Heater Problem?

[spidery13]

I have just bought a Corolla T3 D4D. ( 03 13,000 miles ). When starting from cold, it seems to blow only cold air for a long time and then suddenly blow very warm air. It is as if it is waiting for the engine to warm up to a particular temperature. Is this normal ? If so, I can't help thinking that defrosting the windscreen could take a long time in the middle of winter.

can anybody advise ?

[T V O R]

A trip to Mr T may be in order as it should be still under warranty

[GT4 BOOSTER]

of course its gonna blow cold then warm , the heat only comes out after the thermostat in the engine opens which normally takes at least 10 minutes , longer on a diesel car , to demist the screen faster put your air con onto the screen on full blast and buy some de icer spray - your car is perfectly normal my friend

[spidery13]

ok - thanks. That explains it. This is the first diesel I have owned. Let's hope I get some warm driving gloves for Christmas.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

if you want that bit extra heat sooner , try a piece of board with a few small holes in it , tied infront of the radiator , during the winter , an old trick but works really well

[System~G]

Do not put a piece of board over your front grille. Air-flow is crucial for engine operation. It worked well on older cars.

If you want heat slightly quicker, turn off the heater until the engine is running at normal temp then turn the heater on

Don't be concerned if the temp gauge drops right down shorlt after turning the heater on. This is normal. It will return to it's normal place once the heater has settled at selected temp ;)

[Twincam.GTi]

maleborn1967 Posted Yesterday, 05:50 PM

  if you want that bit extra heat sooner , try a piece of board with a few small holes in it , tied infront of the radiator , during the winter , an old trick but works really well

System~G Posted Today, 07:32 AM

  Do not put a piece of board over your front grille. Air-flow is crucial for engine operation. It worked well on older cars.

There seems to be some confusion here, I too have wondered about doing this.

I have done it in the past with a Mini Clubman of mine and it did wonders (there was a nice 'leather' style LeylandBMC accessory cover I aquired. only did it for one year, cause after the fitment of the obligatory 4 CIBIES it seemed to stop so much cold air going in anyway), I haven't done it with any other car as they seemed to warm up fine anyway over the last 10 years, although I shall try it one day with the MGB.

What do you class as modern car and older, i.e. what age would you do this to and what age not to?

[System~G]

What do you class as modern car and older, i.e. what age would you do this to and what age not to?

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The only cars I have seen with cardboard stuck on the fronts are those old London Taxi's

You also got to look at the aesthetic side of things

Besides, If you think how many people are trying to keep their air intakes cold (for added performance) with air feeder pipes and metal compartments etc... it kinda defeats the idea. Air restriction of any kind IMO is wrong ;)

[Tawse57]

I am considering my first diesel and was surprised to learn that this 'cold' aspect is common on diesels with them taking much longer to warm up for the heater than petrol cars. I did some research online and discovered that some people drive 30 miles to work before their relatively new diesel cars warm up enough... bonkers...

Apparently the trick when buying a diesel car is to make sure you get electrically heated seats.

Have to say this is something that is a tad off-putting in this coollllllllllldddddddddd country of ours.