OEM Block heater setup

dart330 said:

I have a short commute and no garage. When I start the car I need heat for defrosting the windshield when it is icy and I'd like the car to warm-up all the way by the time I get to work. I looked at my energy usage with the timer and it costs me 5 cents an hour to run the heater. I think spending a $1.50 a week on electricity could easily offset the extra diesel usage for heating a cold engine.

I generally drive 1,000 hwy miles every other weekend which is why I got the TDI. I also live in a city with horrible transit, no sidewalks and drivers who do not get prosecuted when they kill cyclists. So short winter trips during the week is my only choice. My main concern would be repeatedly driving 2-3 weeks without ever getting the engine up to full operating temps.

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You my friend want too much. The new diesels are far too efficient. They will not heat up/load up without a load (so idling in below zero in your driveway, or on some super short drive).

On my drive into work this morning, the temp was -28.5C (-19.3F). My car was plugged in over night using he OEM heater, it fired without issues and had decent heat quite quickly. I also have a 54km (33.5mi) commute to work, on a highway (freeway). When I did hit traffic, and I coasted or drove at super light loads (crawled along), my temp gauge actually started dropping!

I'm also not very familiar with the MK6s as I drive a MK5, but mine has the auxiliary electric heater which provides "instant" warm air until the coolant is warm enough to take over the job. Do you guys not have that?

I also have the OEM heater and when it drops below 0c the the car reclaims the garage from the bike and gets plugged in for 2.5 to 3 Hrs every night since i do have a very short drive to work. at the start up the gauge moves up to about 60'c but as soon as the engine starts the gauge goes right back down, however it takes only about 5km to have the temp gauge back to optimum temp, I have the upper and lower grill covered to help retain the engine heat and prevent damage to DPF.
I should mention that my garage was at -8.5'c and the outside temp was @-25'c this morning.
I would have the car plugged in for at least 5Hrs if it was parked outside at those temps.

OEM Heater in my Golf TDI....It was -32c yesterday morningand the car was plugged in for 4 hours....don't need more than that. Started like it was +30c...

I want to follow up your question regarding the electric auxiliary heater? I had a 2009 which seemed better in the cold than the 2012 I drive now. In the 2009 I was familiar with the sound of the relay working the electric heater, in the 2012 I am not hearing it. I just assumed the 2012 had it, but I am just now doubting it. I just blocked the lower grill opening with the hope that the engine might retain some more heat, but find myself questioning both Tstats and relays. I need to get a better understanding of the differences between the 2009 and the 2012 just now. I assumed the cars were more similar than they actually are, shame on me.

TurboABA said:

You my friend want too much. The new diesels are far too efficient. They will not heat up/load up without a load (so idling in below zero in your driveway, or on some super short drive).

On my drive into work this morning, the temp was -28.5C (-19.3F). My car was plugged in over night using he OEM heater, it fired without issues and had decent heat quite quickly. I also have a 54km (33.5mi) commute to work, on a highway (freeway). When I did hit traffic, and I coasted or drove at super light loads (crawled along), my temp gauge actually started dropping!

I'm also not very familiar with the MK6s as I drive a MK5, but mine has the auxiliary electric heater which provides "instant" warm air until the coolant is warm enough to take over the job. Do you guys not have that?

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I decided to do a comparison test of how much the OEM block heater helps.....
Both startups were after the car was sitting for over 12hrs, no idle time.... just fire it up and drive.

Not plugged in.
Started no problem, drove 6.2kms, heated mirrors, rear defrost, heated seats all on..... and blower on full heat on speed #1..... stopped at stop sign, took picture. Max speed reached was 120km/h (clear roads)




Plugged in for about 10hrs after being full cold (parked for 6hrs before outside)
Started no problem, drove 6.2kms, heated mirrors, rear defrost, heated seats all on..... and blower on full heat on speed #1..... stopped at stop sign, took picture. Max speed reached was 70km/h (heavily snow covered roads)



Hopefully this gives you guys a better idea of how the heater helps.

This was with the car being outside in the elements, not in a garage or covered/protected by any means.

I agree completely with TurboABA's opinions on what to expect from a block heater.

I don't understand why people expect the engine to be at operating temperature from a cold start, you wouldn't expect that in the middle of summer!
Plugging in my car for a couple of hours, even in -28c (which is has been as of late in south eastern Ontario), my glow plug length is as if I was doing a hot restart or in the summer time. Couldn't expect more then that.

