Diesel engine heaters leave a lot to be disired

[dustrat]

The engine on my 2010 diesel Octavia is very slow to warm up so it takes quite some time for heater to warm up so last year I bought and fitted a winter grille cover from superskoda .com which has done a lot to help engine get up to temperature quicker. Before fitting it could take up to 10 mile in cold weather to get any heat from heater, since fitting down to about half that distance.I have spoken to dealer and was told that this was a problem with diesel engines and also been in contact with Skoda UK and didnt get any good advice from them. Yesterday I was speaking to friend in Slovakia where it was -15 deg and subject came around to heater problem. He told me he does not have this problem as they have a factory fitted option of having a Wabasto type auxillery diesel heater fitted.Why do we in UK not have this option ??

Robert

[Jevpls]

About Webasto heater - I suppose it goes only for countries with greater cold. Anyway, you can fit it right now and I'm sure you will find a garage that might do the job. But... it costs a lot.

May I ask about that winter cover - is it a simple cover you put on? Well, in that case it's possible to overheat the engine (forget about it, get on a longer run, weather temperature goes up etc.).

[Tilt]

The engine on my 2010 diesel Octavia is very slow to warm up so it takes quite some time for heater to warm up so last year I bought and fitted a winter grille cover from superskoda .com which has done a lot to help engine get up to temperature quicker. Before fitting it could take up to 10 mile in cold weather to get any heat from heater, since fitting down to about half that distance.I have spoken to dealer and was told that this was a problem with diesel engines and also been in contact with Skoda UK and didnt get any good advice from them. Yesterday I was speaking to friend in Slovakia where it was -15 deg and subject came around to heater problem. He told me he does not have this problem as they have a factory fitted option of having a Wabasto type auxillery diesel heater fitted.Why do we in UK not have this option ??

Robert

Might look into the grille cover myself. Will make my own though rather than buying one.

 

Someone mentioned these elsewhere in another topic and stated to just keep an eye on your temp gauge, just in case.

[@Lee]

About Webasto heater - I suppose it goes only for countries with greater cold. Anyway, you can fit it right now and I'm sure you will find a garage that might do the job. But... it costs a lot.

May I ask about that winter cover - is it a simple cover you put on? Well, in that case it's possible to overheat the engine (forget about it, get on a longer run, weather temperature goes up etc.).

I've got a winter grille cover on my MkI Fabia 1.9TDi. Fitted it in October (South Coast of England) and it's never overheated. Even with long high speed runs > 1 hour.

[booke23]

He told me he does not have this problem as they have a factory fitted option of having a Wabasto type auxillery diesel heater fitted.Why do we in UK not have this option ??

 

Very good question. My Octavia takes an age to warm up too.

 

I have owned other makes of diesel cars (Chrysler and Rover) with the Webasto heater fitted as standard, and it makes a big difference to warm up times....And the Chrysler and Rover had better warm up characteristics than the Octavia with the Webasto disabled.  

 

As mentioned, Webasto heaters don't come cheap. So I suppose they only fit them where absolutely necessary. 

[dustrat]

Regarding overheating, I fitted it Jan 2016 and it has stayed on since.I've done a fair bit of motorway driving during summer and no problemsThere is a big grille under bumper bar and enough air gets through there. The cover is made by a company in CZ who have supplying after market parts for Skoda for a long time and it takes about 15 mins to fit. If I travelled on motorway all the time maybe not a problem, but most of roads where I live are 30 mph ( 50 kmph) and 50 mph (80 kmph ) before I get to motorway. I have driven many diesel cars in Russia and eastern Europe at temperatures of -30 plus, and this is one the poorest heaters that I come across.Well no it is not the heater it is the length of time it takes the engine to get up to running temperature.Prior to owning Octavia I had a Superb and did not have heater problems.

Robert

 

[Phil-E]

The webasto heaters are a chargeable option but quite often necessary in certain countries.

