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VW California T5.1

C

Colin Hazell

Messages
1
Location
Fleet, Hampshire
Vehicle
T5 SE 180
I'm seeking advice from the Cali Community. The engine seems to take forever to warm up and after being parked at a car park for a few hours, in the winter the interior of the windscreen is totally covered in condensation. The only way I can clear the screen is full heater screen blast with the air con on for at least 10 minutes to make any difference, but no warm air as the engine hasn't warmed up! Is it me or is this a common problem>
 
I'm seeking advice from the Cali Community. The engine seems to take forever to warm up and after being parked at a car park for a few hours, in the winter the interior of the windscreen is totally covered in condensation. The only way I can clear the screen is full heater screen blast with the air con on for at least 10 minutes to make any difference, but no warm air as the engine hasn't warmed up! Is it me or is this a common problem>
Diesel engines take a long time to warm compared with Petrol engines. That’s normal.
At 5c temperature or below the Webasto Coolant heater should start
, if fitted, when the engine starts to speed up warming the engine. Check Drivers Door for label indicating which heaters are fitted.
With regards to the condensation. Obviously the interior is damp.
1. Run the AirCon. It dries the air coming into the vehicle.
2. Whilst you have this problem switch the AirCon to recirculation to dry the air within the vehicle for at least part of your journey.
3. Consider putting some Disposable Dehumidifiers in the vehicle to dry out.

 
Seems to be a characteristic of modern diesel motors which are very efficient and produce little heat as a waste by product. I do notice that If I start the van in winter above -5c in the mountains and go on a long downhill road the motor won't reach operating temperature. Fortunately I have the programable upgrade to the coolant heater, so I can turn it on manually and get the motor up to temperature in a few minutes, even if I'm coasting downhill. To be honest, I use it regularly to get the motor up to temp fast from cold starts anywhere, to minimize engine wear when cold. Below -5 the standard coolant heater should kick in automatically, but I agree that there is a grey area between very cold and warm weather where the engine can have difficulty reaching temperature depending on the driving conditions. What you should always avoid is starting the motor and letting it idle to warm up. Most engine wear occurs when the motor is cold and the internal parts have not expanded to fit properly. That is why most manufacturers recommend starting the motor and driving off GENTLY immediately, to get the motor up to operating temperature as quickly as possible.
 
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Seems to be a characteristic of modern diesel motors which are very efficient and produce little heat as a waste by product. I do notice that If I start the van in winter above -5c in the mountains and go on a long downhill road the motor won't reach operating temperature. Fortunately I have the programable upgrade to the coolant heater, so I can turn it on manually and get the motor up to temperature in a few minutes, even if I'm coasting downhill. To be honest, I use it regularly to get the motor up to temp fast from cold starts anywhere, to minimize engine wear when cold. Below -5 the standard coolant heater should kick in automatically, but I agree that there is a grey area between very cold and warm weather where the engine can have difficulty reaching temperature depending on the driving conditions. What you should always avoid is starting the motor and letting it idle to warm up. Most engine wear occurs when the motor is cold and the internal parts have not expanded to fit properly. That is why most manufacturers recommend starting the motor and driving off GENTLY immediately, to get the motor up to operating temperature as quickly as possible.
Hi Clarinetbcn Interested to hear how you did the programmable upgrade on the coolant heater . I enquired about this a couple of years ago but didn’t get anywhere. Trebor
 
I find the worst days are where it is about 7 - 9c, its not cold enough for the Webasto coolant heater to kick in but takes forever for it to warm up.

That said I usually have warm air coming out of the vent within a couple of minutes and air con does indeed help greatly. I just use a microfiber cloth to clean the inside.

As above, the T91 Telestart update can be handy to warm it prior to getting in.
 
Hi Clarinetbcn Interested to hear how you did the programmable upgrade on the coolant heater . I enquired about this a couple of years ago but didn’t get anywhere. Trebor
It was OEM fitted from factory, and runs off the leisure battery on models up to 2017, but from 2018 on runs off the engine battery. There are kits available from Poland to upgrade (use the forum search function), in which case it will run off the engine battery. According to other forum members, in the UK it's an option only available on the Beach, not the SE/Ocean. Some have misunderstood it as a replacement for the parking heater, which I also have, but it's purpose and use is completely different.
 
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I posted above the link to the aftermarket upgrade. As I said, mine's OEM, and I assume it will still be available on the 6.1 in Europe, but since the 6.1 Beach is not coming to the UK, it's an open guess whether or not VW will allow it to be ordered on the the Coast/Ocean.
 
WE have used a rechargeable window vac from Lidl which cost £15 last year (small % of cost of a Karcher window vac) and is excellent and soon sucks up the condensation needing only a small cloth to get into bottom corners of windscreen. Previously we had about 4 old 'T' towels drying off all the while.
 
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