Canadian Driver review of TDI in the cold

[BrentRN]

Fun review here of the TDI in Canada. They got 6.1 l/100km (38.6 mpg US) on a run from Winnepeg to Thunder Bay with temps as low as 25 C (-13 F). They report it took 20 minutes to get any cabin heat in those temps. An overall positive review.
Inside Story: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel Highline

 

[MrPolak]

Fun review here of the TDI in Canada. They got 6.1 l/100km (38.6 mpg US) on a run from Winnepeg to Thunder Bay with temps as low as 25 C (-13 F). They report it took 20 minutes to get any cabin heat in those temps. An overall positive review.
Inside Story: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel Highline

Heated seats are your friend! So's a block heater for that matter.

 

[tasdrouille]

20 minutes to get cabin heat!?! Were they idling with the blower at 4 waiting for the car to warm up? I can get fair cabin heat once coolant temp reaches 120 F on the scangauge. Even when it's -25 C it takes less than 5 miles of driving to get over that. If the rad is blocked it warms up even faster.

 

[rotarykid]

The Transport Canada figures state 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres ( ~48 mpgUS ) .

Now we finally have some real mpg , consumption test figures on these , not the crap the US EPA has given . ~48 mpgUS test number on the DSG is more in line what we should see when care is taken .

Has anyone seen the Transport Canada numbers on the manual yet ?????

 

[fitzski]

20 minutes to get cabin heat!?! Were they idling with the blower at 4 waiting for the car to warm up? I can get fair cabin heat once coolant temp reaches 120 F on the scangauge. Even when it's -25 C it takes less than 5 miles of driving to get over that. If the rad is blocked it warms up even faster.

From the article:

There’s nothing a diesel loves more than 20-odd minutes of warm-up before it moves.

Idling for 20-minutes is probably the worse thing he could do to warm up the car, not to mention fuel economy.

Mind you, the needle in my '04, plugged in with the Zerostart for 2.5 hrs this AM (and it's only -10^C) prior to leaving, never made it to halfway after 1 hour of stop and go driving (transit strike in Ottawa has doubled my commute time).

 

[adjat84th]

Do the Canadian models not have the auxilary heater? I get heat out of the vents within seconds, no matter the outside temp. 20-minute warmup...idiots!

 

[Rebellion]

I get heat pretty fast here, but your aux heater is probably an aftermarket. Today it was -12.5C and while it never got to the normal engine temp I still had heat after like 10 mins and that was doing 60km/h to work.

If I hopped on the highway I would get heat in 3-5 minutes.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I get heat pretty fast here, but your aux heater is probably an aftermarket.

No, all '09 Jetta TDIs in the U.S. apparently have the aux heater from the factory. I'd be very surprised if the Canadian cars didn't, since they would obviously need it more.

 

[adjat84th]

I get heat pretty fast here, but your aux heater is probably an aftermarket.

Standard feature on US models at least.

 

[JASONP]

Do the Canadian models not have the auxilary heater? I get heat out of the vents within seconds, no matter the outside temp. 20-minute warmup...idiots!

Whats with the slanderous name calling? Have you ever been to Winnipeg in January?
Norflok

Tuesday
January 13

Showers
8 º / -1 º
Wednesday
X



Winnipeg

Tuesday
January 13

Snow Shower
-21 º / -26 º

 

[JASONP]

Fun review here of the TDI in Canada. They got 6.1 l/100km (38.6 mpg US) on a run from Winnepeg to Thunder Bay with temps as low as 25 C (-13 F). They report it took 20 minutes to get any cabin heat in those temps. An overall positive review.
Inside Story: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel Highline

You did get your Temps mixed up.


Transport Canada figures state 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres. This shakedown was only able to muster 6.1 litres per 100 K, though I think I heard the Evergreens breathe more deeply as I passed. Temperatures ranged from minus 3 degrees to minus 25 degrees Celcius, not including wind chill factors.

-25 degree Celsius = -13 degree Fahrenheit

 

[Sankar]

No, all '09 Jetta TDIs in the U.S. apparently have the aux heater from the factory. I'd be very surprised if the Canadian cars didn't, since they would obviously need it more.

