California Beach Heaters

[Star01]

The only must have is the VW California. Get the best you can afford and enjoy. They are all awesome.

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[Hotel California]

A Cali without a aux.heater would be like going to the a pub where they got no beer ...

 

[Alied]

Thanks for your help. I do not intend to use our local dealer in Bristol as they really have not seemed to be the slightest bit interested in helping or getting us any facts / info. I may use "Guy In Preston" who several seem to suggest offers decent price upfront without any excessive haggling

Thanks for your help. I do not intend to use our local dealer in Bristol as they really have not seemed to be the slightest bit interested in helping or getting us any facts / info. I may use "Guy In Preston" who several seem to suggest offers decent price upfront without any excessive haggling

I left my phone number with Heritage in Bristol to discuss in buying a Beach. They didn't even bother to ring me back. Order from Guy in Preston in the end.

 

[Alied]

Sorry I meant ordered from Guy in Preston.

 

[VW Cali]

What about overnight air conditioning for the Arabian desert?

I think what some people mean by MUST is "highly recommended" but the preconditions may not apply to all owners.

However, if, logically, one can do without auxiliary heater, it is worthwhile to keep in mind potential resale.

What you may not need may be MUST for many and therefore make it hard to shift when it comes to resale.

For this reason alone, I would recommend ordering with auxiliary heater.

At sane time, I would be cautious when interpreting statements like MUST.

Even a Cali is not a MUST. But choose wisely beyond your own immediate needs.

 

[larrylamb]

Perhaps the forum needs a Buyers guide glossary, like we did on the touareg forum that explains some of these systems and quirks when ordering them?

I have suggested similar in the past. A FAQ area would reduce the amount of duplicated questions and if it was just factual rather than 30 different opinions it would perhaps, like WG mentioned, provide the answers to potential buyers questions missing from the brochure and salesmans knowledge.

 

[sidepod]

Can you afford the option?
If yes, tick the box. If not , don't.

Simple?

 

[Amarillo]

Water Heater - this is an automatic heater for the engine coolant system that works at 5c or colder and aids the engine warmup in winter. Needed if you plan to use the vehicle as a Daily Driver, less so if only occasional use.

Parking or Auxiliary Air Heater - Diesel heater that will heat the vehicle interior via a heat exchanger. Can be used continuously. A definite MUST if you use the vehicle in All Seasons. Very much sought after accessory in the second hand market.
This can come with a remote control.

This is useful information, and for the first time I feel that I am beginning to understand the 5 options. Please correct me if I am wrong.

**Edits in italics**

#1 Programmable parking heater, air auxiliary heater - £1524
Will keep the sleeping areas warm and snug all night long, but if you are too warm, or too cold, you will have to get up and fiddle about with the controls to turn the heating up/down/on/off.

#2 Programmable parking heater, air with radio remote control - £1764
Will keep the sleeping areas warm and snug all night long, and can be adjusted from the comfort of your own bed so long as you have remembered to bring the control to bed with you.

#3 Programmable parking heater, air with radio remote control and auxiliary heater (coolant) - £1764
Will keep the sleeping areas warm and snug all night long, and can be adjusted from the comfort of your own bed so long as you have remembered to bring the control to bed with you. In addition, on a cold frosty morning at home, you can preheat your engine coolant while you are eating your cornflakes in the comfort of your bedroom slippers. The engine coolant will be ready for you in no more than 30 minutes and the driving heater will work immediately.

#4 Programmable parking heater, water auxiliary heater - £816
On a cold frosty morning at home, you can preheat your van while you are eating your cornflakes but will have to pull on your boots to go outside and turn the thing on. The engine coolant will be ready for you in no more than 30 minutes and the driving heater will work immediately.

#5 Programmable parking heater, water heater with radio remote control - £1074
On a cold frosty morning at home, you can preheat your van while you are eating your cornflakes in the comfort of your bedroom slippers. The engine coolant will be ready for you in no more than 30 minutes and the driving heater will work immediately.

