BEW heat expectations in the winter

[burn_your_money]

I've changed the thermostat twice on my dad's BEW and I don't think the heat has ever been right. I've not owned a BEW so I just want to confirm that this isn't normal before I spend $60 at the dealer for a thermostat.

Today was just a bit below freezing and I did not plug the car in. I started it up, drove 10 minutes on the highway and then 5 minutes in town. I had the heat selector turned to full heat but I had the blower fan off. The gauge never went to 90*c. I know the gauge isn't accurate and the computer manipulates it.

The first thermostat I put in was a cheaper brand (Accidentally ordered it)
The second (current) thermostat was a Mayle which I understand is OEM for the thermostats.

Next I planned on ordering one from the dealer.

All the other VW diesels I've owned would melt your face off if you left the heat on high. This BEW won't even melt the ice off the windshield.

Normal or no?

 

[BobnOH]

Not normal. Seems like you should have working thermostat action. I might think the heater core is plugged, but the car should still come up to normal. Low coolant level? Failing water pump? Normally that stuff leads to overheating. Just thinking out loud...................
At that temp, blocking the radiator would not help much.

 

[oilhammer]

Behr or Calorstat are who makes the OEM units, that is all I would use.

 

[burn_your_money]

Thank you for confirming my suspicions. I will spend the money at the dealer.

 

[JDSwan87]

What's the actual digital reading?

My BEW takes a solid 15min on the highway (20f outside) to hit 195f coolant. My 20 min drive to work of backroad driving only gets me to 170f (20f outside).

It was worse until I had Kirk change the tstat when he just did the TB job. I used to never crack 170f unless it was 80f outside.

 

[burn_your_money]

When I had VCDS hooked up to it, it seemed to hold around 70 (160) on the highway with the heat off. It would creep up to 90 if I sat and idled. My ALH heats up very fast. I can't remember exactly how fast though since it's been a few years since I've driven it in the winter.

 

[Vince Waldon]

A data point for you Tyler: my BEW and my ALH are pretty much identical in terms of warm-up time, defrost time, time on the highway to get to close to 90C ... here in Alberta's winter. The ALH has a t-stat that levels out at 89, the BEW at 91, but that's about the only difference I experience.

I do put the 3-piece winter fronts on both of them when we get a period of -20C or more and it helps get up to temp, noticeably.

That said, it did take me 3 t-stats... 3 OEM t-stats... before I was happy with the BEW. One was 5C too cold, the other bumped up against 95C in the summer on a regular basis and oscilated 5 degrees. My previous BEW was 89C, on the nose, summer/winter... so it can be done.

 

[burn_your_money]

Thank you Vince. Maybe I'll take the time to test these ones on the stove first.

 

[benshaw]

Unless you have equipment which has precise temperature readings, A stove test will only show it opens.

 

[burn_your_money]

I have thermometers that will work