cabin heating

[snowathlete]

Loving our new Superb BUT it is so cold in the mornings!

 

Our previous petrol car heated up nice and fast and got proper hot air. The Superb takes forever to get warm and never quite gets proper hot. I know this is because it's a diesel but what are my options?

The manual talks about an auxilary heater which sounds absolutely perfect but from what I'm reading on here it doesn't come on the UK model?

 

I have a similar button in the same place shown by the manual but I think that's the heated windscreen.

 

I read on here about some kind of electric heater that can be fitted inside the vents, but I can't find that now. Can anyone tell me about that? I'm worried it may be too expensive to get fitted but I am so cold on the school run.

[superbdreams]

I am loving your posts, its like going back in time to when I first bought my superb.

There is a webasto heater fitted in superbs for colder climates. there are plenty of posts covering it and I have trawled the lot.

Bottom line for me, too much work, too costly and it uses diesel to heat the car anyway so why not start the car earlier or enjoy the warm feeling that you get from realising that the modern engine is so efficient it creates so much less wasted heat.

 

Before the briskoda police jump on this..it is illegal to start your car and leave it unattended...yawn...

 

The winter grill cover does decrease the warm up time slightly and is not too expensive but does have an emblem on it. (not too obvious thankfully)

http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/SUPERB-II/Superb-II-winter-grille-cover

 

[DEL80Y]

PTC Heater 1 of the best mods I done to my car
Like below fits inside by the heater Matrix instant heat from a ceramic heater
 

One that works of Canbus is over a £100 . I couldn't get one at the time and fitted the (Dumb) version £10-£15 of Ebay which I wired up with the correct 4 gauge cable as it runs a lot of Amps.
I will post the complete instructions for the Canbus one here tomorrow  (any competent Auto electrician will be able to wire up the cheap one for you through a switch).

But I still want to get the proper one for the car and code it in so it works completely by itself through canbus so that i dont keep having to switch it on and off.

[snowathlete]

29 minutes ago, DEL80Y said:

PTC Heater 1 of the best mods I done to my car
Like below fits inside by the heater Matrix instant heat from a ceramic heater
 

One that works of Canbus is over a £100 . I couldn't get one at the time and fitted the (Dumb) version £10-£15 of Ebay which I wired up with the correct 4 gauge cable as it runs a lot of Amps.
I will post the complete instructions for the Canbus one here tomorrow  (any competent Auto electrician will be able to wire up the cheap one for you through a switch).

But I still want to get the proper one for the car and code it in so it works completely by itself through canbus so that i dont keep having to switch it on and off.

 

This looks like the solution to me. Would love a Webasco but looking at some of the costs people talk about on the threads that come up it's just a non-starter. A PTC though, perfect solution. Looking forward to those instructions. Ideally I'd like the proper Canbus solution too. 

 

BTW, on the topic of heaters, I've noticed that when you tell the climate control system to point air onto the footwell, the dash blowers by the windows still blow as well (only the central dash ones turn off). What's that about? Superbdreams - this might be another query which brings back memories of your own experience!

Edited 9 January, 2018 by snowathlete

[superbdreams]

Quite!

Add to that my astonishment that turning the heat selector to max when starting the car results in freezing cold air being blown at almost full pelt.

 

The system knows that there is no heat yet so this is just lazy programming.

The downward blowers give very little air and I suspect the flaps do not always operate to close the other vents as they should, as sometimes you do just get downward air.

My scan often shows a fault like HVAC flap blah blah blah

This was another fault I asked blade to look at but was told it was working perfectly.

Love the ptc heater idea but as I have had so much trouble with a flat battery I wouldn't entertain it without it being run on a second battery and that is another whole can of worms.

[langers2k]

@DEL80Y - the 'dumb' PTC heaters should also work automatically if correctly.

 

Earlier PTC heaters (pre 2008/2009 ish?) are 'smart' versions, however these are expensive to produce and often go wrong due to failed solder joints.

 

Later PTC heaters are 'dumb' versions are much cheaper (no electronics) and have very little to go wrong. When correctly wired in they are powered by 2 relays which are switched on/off by the ECU.

[snowathlete]

2 hours ago, superbdreams said:

Quite!

Add to that my astonishment that turning the heat selector to max when starting the car results in freezing cold air being blown at almost full pelt.

 

The system knows that there is no heat yet so this is just lazy programming.

The downward blowers give very little air and I suspect the flaps do not always operate to close the other vents as they should, as sometimes you do just get downward air.

My scan often shows a fault like HVAC flap blah blah blah

This was another fault I asked blade to look at but was told it was working perfectly.

Love the ptc heater idea but as I have had so much trouble with a flat battery I wouldn't entertain it without it being run on a second battery and that is another whole can of worms.

 

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if there's a flap stuck and I agree about the lack of downward ventilation too. Heating is the only disappointing thing so far where my decade old Hyundai is much better. Can't really complain though.