I presume that you are referring to the heated seats in the car? Or is this the engine block heater?

I have a 2009 JSW TDI ... it has the heated seats but couldn't find anything resembling a block heater on it ... would love to use it if it does though ...

 

[Art Vandelay]

I presume that you are referring to the heated seats in the car? Or is this the engine block heater?

I have a 2009 JSW TDI ... it has the heated seats but couldn't find anything resembling a block heater on it ... would love to use it if it does though ...

I'm talking about an electric heater that blows lukewarm air through the HVAC vents when the engine is cold.

 

[parand1981]

I'm also living in Winnipeg, and it's been a bitter winter so far. Today it's -35 with the wind and it took 5 minutes of driving for the needle to even move from the depths of the temperature gauge. After 10 minutes it's up to 90 degrees, but if you're stopped too long at a light, you can literally watch the engine temperature drop. It's really my only complaint about the car, how long it takes to get heat, but it forces me to get in and drive instead of idle, like many people do with their gassers. No wonder it's green car of the year, it makes idling a thing of the past for me!

 

[steeven001]

I want to hear more about the auxillary heater.

My dads 08 Dodge Sprinter with the Mercedes 3.0 V6 diesel has an auxillary electric heater. Two of them actually one that heats up the air coming out of the vents and one that heats up the engine coolant. You could also set it on a timer to start heating up on it's own while your still sleeping. These were factory options. The timer is set through the instrument cluster display and is only used for the engine coolant heater.

 

[Gkopp]

Cold weather diesel fuel issues?

The bitter cold is back this week. Anybody having any issues with fuel filters plugging up with parafin crystals or otherwise gelling? We had a GM diesel back in '81 living in N. Minn. Started OK but fuel filter (very small) would frequently plug up and leave us stranded on the road. My 09 Jetta TDI seems to have a bigger fuel filter, but now we live about 700 miles south in Southern Illinois. No problems yet, but winter's not over either.

 

[frugality]

It's not so much the fuel filter, but the fuel. Today's diesel has mo-better additives. If I lived in N. Minnesota (-30F at my sister's place in Virginia, MN last night) or in Canada, I might still use an additive for the sake of insurance.

 

[adjat84th]

Whats with the slanderous name calling? Have you ever been to Winnipeg in January?

Letting the car idle for 20 minutes is just plain...idiotic. Couldn't think of a better way to say it, sorry. And I didn't say anything about it not being cold up there. I know it is! And I'm glad I live down here where the coldest it has ever gotten (that I can remember) is in the low single digits Fahrenheit.

For the other questions regarding the AUX heater...not talking about the heated seats, though they are awesome, and not talking about a block heater (there isn't one). Talking about this...
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=232581&highlight=aux+heater

Check post #5

 

[steeven001]

Nice so it looks like the aux heater switches on automatically if you have your heat turned on when cold. Although I think that 80amps worth of consumption would be better used for heating the coolant.

Also the block heater is optional in Canada when buying the car.

 

[V]

The bitter cold is back this week. Anybody having any issues with fuel filters plugging up with parafin crystals or otherwise gelling? We had a GM diesel back in '81 living in N. Minn. Started OK but fuel filter (very small) would frequently plug up and leave us stranded on the road. My 09 Jetta TDI seems to have a bigger fuel filter, but now we live about 700 miles south in Southern Illinois. No problems yet, but winter's not over either.

It was -30C the last couple of mornings here in Ottawa I don't put any addatives in my 03 or use a block heater. I just make sure the battery is good (had a test done before winter) and I have a full tank of fuel. The Golf started just fine - thank god for glow plugs, synthetic oil and winterized fuel.

 

[jswitch]

No auxilliary heaters in Cdn 09 TDI's

Definitely not a standard feature north of the border but not a real problem either. Whether gas of diesel, we're kind of used to a few chilly minutes in the car at the start of a trip. Last weekend in -20 C weather, it was a little over 10 minutes to get heat in urban driving. Which is fine if you're on the way to the ski hill.

