13 replies to this topic

[chads4]

Hi all, Has anyone bought an electric heater for there vx. Gets a bit chilly at this time of year. If so let us know what type and if its any good. Thanks Chads

[ferg]

I have one of these in my Audi: <Defa>

I wouldn't say that the main point of these is to warm up the car, but rather to keep the windows frost-free. As such, it does the job fine. It does of course warm the car up too, but the effect soon wears off.

Or to put it another way, I don't bother using it if the car is parked in my garage. I do however always use the engine heater from a few degrees above 0C and below.



HTH

David.

[convict]

Yeap. Don't waste your money. Gives off little in the way of heat and relatively little air flow. Apart from interfering with Fm reception on the radio, makes no difference once the car is moving. I only use it in the morning to help demist the windscreen. (or de-ice the INSIDE of the windscreen over the past few weeks) After lots of complaining from the girlfriend, bought her a plug-in 12v heated blanket. Big enough to sit on and wrap round your legs. Never tried it myself (I ain't no !!!!) but she say's its very good. If you're that cold thats where I think your money should go edit; my heater's not as good as the defa one

Edited by convict, 05 January 2006 - 08:08 PM.

[chads4]

edit; my heater's not as good as the defa one

defa: - is that a make?

[benw]

Can you get a heater that turns itself on by remote control. I'd buy one of those. Otherwise what's the point? You have to go outside and in to the car 15 minutes before every journey to allow it to get going. I'm never going to do that when I leave at 7am every morning!

[ferg]

defa: - is that a make?

Yes, Defa is a make. If you click on the link I posted, you'll see.

There are several other makes of 230V AC car heaters, and I'd expect there's not much to choose between them.

As regards remote control, the usual solution is to plug the cable from the car into a timer. Defa also make a timer that fits in the car. A more expensive solution that might only be worth considering if you were also going to get a battery charger fitted in the car too. Can't really see the point though.

Webasto make petrol powered heaters; perhaps they also have remotes for them, but both weight and price make these only worth considering if you're regularly driving in Siberia.


HTH

David.

[chads4]

Hi,

Found this on Ebay. Looks a b***h to fit though.

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...Y_BID_Stores_IT

[convict]

Ferg, if I understand this right, your defa heater is plugged into the mains? Think chads4 is after a 12v one mine is a cheapey 12v plug in job, hence not worth the money. Though not sure how useful a 230v ac heater is unless you leave you car near a plug socket i.e. in the garage, which should mean you don't need to warm the car up edit; chads4, your link is to a car alarm

Edited by convict, 05 January 2006 - 08:50 PM.

[ferg]

"- This car alarm can suitable install in all car" - Sounds promising. Probably best to make a habit of keeping the car in Neutral when parked though.

[convict]

How do you get it to push the starter button

[ferg]

Yes, as I said, there's not much point in a 230V AC heater if the car's parked in a garage. The main advantage is if it's parked in the driveway.

[neolus]

They are selling electric heaters in Woolworths for a fiver at the moment. Only help to clear the screen though unless you hold your hand next to it!

[benw]

If you really want 240v AC heating you could get a power inverter to transform your 12v DC to 240v AC. You'll need a small heater though because inverters aren't normally rated beyond about 500 watts and heaters are normally measured in kilowatts!

[Tolksee]

Another for the 12v Electric blanket. I use it on VERY cold days. Very sunggly. Just don't forget to unplug it when you turn off the engine, cos it'll drain the battery in 3 hours if you do.