Help with 680 heating options, please!

[IanH777]

Well, we’re going to do it: finally, after weeks of salivating at VW and YouTube videos, Ross & I are about to order a 680!
Many thanks to you all thus far and a big, BIG shout out (and high-fives) to Bob and Ian.
We need some help, though: We’re not dim (honest) but could somebody explain to me, as though I were five, what these three heating and ventilation options mean, before we make our selection?
Ross is Canadian, and used to minus thirty-degree, early-morning starts but we’re struggling to understand what functions these options perform.

 

[Ian on the road]

We added the diesel heating option and you have to twin this with one of the 3 options you show.

The electric auxiliary is one that, I’m told increases the speed with which the engine gets to operating temp.

The bottom one allows you to remotely operate the heating

The top one is a combo of these 2. If money is no object, setting temp of the van to be 21 degrees from a long walk on a cold day might be useful but the heating works so quickly, that I doubt. Only real benefit I can see would be to be able to start the heating at home on an icy day OR you could just go out to the van and scrape, de-ice and start the engine to warm things up. £2,424 for that kind of convenience seams steep but it’s 80 grand, so probably a 1st world issue.

 

[Mark C]

Hi Ian we ordered our 680 last week and went with the diesel heating option and had to also add the electric auxiliary heater. To be honest I didn’t really fully understand it myself and the sales guy at the van centre (who was great) was also seemingly vague about why we couldn’t just order the diesel option without adding on the aux heater. So great post I will also be interested to know the difference between the options.

 

[Sad]

They don't make it easy!!

What I can make out is no heating is standard. Playing with the configurator:
You can add an electric interior heater, but get no hot water. Then option this further to be powered by diesel/electric, and get hot water and interior heating.
OR
You pick the water heater with remote (gas powered?) but have no interior heating. Then option this further to be powered by diesel/electric and get hot water and interior heating.
OR
Add the £2424 auxiliary heater gives you this heating - powered by gas, then you can spec for it to be electric/diesel.

 

[AlisonF]

Maybe not comparable, but on the Beach, adding the diesel heater (with remote control) is also expensive, but I would never be without it. I had it on my Ocean and used it a lot (in the winter to defrost the van on driveway, and when camping and temps got a bit low day or night...)

 

[Simon1]

Well, we’re going to do it: finally, after weeks of salivating at VW and YouTube videos, Ross & I are about to order a 680!
Many thanks to you all thus far and a big, BIG shout out (and high-fives) to Bob and Ian.
We need some help, though: We’re not dim (honest) but could somebody explain to me, as though I were five, what these three heating and ventilation options mean, before we make our selection?
Ross is Canadian, and used to minus thirty-degree, early-morning starts but we’re struggling to understand what functions these options perform.

View attachment 69915View attachment 69915

We’ve just picked up our 680 so haven’t had chance to test the heating but we went for the gas option mainly for cost and the fear of diesel going up making it more expensive to run, but my second thought was we could always get a diesel heater retrospectively fitted if we didn’t get on with the gas(for heating) but couldn’t do it the other way round. We intend to get refillable LPG bottles fitted hopefully with an outside filling port but I’ve got to look into that.

 

[IanH777]

We’ve just picked up our 680 so haven’t had chance to test the heating but we went for the gas option mainly for cost and the fear of diesel going up making it more expensive to run, but my second thought was we could always get a diesel heater retrospectively fitted if we didn’t get on with the gas(for heating) but couldn’t do it the other way round. We intend to get refillable LPG bottles fitted hopefully with an outside filling port but I’ve got to look into that.

We added the diesel heating option and you have to twin this with one of the 3 options you show.

The electric auxiliary is one that, I’m told increases the speed with which the engine gets to operating temp.

The bottom one allows you to remotely operate the heating

The top one is a combo of these 2. If money is no object, setting temp of the van to be 21 degrees from a long walk on a cold day might be useful but the heating works so quickly, that I doubt. Only real benefit I can see would be to be able to start the heating at home on an icy day OR you could just go out to the van and scrape, de-ice and start the engine to warm things up. £2,424 for that kind of convenience seams steep but it’s 80 grand, so probably a 1st world issue.

Thanks, Ian!

Hi Ian we ordered our 680 last week and went with the diesel heating option and had to also add the electric auxiliary heater. To be honest I didn’t really fully understand it myself and the sales guy at the van centre (who was great) was also seemingly vague about why we couldn’t just order the diesel option without adding on the aux heater. So great post I will also be interested to know the difference between the options.

Thanks, Mark!