It is annoying that in the UK we don't even have the choice!

[SuperbTWM]

You can get plug in heaters that can be retro fitted into the cooling system to warm your car up if you are prepared to run a cable to your car and have it on a timer so it warms up before you get in it on a morning. There isn't a lot of choice though and most are designed for 110v 60hz market as its generally not cold enough to warrant one in the UK climate.

 

http://www.frostheater.com/frostheater.htm

[chimaera]

If you're having trouble with slow warmup check that the thermostat is in good shape. My old TDI went through a patch of not warming up very well in cold weather, and I fitted a DIY winter cover to the grille (bunch of foam pipe insulation stuck into the lower grille). Once I got through the winter, I put in a new thermostat and it was much better.

 

The thermostats tend to fail open which means coolant is circulating through the radiator rather than being kept within the engine until it reaches operating temperature. So it takes forever to warm up. On the plus side, the engine is unlikely to get cooked by a jammed shut thermostat.

[dustrat]

A new thermostat was fitted by main dealer with no obvious difference and that is why I fitted grill cover.

Robert

[chimaera]

A new thermostat was fitted by main dealer with no obvious difference and that is why I fitted grill cover.

Robert

Cool. Did they check the operation of the coolant glow-plug too?

[langers2k]

I have spoken to dealer and was told that this was a problem with diesel engines

It's not so much a problem, they are more efficient so don't create as much waste energy and therefore take longer to warm up.

 

Why do we in UK not have this option ??

 

It's not really needed for most UK weather, it's just an added expense, complication and weight to the car. I think some VW/Audi have them fitted in the UK.

 

Someone mentioned these elsewhere in another topic and stated to just keep an eye on your temp gauge, just in case.

 

Just as a warning, the temp gauge doesn't report the actual coolant temperature. It's severely weighted to give a steady 90'C so probably won't move until 110-120°C.

 

 

 

Cool. Did they check the operation of the coolant glow-plug too?

 

I don't think the MK2 FL has a coolant glow-plug heater.

 

Back to the OP's question, it is possible to retrofit a proper webasto diesel aux heater. There are awesome and can be set to come on each morning to preheat the car ready for use. You can either use Skoda parts or find a more generic/universal kit.

 

Another option is the electric auxiliary heater, this is basically a 1KW electric element that sits in the HVAC system. If the coolant is cold (below 70°C) and you turn the heater to max, it'll use this extra element to create heat. I've fitted one to my car and if does make a difference although it's definitely warm rather than hot air.

[Jevpls]

 I have driven many diesel cars in Russia and eastern Europe at temperatures of -30 plus, and this is one the poorest heaters that I come across.Well no it is not the heater it is the length of time it takes the engine to get up to running temperature.Prior to owning Octavia I had a Superb and did not have heater problems.

Robert

Like langers2k said, these new diesels are more efficient and that's why such things occur right now not 20 years ago.

[CWARD]

Diesel engines always take longer to warm up for few reasons. The Octavia heater is pretty pathetic, having been in Golfs and A3's with the same engine they produce heat quicker and heaters actually work well. Add the poor heater, excessive condensation and it's not much fun in the winter. 

[Ttaskmaster]

I assume the mkI Octy will be utterly awful, then?

[Vegasphil]

Has it had a water pump change? A diesel may not be warmed up properly after 10 miles on a cold day but it should be blowing warm air out of the heater well before then.

[cheshire_cat]

I fitted a Citroen 4 plug inline water heater in the SEAT (PD)  with manual switching,  on two plugs alone it makes a difference after approx 1-2 miles,    rarely need all four as they pull a lot of juice   approx £5  from the scrappers plus cost of fuses switches and cable etc 

Edited 17 January, 2017 by cheshire cat

[booke23]

having been in Golfs and A3's with the same engine they produce heat quicker and heaters actually work well.

 

I believe this is because they have a 1KW electric element in the HCAV, that operates until the coolant gets up to temp.