AC and Heating

[lunarjetset]

What would be good equipment to have to survive both a hot European summer holiday and also colder UK half terms and would I need these things already present in a second hand vehicle or could they be fitter after purchase?
Thanks!

 

[reserves]

Not really sure I understand your question.

All Californias come with A/C, however some are climatronic which essentially means you set the temperature and forget it, each location driver, passenger and rear can have individual temperatures. This is known as 3 zone climatronic.

 

[WelshGas]

The California SE also has a diesel fuelled internal heater that can be used 24/7 in cold weather.
The AC can only be used with engine running so of no use when on site.

 

[lunarjetset]

Great answers - thanks. I will watch out for an SE as that heater sounds indispensible!

 

[GrannyJen]

Air conditioning in a Cali ... well, depends how hot the ambient temperature is and how cool you need it to be to sleep well. I survived 30c quite comfortably with roof raised, all the vents open. The vehicle cooked during the day but I wasn't in it, the table in the side door and chairs in the tailgate meant I lived outside during the day unless I was moving in which case the vehicle AC was brilliant.

Heating in a Cali ... it comes with an inbuilt furnace called the auxiliary heater. I was in minus 5 three weeks ago and slept quite comfortably with the heating occasionally bursting into life on the very lowest setting a few times during the night. It also comes with a wholly shamelessly decadent remote control which means you can wake up in total ice, press a button, snuggle down for ten minutes then get up into something all warm and friendly and get the kettle on.

If on hook up take an electric heater with you, the auxiliary does come complete with a noisy ticking, which after a while blends into the background, but just in case you are of sensitive and irritable disposition you can ameliorate by using someone elses electricity to keep you a warm and happy bunny ...

but who wants to be anything but self-sufficient in a cali? It takes away that wonderful, glorious smug feeling of up being totally independent, free to travel and stop wherever, I can survive without anyone's help - or electricity.

 

[cleve]

Normal A/C just blows cold air from the front fans and can be quite noisy. The climatronic has separate vents front and back, and for drivers and passengers sides. I'm really glad we went for the climatronic A/C as it means we can set the temperature for the front and back separately. Really useful if you have children/passengers in the back on a regular basis. In the summer we can set a lower temp if the sun is scorching us through the windscreen but the children are in the shade and don't want it on full freeze mode. In the winter, I can leave their coats on and set a lower temperature so they don't cook whilst keeping the cab area warmer as I don't like driving with a coat on! The driver can also have the temperature lower to avoid getting too warm and drowsy on long journeys whilst the sleeping passenger can crank up their heating vents!

Also pleased our cali came with the parking heater so I didn't have the hassle of getting it fitted and being without the vehicle whilst it was done as we collected the van a couple of weeks before easter and promptly headed off for a cold week in Yorkshire where we used the heater a lot.

 

[reserves]

Normal A/C just blows cold air from the front fans and can be quite noisy. The climatronic has separate vents front and back, and for drivers and passengers sides. I'm really glad we went for the climatronic A/C as it means we can set the temperature for the front and back separately. Really useful if you have children/passengers in the back on a regular basis. In the summer we can set a lower temp if the sun is scorching us through the windscreen but the children are in the shade and don't want it on full freeze mode. In the winter, I can leave their coats on and set a lower temperature so they don't cook whilst keeping the cab area warmer as I don't like driving with a coat on! The driver can also have the temperature lower to avoid getting too warm and drowsy on long journeys whilst the sleeping passenger can crank up their heating vents!

Also pleased our cali came with the parking heater so I didn't have the hassle of getting it fitted and being without the vehicle whilst it was done as we collected the van a couple of weeks before easter and promptly headed off for a cold week in Yorkshire where we used the heater a lot.

Also the REST button

 

[Pineweasel]

Normal A/C just blows cold air from the front fans and can be quite noisy. The climatronic has separate vents front and back, and for drivers and passengers sides. I'm really glad we went for the climatronic A/C as it means we can set the temperature for the front and back separately.

The regular a/c in the SE actually has a switchable and independently controlled rear outlet. It's basic but we've been happy with it.

 

[jts46]

I thought all California came with aux heater, i am not referring to the Beach.

Agree about basic a/c we find it adequate for front and rear.


John

 

[cleve]

Normal A/C just blows cold air from the front fans and can be quite noisy. The climatronic has separate vents front and back, and for drivers and passengers sides. I'm really glad we went for the climatronic A/C as it means we can set the temperature for the front and back separately.

The regular a/c in the SE actually has a switchable and independently controlled rear outlet. It's basic but we've been happy with it.

We had the standard A/C in our caravelle and had presumed it was the same where the rear vents are just piped from the front via a duct in the drivers door, might be wrong. All I know is that when we had the choice to buy an ex demo with basic A/C, one of the factors the swayed us to an ex rental with climatronic was just how noisy the standard A/C was in comparison. I wouldn't go back if I had the choice again.