I've been playing with the supposed aux heater thing people keep mentioning, I'm starting to believe it now. Mk6, fan @ 2, climatic at 26c (full hot), and I get lukewarm air pretty much instantly while driving.

Gizzmo_jr said:

Plugging in my car for a couple of hours, even in -28c (which is has been as of late in south eastern Ontario), my glow plug length is as if I was doing a hot restart or in the summer time. Couldn't expect more then that.

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Just as a side note..... the GP light that you see when you first turn the ignition on is most likely just the standard "self diagnostic" procedure the system is doing.......

I'd have to dig it up, but the ECU actually only turns the GPs on when ambient temps are below a certain level, (18deg C if I recall correctly)..... and there's also constant "post heating" that is also ECU controlled until your coolant tem reaches 18deg C.

There's also a channel somewhere in VCDS where you can check this and see how long the GPs will stay on at the current conditions of a cold start (this changes according to various parameters such as coolant temp, ambient air temp, altitude, etc)

I had an experience last night, and thought I would share the details with you guys since there seems to be a lot of you who are concerned about the "mediocre" effect of the OEM heater.

Last night, temperatures hovered around -20deg C (-33 deg C with windchill).
My car was parked outside for about 12hrs without being plugged in. I woke up in the morning about 1.5hrs before having to leave for work, and realized that I had forgotten to plug it in. I quickly ran outside and plugged it in.

1.5hrs later when I got into the car, it started without any issues and my water temp was already at 25deg C....... I was totally not expecting that result within such a short period of time after such a deep freeze.

I gave in and found someone selling a non used Frost heater.
It works but not like I had thought, I thought I would have more instant heat. Still get heat around same time if it was 30 or so outside and no heater.

The car will start without it in sub 0F temps but takes forever to heat up so thats why I got it.

I would love the fog light housing part number and plug part number to make my frost heater plug setup look like the oem. Anyone?
Right now its just out of the grille.

Very good test!

TurboABA said:

I decided to do a comparison test of how much the OEM block heater helps.....
Both startups were after the car was sitting for over 12hrs, no idle time.... just fire it up and drive.
Not plugged in.
Started no problem, drove 6.2kms, heated mirrors, rear defrost, heated seats all on..... and blower on full heat on speed #1..... stopped at stop sign, took picture. Max speed reached was 120km/h (clear roads)

Plugged in for about 10hrs after being full cold (parked for 6hrs before outside)
Started no problem, drove 6.2kms, heated mirrors, rear defrost, heated seats all on..... and blower on full heat on speed #1..... stopped at stop sign, took picture. Max speed reached was 70km/h (heavily snow covered roads)

Hopefully this gives you guys a better idea of how the heater helps.
This was with the car being outside in the elements, not in a garage or covered/protected by any means.

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I like your testing!

Temps here in the Boise area have been on both sides of zero for the last three days.

Does the block heater need to be plugged in for 10hrs or would only 2hrs have the same outcome?

I have a 2000 Jetta TDI: Can the dealer install an OEM block heater on my TDI? What do any of you guys recommend?

Thanks,
DaveyT

DaveyT said:

Does the block heater need to be plugged in for 10hrs or would only 2hrs have the same outcome?

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There's no magical time frame that applies...... it's all about heat transfer.

If the ambient temperatures are low, there's a lot more heat loss that will happen than if the ambient temperatures are milder......

Do you want as much help as possible reaching operating temp? Or do you want just a little help?

Gavin. said:

I like your testing!

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Thanks, I tried to make it somewhat "controlled" and relevant instead of just blabbing crap out

DaveyT said:

Temps here in the Boise area have been on both sides of zero for the last three days.

Does the block heater need to be plugged in for 10hrs or would only 2hrs have the same outcome?

I have a 2000 Jetta TDI: Can the dealer install an OEM block heater on my TDI? What do any of you guys recommend?

Thanks,
DaveyT

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Frostheater is well thought of.

http://www.frostheater.com/

If I didn't already have the factory block heater, I would choose the frostheater for sure. Way less plug-in time to achieve the same result. Almost instant heat I'm guessing.

For those worried about factory fit and finish, I understand the frost heater is a very well put-together kit with a nice fit and finish. If you're worried about the look of a plug, use something like this:
Flush mount plug

If I didn't already have the factory block heater, I would choose the frostheater for sure. Way less plug-in time to achieve the same result. Almost instant heat I'm guessing.

For those worried about factory fit and finish, I understand the frost heater is a very well put-together kit with a nice fit and finish. If you're worried about the look of a plug, use something like this:
Flush mount plug