Auxiliary Heater, is it possible?

**hackeron** · 12-02-2009,10:35 PM

I love my 54 plate A4 TDI but after having a petrol which heats up much quicker, it is such a pain to wait 10 to 30 minutes on a freezing rush hour morning for that diesel engine to heat up before I can stop shivering (and not being able to see anything while that windshield is defrosting)

Is it possible to add an auxiliary heater? - Is there an OEM or after market option? - Anyone retrofitted one on their B6 A4?

**danclyon** · 12-02-2009,10:59 PM

Originally Posted by hackeron

I love my 54 plate A4 TDI but after having a petrol which heats up much quicker, it is such a pain to wait 10 to 30 minutes on a freezing rush hour morning for that diesel engine to heat up before I can stop shivering (and not being able to see anything while that windshield is defrosting)

Is it possible to add an auxiliary heater? - Is there an OEM or after market option? - Anyone retrofitted one on their B6 A4?

You must have something wrong - as my heat is coming through within 5 minutes, often less - and it's always thundering through by the same point in my journey - less than 2 miles....

Others may be able to tell you what :-)

D.

**hackeron** · 12-02-2009,11:01 PM

Originally Posted by danclyon

You must have something wrong - as my heat is coming through within 5 minutes, often less - and it's always thundering through by the same point in my journey - less than 2 miles....

Others may be able to tell you what :-)

D.

In the freezing weather, at rush hour traffic it can sometimes take a good 20-30 minutes to drive the 2-3 miles required for the engine to heat up - long enough to get bronchitis

EDIT: Also, this 115 TDI takes a lot longer to warm up compared to my previous petrol 2.0 honda accord. - Sure keeping it at 3k while sitting in traffic gets it warm eventually, but I'd rather have an aux heater.

**benjie** · 12-02-2009,11:38 PM

Idling my b6 A4 for 5-10min before I leave the house is enough to ensure there's no mist and the car is warm enough to sit in without a coat - though I leave the heat on 25-28 all the way to work.

**hackeron** · 12-02-2009,11:40 PM

Originally Posted by benjie

Idling my b6 A4 for 5-10min before I leave the house is enough to ensure there's no mist and the car is warm enough to sit in without a coat - though I leave the heat on 25-28 all the way to work.

It says in the manual idling the diesel engine on an A4 B6 is bad for it unlike the petrol engine.

**danclyon** · 12-02-2009,11:46 PM

Originally Posted by hackeron

In the freezing weather, at rush hour traffic it can sometimes take a good 20-30 minutes to drive the 2-3 miles required for the engine to heat up - long enough to get bronchitis

EDIT: Also, this 115 TDI takes a lot longer to warm up compared to my previous petrol 2.0 honda accord. - Sure keeping it at 3k while sitting in traffic gets it warm eventually, but I'd rather have an aux heater.

Move house?

**benjie** · 12-02-2009,11:47 PM

Yeah I know, but did it with my MkIV for 5yrs with no probs, I think sometimes they are a little overprotective! it's only about 1 in 5 days in winter I do it... Can't be helped sometimes due to the weather etc!

Anyway, the point was that idling my car for 5-10min provides some heat - yours appears not to?

**hackeron** · 13-02-2009,12:22 AM

Originally Posted by benjie

Yeah I know, but did it with my MkIV for 5yrs with no probs, I think sometimes they are a little overprotective! it's only about 1 in 5 days in winter I do it... Can't be helped sometimes due to the weather etc!

Anyway, the point was that idling my car for 5-10min provides some heat - yours appears not to?

10 minutes generally does it, yes - but when the car is covered with snow (like now) or ice (typical in the winter mornings), it takes a good 10 minutes to get any heat, 20 minutes of idling to warm up to reasonable temp, and a further 10 minutes to make the car reach about 24c. Besides, even 10 minutes is unpleasant. I'd love to jump in the car and get near instant hot air blowing at me from all directions

**benjie** · 13-02-2009,12:30 AM

I know what you mean, I like the faced and feet bit - v nice in the cold!

Anyway, there is an auxiliuary heater option in the handbook, so I would assume it can be retrofitted? Wouldn't like to think of the price though.

Alternatively, there are things like these, then use the recirc button to keep it warm!

**hackeron** · 13-02-2009,12:36 AM

Originally Posted by benjie

I know what you mean, I like the faced and feet bit - v nice in the cold!

Anyway, there is an auxiliuary heater option in the handbook, so I would assume it can be retrofitted? Wouldn't like to think of the price though.

Alternatively, there are things like these, then use the recirc button to keep it warm!

I have an RNS-E, I'm integrating a reversing camera (comes on in reverse gear) and a divx player in it next week with OEM controls, everything is nice and integrated, no silly remotes or anything. And then there's a cheap ugly, ugly ceramic heater on the dash with a cable running from the cigarette lighter socket across half the car? -- Bah!