[terrytowelling]

wear thermals ;-)

[nicko530i]

19 hours ago, DEL80Y said:

PTC Heater 1 of the best mods I done to my car
Like below fits inside by the heater Matrix instant heat from a ceramic heater
 

One that works of Canbus is over a £100 . I couldn't get one at the time and fitted the (Dumb) version £10-£15 of Ebay which I wired up with the correct 4 gauge cable as it runs a lot of Amps.
I will post the complete instructions for the Canbus one here tomorrow  (any competent Auto electrician will be able to wire up the cheap one for you through a switch).

But I still want to get the proper one for the car and code it in so it works completely by itself through canbus so that i dont keep having to switch it on and off.

 

I thought these units were standard fitted on all the diesel cars... is it possible to retrofit the heater AND do the vcds coding for it to automatically work? I don't want to flip a switch each time :-D

[wokwon]

1 hour ago, nicko530i said:

 

I thought these units were standard fitted on all the diesel cars... is it possible to retrofit the heater AND do the vcds coding for it to automatically work? I don't want to flip a switch each time :-D

 

Yes indeed:   

 

[snowathlete]

3 hours ago, wokwon said:

 

Yes indeed:   

 

That's an interesting read. Sounds more complicated than I had imagined to actually fit it (and source an element with the controller attached). Will still persevere with the idea though, it's too darn cold. Glad someone has already gone through it though so I know it can be done.

[Gazdok]

We have just been to Switzerland with -15 C. The car heated up quick.

You have got the L&K, which comes with everything heated.

[snowathlete]

1 hour ago, Gazdok said:

We have just been to Switzerland with -15 C. The car heated up quick.

You have got the L&K, which comes with everything heated.

 

Not sure where you're based but there are different fittings in different countries. I'm not certain exactly what does come on the UK L&K spec but if it doesn't come with a Webasto system seen in some countries and it doesn't appear to come with a PTC either. If it is fitted with a PTC then it's not working, it's freezing!

[MikeHig]

You have the L&K: don't the heated seats help?

My car is going in tomorrow to have the H&V sorted as it often blows hot on the passenger side and cold on the driver's, no matter what I do with the controls. A prior visit found a faulty control flap but replacing that did not resolve the issue so a wiring fault/damage is suspected. The heated seat has been a godsend!

[snowathlete]

25 minutes ago, MikeHig said:

You have the L&K: don't the heated seats help?

My car is going in tomorrow to have the H&V sorted as it often blows hot on the passenger side and cold on the driver's, no matter what I do with the controls. A prior visit found a faulty control flap but replacing that did not resolve the issue so a wiring fault/damage is suspected. The heated seat has been a godsend!

 

yes it has the heated seats, front and rear. It helps, but that takes a while to heat up as well. I think there's an broken flap in ours too because when the heat is on drivers side but much cooler on the passenger side (my husband and I don't always agree on how warm/cold things should be!) the two vents by the window work fine but the two central ones seem to end up cold rather than one cold one hot. Someone mentioned that VCDS sometimes shows a fault when the flap is broken so I hope to find out if that's the case.

[MikeHig]

I hope you are right about that.

Fixing my problem is going to involve taking the dash out to get at the wiring. I only bought the car (2014 like yours) late last year. Luckily there was a cold snap soon afterwards which showed up this heating problem and a partially-failed heated screen which has already been replaced. So this is being fixed under warranty.

[snowathlete]

24 minutes ago, MikeHig said:

I hope you are right about that.

Fixing my problem is going to involve taking the dash out to get at the wiring. I only bought the car (2014 like yours) late last year. Luckily there was a cold snap soon afterwards which showed up this heating problem and a partially-failed heated screen which has already been replaced. So this is being fixed under warranty.

 

I'm pleased for you that it's under warranty. Mine was a private sale so if it has a problem it'll be at our own expense. Apart from these problems, how are you finding the car?

[superbdreams]

Heated seats are a bit of a joke on the l&k leather. they take so long to heat up that you have pretty much warmed the seat with your crinkly bits by the time it can be felt.

Oddly though the rear seats seem to heat up much quicker but then I cant reach the pedals.

[silver1011]

[snowathlete]

1 hour ago, superbdreams said:

Heated seats are a bit of a joke on the l&k leather. they take so long to heat up that you have pretty much warmed the seat with your crinkly bits by the time it can be felt.

Oddly though the rear seats seem to heat up much quicker but then I cant reach the pedals.

 

Maybe they can be upgraded... The heated seats on our outgoing car are much better in terms of quick heat, so it's a bit annoying.

[Gazdok]

Our Superb is a UK model without additional heater. The heated seats do not take long to warm and I have to start turning them down soon after starting because they get too warm.

Do you have the climate control / heating set to Auto recirculation or manual? Auto will give you heat faster.

[MikeHig]

Yes, the heated seats do take a bit of time to warm up and they then become super-toasty. Even on the lowest setting they are too warm. According to my local dealer, that's the way they are across the range: the recommendation was to blip them on and off. I guess a competent car electrician could adjust the power control to reduce the afterburner effect.

