I personally don't like them there a pain to look through at certain light levels, the wave grid drives me mad looking through it. I don't have it in my car but my father has it in his and I'm glad I didnt get it. Also I can think of twice this year when I could have used it, not would have used it as warm water in a washing up bowl did the trick far faster. Each to there own though, it's personal preference. But it's going to cost big money to retro fit, and I mean big money. For somthing you may use a few times a year if that.

[susi]

The question is do you really need heated windscreen, in my opinion that may be nessisary in Norway but in the UK? Really.

 

Just a personal opinion, but speaking as someone who has lived in both the UK and the Nordics, I would say that a heated windscreen is something that is much more useful in the UK than the "cold north". Why? Well when it is -15° to -35°C, the air is often so dry that you don't get ice on your windscreen (there's just no moisture there to condense and freeze). Compare that to a British winter, damp, cold and lots of icey or condensated (is that a word? ) windscreens. A heated front windscreen clears that nice and quickly.

 

The other point is that in the Nordics we use studded tyres. Studs often leave the millions of vehicles' tyres, where they sit on the road ready to get flipped up, at extreme speed, and sent to crack your windscreen. At least for me, this makes heated front windscreens even less attractive in the Nordics, because of the replacement cost when they get cracked.

[Alpha2110]

Just a personal opinion, but speaking as someone who has lived in both the UK and the Nordics, I would say that a heated windscreen is something that is much more useful in the UK than the "cold north". Why? Well when it is -15° to -35°C, the air is often so dry that you don't get ice on your windscreen (there's just no moisture there to condense and freeze). Compare that to a British winter, damp, cold and lots of icey or condensated (is that a word? ) windscreens. A heated front windscreen clears that nice and quickly.

The other point is that in the Nordics we use studded tyres. Studs often leave the millions of vehicles' tyres, where they sit on the road ready to get flipped up, at extreme speed, and sent to crack your windscreen. At least for me, this makes heated front windscreens even less attractive in the Nordics, because of the replacement cost when they get cracked.

The point is this winter if you can call it that, I had to de ice my wind screen twice. Also there is the visibility thing, the lines are a pain.

I used norway as an example, but my point is regardless of the rh, I would have thought it's far more likely to be used than the uk. Apart from the fact water is more likely to freeze from washer nozzles at low tempretures seen in europe.

This year I can't remember if we had a day below freezing, so you pay a ton of money, for a winter that may never happen and have stupid wavey lines, also if it's a thing like the Ford it doesn't even do that good a job at clearing it anyway. Why not do the job properly and get 4wd and winter tyres too and try and justify it to your self for months after.

There are instances where these may be beneficial in the UK defiantly rural areas, but for the average driver it's just unessisary.

Edited 9 April, 2016 by Alpha2110

[Czechers]

The point is this winter if you can call it that, I had to de ice my wind screen twice. Also there is the visibility thing, the lines are a pain.

I used norway as an example, but my point is regardless of the rh, I would have thought it's far more likely to be used than the uk. Apart from the fact water is more likely to freeze from washer nozzles at low tempretures seen in europe.

This year I can't remember if we had a day below freezing, so you pay a ton of money, for a winter that may never happen and have stupid wavey lines, also if it's a thing like the Ford it doesn't even do that good a job at clearing it anyway. Why not do the job properly and get 4wd and winter tyres too and try and justify it to your self for months after.

There are instances where these may be beneficial in the UK defiantly rural areas, but for the average driver it's just unessisary.

I live in the north of England and my heated screen gets used every winter without fail. Granted, I didn't use it at all between collecting the car in June up until January. But it has been used most mornings since. The wires in the screen that some on here complain about also aren't a problem to me. But then everyone is different and that's why Skoda offer all these things as options to those that want them. At £600 the winter pack ain't cheap. But I reckon in my view it represents better value for money than say a Columbus nav or the (plastic) leather seats.

Do I really need it? No. Could I live without it? Certainly. Would I spend ££thousands retro fitting it? Absolutely not. But I definitely don't regret speccing it, and it is nice to have on the many mornings I leave the house and the temperature is in single figures or below freezing.

[jkipina]

Winter pack in Finland means Webasto+heated screen+heated back seats. Heated front seats are standard. In January, the Winter pack was free (that's when I ordered my Scout :sun:  ) 

 

I'm Finnish and I've lived in Hants, and I don't think heated screen or any other winter equipment would be necessary in the south of England. But in the Midlands or North - I'm not sure, it could be. But retrofitting is a stupid idea. It is just too pricey. It's better to buy a car with the kit you need.

[flybynite]

Whether a winter pack is worth it will completely depend on the individual and their circumstances, in the UK I would say a lot depends on what time of day you drive as to your need for cold weather gear.

 

Personally I ticked all the boxes I could (cant get the webasto factory fit in RHD   although I make a LOT of use of a parking heater in another machine). 

 

Do I use the heated seats? - you bet, do the kids like them in the back? you bet even more. A few times driving in heavy freezing fog was enough to prove the worth of a heated screen for me.

 

Could I do without it - of course, drove machines without as much as a heater for quite some years, but now I would prefer not to.

 

Would I retro-fit it to something as modern as a Mk3 Octy - definitely not!

 

That is just too much and more than can be tweaked with VCDS, most likely it would need component protection lifting and I have seen first hand the mess even a dealer can get into when they try things like that.

 

Get one with it fitted or spec it new but I fear the days of just plugging things like that in are gone

[bytterga]

I use the webasto from october to mid may and would not have a car without it. i also use the heated seats a lot during Winter, leather seats are extremly Cold when not heated on Cold mornings.

i dont have the heated screen and miss this a lot.

retrofitted webasto on my last car (Avensis) and it was over duobble price than factory fitted option.

i would say if you Wonder if you need the Winter pack just get it. getting it retrofitted is just throwing Your Money out the window.

sry for the bad English........

[tag1_uk]

Thanks for all the responses.  In the end I test drove a new Octavia and wasn't so keen on the size of it and the overhanging boot/limited rear visibility compared to what I'm used to in my current Mk 1 Fabia hatch so it is all rather academic.  My next car is likely to be a Mk 3 Fabia hatch or estate.  I think a heated windscreen is useful in the UK because there are a lot of times when the windscreen is misted up on the inside in cool damp weather and heated windscreen would clear this more quickly than waiting for the engine coolant temperature to warm up for the blower to do it.  When it was properly frosty then I think a heated windscreen isn't so much help as one has to spend time scraping the side windows anyway so scraping the windscreen as well isn't such a big hardship.  I see a lot of new cars have a short cut "de-mist" button on the dashboard which puts the blowers on full directed at the dash so for convenience purposes I guess that does some of the job for you.

[Jaco2k]

retrofitted webasto on my last car (Avensis) and it was over duobble price than factory fitted option.

How much did you pay?

[bytterga]

How much did you pay?

13 000 Norwegian krones, think that shoud be around 1400 euro.