 

[Hotel California]

Just get a Ocean and you don't have to worry....
Oeps .....thats the Beach vs. Ocean discussion again

 

[Hotel California]

Seems @Star01 don't like a beer and also lost he's sense of humor.
Anyway , just go for options you prefer yourselfs and don't listen to others
Afther all probaly only 9/10 Cali's got the aux.heater so it's pretty useless discussing this .

 

[RoB5urf]

When I ordered my Beach I selected #2 above. If #3 offers more for the same price I'm wondering now why I didn't select that instead

Or am I missing something here?

 

[sidepod]

#4 +#5 above are ONLY for warming the engine coolant so the driving heater works when you get in.

They are not living area heaters.

 

[Star01]

Seems @Star01 don't like a beer and also lost he's sense of humor.
Anyway , just go for options you prefer yourselfs and don't listen to others
Afther all probaly only 9/10 Cali's got the aux.heater so it's pretty useless discussing this .

Oh Sorry....was that humour?? Oh the long winter nights must just fly by in your California

 

[soulstyledevon]

A Cali without a aux.heater would be like going to the a pub where they got no beer ...

Not quite.
They got beer, just no glasses...!!!

 

[Amarillo]

#4 +#5 above are ONLY for warming the engine coolant so the driving heater works when you get in.

They are not living area heaters.

Thanks. Rather than repost the entire descriptions, I have edited the descriptions above.

 

[Amarillo]

When I ordered my Beach I selected #2 above. If #3 offers more for the same price I'm wondering now why I didn't select that instead

Or am I missing something here?

I ordered the same as you, and I am left wondering the same thing. However, after a walk with the dogs I have convinced myself that if I have a proper parking heater, I can live without the driving heater working immediately on start-up as I can pre-warm using the parking heater. The coolant heater would just be one more thing to go wrong...

 

[MattBW]

No wonder its confusing, I thought I knew what was what but they seem to interchange the terms lol

 

[WelshGas]

Obviously they have changed things slightly as on the T5 the Coolant Heater, fitted as standard on the 2015 MY SE was completely automatic in action working at an ambient temperature of 5c or below and just warmed the engine only. As it used a good few amps to run the pump etc: it only worked when the engine started to enable the engine to get to temperature quickly. You could get a remote control or manual timer from a third party.

 

[californiakid]

Just reading these postings and some posters seem to still be confusing the issue by referring to auxiliary heater as parking heater and vice versa.
On my Beach which has both heaters i can program either heater to come on via the overhead display but only one at a time. As most people will find the programmer is not the easiest to operate so i just leave it on manual parking heater on setting 1or 2

 

[kave]

In the rest of europe, specing air heater gives you two heaters. One for the engine and one for the cabin. Which one the remote actuates is harder to understand.
Californiakid, can you explain how to choose which heater to start using the menus?

 

[Amarillo]

Just reading these postings and some posters seem to still be confusing the issue by referring to auxiliary heater as parking heater and vice versa.
On my Beach which has both heaters i can program either heater to come on via the overhead display but only one at a time. As most people will find the programmer is not the easiest to operate so i just leave it on manual parking heater on setting 1or 2

The name "parking heater" is applied by VW to all 5 heater options in its July 2016 price list.
https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/media/2483319/california_t6_pl.pdf

 

[Hotel California]

There is engine coolant (pre)heater and a parking (aux) heater for the rear.
Simple as that.
Indeed confusing in not everyone using the same names

 

[Loz]

There is engine coolant (pre)heater and a parking (aux) heater for the rear.
Simple as that.
Indeed confusing in not everyone using the same names

Doesn't help with VW calling it different on different models, The engine heater (espacher) on the Touareg is called the Aux heater.

 

[Hotel California]

Yeah , but on a Touareg you can only get one so no mix up possible

 

[kave]

And, to make it even more complicated, one is an ebersprächer and the other is a webasto.
If the air heater is installed, no control over the water heated is possible. The cooling liquid heater is only there to help the engine get to operating temperatures quicker.
But, I think it would be a good idea to heat the engine on cold days.