 

[IanH777]

They don't make it easy!!

What I can make out is no heating is standard. Playing with the configurator:
You can add an electric interior heater, but get no hot water. Then option this further to be powered by diesel/electric, and get hot water and interior heating.
OR
You pick the water heater with remote (gas powered?) but have no interior heating. Then option this further to be powered by diesel/electric and get hot water and interior heating.
OR
Add the £2424 auxiliary heater gives you this heating - powered by gas, then you can spec for it to be electric/diesel.

Thank you!

 

[IanH777]

Maybe not comparable, but on the Beach, adding the diesel heater (with remote control) is also expensive, but I would never be without it. I had it on my Ocean and used it a lot (in the winter to defrost the van on driveway, and when camping and temps got a bit low day or night...)

Thank you, Alison!

 

[Bobcat01]

Good evening Ian,
We chose option 7VL water heater with remote in order to get the diesel heating option.
What this appears to be is an auxiliary diesel heater that heats the engine water loop and provides heat thru the windscreen vents to defrost the windscreen and heat the cabin. There is an additional control panel in the roof between the front seats. This proved invaluable for us today when the Truma ice protection unit tripped due to the freezing conditions it trips at 3deg inside temp and doesn't reset until 7 deg so not ideal. The aux water heater allowed us to get the cabin temp up eventually in order to reset. We immediately got the Truma water heater going in order to heat the under seat compartment and keep the temp up. I can see the anti freeze unit being a whole lot of trouble for a Scottish Winter. Hope that helps on that option.

 

[Bobcat01]

Addition for info.
When the Truma anti freeze unit pops , the blue button pops out and proceeds to not only drain the heating tank but also the main water tank. Whoever thought of that design?.Be very careful if wild camping in freezing conditions you might wake up with an empty tank.

 

[IanH777]

Addition for info.
When the Truma anti freeze unit pops , the blue button pops out and proceeds to not only drain the heating tank but also the main water tank. Whoever thought of that design?.Be very careful if wild camping in freezing conditions you might wake up with an empty tank.

Thank you again, Bob.
That makes it clear.
In addition, my confusion wasn’t helped because:
A. None of the three VW van sales centres I called could explain the system
B. The wording on the VW configurator doesn’t match with their brochure/price list and
C. I have the brains of a duck, apparently

 

[Jester]

Hi Ian we ordered our 680 last week and went with the diesel heating option and had to also add the electric auxiliary heater. To be honest I didn’t really fully understand it myself and the sales guy at the van centre (who was great) was also seemingly vague about why we couldn’t just order the diesel option without adding on the aux heater. So great post I will also be interested to know the difference between the options.

Hi Mark, out of interest have you received a build date yet.
Will

 

[Mark C]

Hi,
nope not yet, received a confirmation of order from VW on Wednesday this week 8 days after placing order and paying deposit.
not sure how long it takes to confirm build date, VW have confirmed though that as order was placed before 2nd December as long as it’s delivered before end of March VW will pick up any additional costs incurred through no deal brexit.

 

[Simon1]

Addition for info.
When the Truma anti freeze unit pops , the blue button pops out and proceeds to not only drain the heating tank but also the main water tank. Whoever thought of that design?.Be very careful if wild camping in freezing conditions you might wake up with an empty tank.

Hi Bob, I knew about this before ordering and thought it would be an issue at times but wasn't enough to be a deal breaker. I know there are companies that do water tank heaters and insulating tank wraps but not sure how you would prevent the tank draining without disconnecting the drain switch.

 

[Simon1]

Hi,
nope not yet, received a confirmation of order from VW on Wednesday this week 8 days after placing order and paying deposit.
not sure how long it takes to confirm build date, VW have confirmed though that as order was placed before 2nd December as long as it’s delivered before end of March VW will pick up any additional costs incurred through no deal brexit.

If you get your order number you can go on 'VW chat' to find out what stage your order is at. I found it was was much better than contacting the dealer every week and it's probably where they get the info from anyway.

 

[Mark C]

Thanks Simon that’s brilliant

 

[Jester]

Hi,
nope not yet, received a confirmation of order from VW on Wednesday this week 8 days after placing order and paying deposit.
not sure how long it takes to confirm build date, VW have confirmed though that as order was placed before 2nd December as long as it’s delivered before end of March VW will pick up any additional costs incurred through no deal brexit.

Ok just checking, as just placed an order for a 680 just a little nervous on build dates.

Will

Thanks Simon that’s brilliant

Simon is correct ask for your SLi number via the dealer when you have a build date.

Will