I did notice a marked change in fuel consumption from milder temperatures. I don't think I could quantify it very accurately but I am guessing about a 30% drop in fuel economy based on the rate at which the fuel gauge needle was dropping.

 

[rhds13]

Started my 09 JSW in Aberdeen, South Dakota today at -33F started on the first try very Impressed. Had Stanadyne Additive in the tank!

 

[BlueTDI2006]

Do the Canadian models not have the auxilary heater? I get heat out of the vents within seconds, no matter the outside temp. 20-minute warmup...idiots!

The aux heater is standard on all A5 TDI's..I get instant heat even at -18c or 0 F....great heat , except my feet get frozen down at the acc. pedal....

 

[jasonlee]

Diesels love hot climates and are more efficient when they run hot.
So in fricken cold canadian winters the idea is to conserve heat in the engine compartment .
First when winter sets in the front grille should be blocked off almost completely.
The oil pan cover is also of utmost importance to keep heat inside the engine bay in cold climates..

Have you ever seen the radiator block off covers on tractor trailers ?
That s what we should do to increase heat inside the car and be more efficient.
VW engineers are still sleeping at their desks by not offering a radiator cover for diesels in northern climates.
Actually ,all diesels should have a variable cooling air inlet to insure the engine operates at closer to its ideal operating temperature.

A thermostat only is not enough. Heat management is a necessity.

By operating at the right temperature instead of always cold , fuel efficiency would be improved.
I dont suppose any VW engineer or decision maker is awake enough to read this and catch on ?

Alex aka turbolineaire, installed an oil pan heater pad last winter.The performance of this rubber covered heating pad is close to ZERO.
My brother also thinks the same and calls it a "sissy heater" cause its weak weak weak >
Anybody with positive feed back on this stupid heating pad?

 

[dr61]

First when winter sets in the front grille should be blocked off almost completely.
...
Actually ,all diesels should have a variable cooling air inlet to insure the engine operates at closer to its ideal operating temperature.
...

You have reminded me of my first car: a 1958 Volvo 444. It had a roll-up radiator screen activated by a thin pull-chain from the passenger compartment. Very effective at speeding warm-up and it was easily adjustable to any degree of radiator screening.

 

[Mike in Anchorage]

jasonlee, the pan heater is thought of as a joke here in Anchorage, also. Even the dlr says it only satisfies those wanting to spend more money. SOme folks have made do it yourself engine covers, but they have to get out of the car to adjust them. I think you could leave the engine compartment covered for about half the year here with no disadvantage. I hope someone will comment on the idea and offer suggestions, or more hopefuly tested methods.

 

[Dr. Piech]

all '09 Jetta TDIs in the U.S. apparently have the aux heater from the factory.

Is this a wild-ass Rumour on the Internets, or is it true? I live in Wisconsin, which isn't quite as cold as Winnipeg (though it tries really hard to be at times) -- so cabin heat is a desirable feature. Yes, heated seats are certainly nice, but sometimes you need cabin heat to keep the windows from fogging up too much when passengers breathe. Silly passengers...

 

[Dr. Piech]

Anybody with positive feed back on this stupid heating pad?

Well, I installed (and still use occasionally, during the coldest winter mornings) such an adhesive oil pan heater on my gasser 1.8T. I installed it back when I didn't have a house with a garage. It certainly doesn't help with cabin heat, but the oil definitely gets warm to the touch (which is kinder on both engine and battery during those cold starts at -30 C.).

 

[Art Vandelay]

Is this a wild-ass Rumour on the Internets, or is it true? I live in Wisconsin, which isn't quite as cold as Winnipeg (though it tries really hard to be at times) -- so cabin heat is a desirable feature.

I don't think anyone has come across a U.S. market car without one. The big fuse and instant pseudo-warmth are dead giveaways, and I believe the clicking I hear behind the dash is the relay.

 

[Jandu]

Heated Seat

3 trim levels offered in Canada. Only the top 2 get heated seat.