Snowy; overall I am very pleased with the car after nearly 3 months and 3000 miles. The build quality is exceptional - everything feels and sounds so solid. It reminds me of the Audi 100 estate I had many years ago. It has taken me a while to get the hang of all the tech and I still haven't tried to link up my phone. It handled a long run to the Alps very well: motorway cruising is one of its strengths. The ride quality is very good, helped no doubt by the long wheelbase and, for a big, long car, the handling is quite tidy. Its performance on snow and ice was better than I expected, as it's an auto, although the DSG calibration could be improved for winter conditions. The traction control does not seem to function at low speeds and there is not the control of throttle and clutch of a manual.

The engine is gutsy and unobtrusive once up to speed but, like many diesels, it is coarse at low revs. Economy is OK at about 40 mpg on the recent long, fast trip (the dash readout seems to be about 10% optimistic telling me it was doing over 44 mpg). I am pretty sure it has had the VW "fix" which, by all accounts, tends to have an adverse effect on performance and economy.

The DSG 'box could also be improved, imho, by a bit of tuning. In normal "Drive" it changes up too early which accentuates the coarseness of the engine as it pulls from just over 1000 rpm. Conversely, in "Sport" it hangs on to higher revs even under very light throttle. Consequently I often switch to manual in slow motoring and around town. The lack of a hill-hold function is disappointing but I have found that lifting off the brake softly lets the DSG engage without any roll-back (initially there were a few frantic grabs for the handbrake!).

Apart from the faults already mentioned, there is not much I would criticise. My few reservations are due to not finding my preferred configuration within my budget and time constraints. I would have preferred a manual and - ideally - a 4x4.

Once the faults have been sorted and everything has settled down, I plan to take it to Rev0 for a bit more poke and to have the "fix" reversed. I believe they may also be able to programme in the hill-hold. Then I expect it will be a thoroughly satisfying car.

[snowathlete]

Yeah same here, no heat then nice for about two minutes then too much heat. I don't mind by that point really as by then I'm warm and I can turn them off, it's hte time it takes to get warm in the first place that I'd like to improve. It sounds like a PTC ought to be enough to solve that problem and seems achievable economically. I'm a little confused by the various versions of the VAG PTC available thought and how to find one with a control module attached. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for when it comes to the control module. @DEL80Y any wisdom to share about what I need to look for exactly?

 

@Gazdok think i have it on manual but with re-circulation on so that it doesn't suck in new cold air. I'll give auto a go.

 

Interesting about TC not working at low speeds @MikeHig is that normal?

I'm in full agreement with you on the DSG and how it could be optimized. My car's definitely had the "fix". I asked Skoda through their online chat and they gave me all the details. My car drives okay so there is some temptation to say "don't fix what isn't broken" but given the "fix" could actually be breaking stuff in the future I expect I will get it put back how it was at some point. I'm just a little cautious about the small risk that it could break what it currently working, seemingly. I bought this car partly for improved fuel economy though and although I don't know what it was like before it sounds likely that it is not as good as it was before in that regard.

 

I'm hoping to get Hill hold put on mine for sure, according to the helpful folk on other threads it can be done with VCDS. I was driving it today and on a small slope put it in reverse and when I took my foot off the brake I rolled forward! I made those same grabs for the handbrake as you! I was not expecting that as our other car which is manual does not do that. My husband said something about this being because it's DSG rather than the standard auto box I am used to. I think it's crazy that HH is not included with all of them as standard.

 

Like you though, I'm really enjoying the new car and with a few tweaks here and there I think I will love it even more.

 

 

 

 

Edited 15 January, 2018 by snowathlete

[MikeHig]

Snowy; I think it is normal for TC not to work at low speeds or with the vehicle stationary. Driving on snow/ice/mud in a variety of vehicles I have had a wheel start spinning without the TC kicking in. However I have had it operate when the vehicle is moving at more than walking pace and when I have been a bit brutal with the throttle. It was quite noticeable that many cars had trouble getting out of their parking slots after the big snowfalls in the Alps over Christmas. I saw a lot sitting with one wheel spinning - and ended up giving a push quite often!

It does seem to be worse with autos as you can't feed the power in as gently as with a manual. A couple of times I fell back on the old trick of applying a light touch of brake with my left foot which acts on the spinning wheel so power is then fed to the stationary wheel as well. That is easier to do with an auto as it won't stall.

On the lack of hill-hold, I have now got used to easing off the brake gently until I feel/hear the clutch starting to bite and then applying some throttle. Coming from a manual, I had the habit of coming off the brake sharply and onto the throttle to get some revs as I released the clutch to "catch" the car before it could start to roll. However I would still prefer to have H-H, especially when the damn AutoStop/Start kicks in!

[snowathlete]

Looked into this a bit more. Found this diagram from a 2005 Golf which has the same, or a similar PTC heater. 12 is obviously the power cables. 4 is the 4 pin connector which is a a standard item, the the other end of which connects you to the CAN-bus. I imagined there would be a connector at the other end that would plug into a slot on the main wiring harness. But in fact it looks like the wiring harness is different depending on whether the PTC is fitted, or not, and therefore the only option is to splice it in. I imagine this is the reason why the PTC was not an optional extra in the UK. It would be too much hassle to change the harness just for one small optional extra...So, can anyone recommend the best way to splice in behind the Climatronic connector?