Rate your car on heater

"McChiken116 - Patrick H." (mcchiken116)
11/14/2014 at 22:43 • Filed to: None

How good is the heater in your car? I ask this because this is one thing that most car reviews will never touch. If you had told me an S2000 would take forever to heat up unless you are banging it to 7000 every gear, I would have invested in more coats. How's your car oppo? Does it warm well?

DISCUSSION (42)

TheHondaBro > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:46

Pretty dang good, I'd have to say.

jkm7680 > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:47

9/10, because Audi. It's great, heats up super quick.

rockingthe2 > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:48

Mine (93 MR2) Heats up QUICK, also cools quick. Due to Toyota using the parts bin to build it we get a TON of parts (like a heater or AC compressor) from the Camry, with a cabin less than half the size. Also, adding heated seats helps.

f86sabre > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:48

both the Evo and the Mini heat up well. Forced induction FTW I suppose.

Spaceball-Two > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:49

My A4 takes about 10 minutes to really get going but once it does it's money. Heated seats are nice too.

Coty > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:49

Takes forever, and then once it does get warm the lowest setting is too damn hot.

'94 Ranger.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:49

Yes. It heats up super fast because I-6. And then it doesn't cool off. Because the heat in the Wrangler is stuck on full.

My Neon is pretty good. Air starts getting warm very quickly, and is usually fully hot after just a minute or two of driving.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:50

2013 Civic here.. it sucks. Takes wayyy too long to warm my car up!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:50

10/10. I had to turn it down when it was -20 out.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:51

The Safari takes ages to heat up. That mostly has to do with how much space it has to heat though. The heater isn't great in general though. Now the Vue and Silverado on the other hand will have you sweating in a matter of minutes.

HammerheadFistpunch > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:51

Which one, the main one or the one for the back?

Big Bubba Ray > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:52

The heater in my 05 Outback is amazing. Doesnt take too long to get warm and its hotter than the Sahara in no time.

The heater in my Datsun is awful. Probably because I tore it out last week haha

EL_ULY > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:54

my A6 is super quick. Seat heater also, tho I never pass level 4 of 6 because they actually get really hot.

I suggest you check your coolant level. If it is low, it causes that symptom of hi rev heating. But honestly, a more common cause if a failing water pump

Kaizer Soze > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:56

Saab 9-5 the Swedes know how to make a heater. Heats up in about 2 minutes and doesn't cool off.

jariten1781 > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:58

Out of 10:

FiST 8

GTI 8

Mazda6 2

Miata like the fires of hell (seriously, it'll burn exposed skin )

Jedidiah > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 22:58

Terrible. The car doesn't run hot enough to heat up the interior. Massive aluminum 4 core radiator and a low thermostat makes it about as cold blooded as most lizards and heartless women.

I have to place card board in front of the radiator to make it run over 165 degrees

signintoburnerlol > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:00

The FRS takes a while to get heated up. I'd give it a 6/10

The 300ZX, considering it's an oldish car, it's a 7/10.

Audi is 10/10, heats up fast!

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:13

Really? My S has no problem with getting heat out! I routinely drop top in 30 degree weather, and with the windows and backstop up, the only thing that gets cold is the top of my shiny head. Maybe running a stuck thermostat?

Alfalfa > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:18

My heater runs very well. But it's a Sonata, so just about everything else is 'meh'

M54B30 > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:24

My corolla and 530i heat up before I leave the driveway it seems. My Montero takes about a week to warm the cabin

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:30

My civic heats well if the engine warms up but that takes a good bit. My miata is much faster to get warm and then easily goes into 'feet on fire' status.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:57

In my 2013 Fusion it's awesome. In my 1993 Mazda 323 it isn't worth a fuck!

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/14/2014 at 23:59

12/10.

Tru fact: Jeep Wrangler heaters can melt the rubber soles of your shoes. Do not wear shorts with the heat on full blast. 4th degree burns on your shins are not fun.

Orange_Crusader > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 00:11

It's a Volvo. There's basically a small sun located inside my dashboard, also hooked up to the heated seats, on full blast it's mildly uncomfortable to hold your hand near the vents or run the heated seats for more than a minute or 2 without your jeans catching fire. I love it.

SALfan > TheHondaBro
11/15/2014 at 00:31

1996 Crown Victoria: heater can turn the ballroom-sized interior downright tropical, once the coolant gets hot. Unfortunately, it has the longest radiator hose I've ever seen (about 6 feet), so it takes a couple of miles to start blowing slightly warm air, and another couple of miles to get comfortable.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/15/2014 at 00:56

What year of Civic? I've got a 2001, and it's not too bad. It does take a few minutes, but after that it's not bad.

orcim > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 01:10

I remember being around an old MG getting worked on when I was a kid. The heater core came out, and there was a plaque stuck to it. "Gates of Hell Manufacturing, Inc." Seem to recall driving around and having a cold head and cooked feet.

Frenchlicker > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 01:58

Terrible, it is currently out and I am trying to diagnose it. When it did work it was near perfect. It didn't burn you out but it also wasn't too cold. 1998 Taurus

promoted by the color red > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 02:23

Nice and toasty!

Takuro Spirit > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 07:32

The Cmary is goot.

My Subaru however took way too lng to heat up, and when I made long right hand turns, like on freeway on/off rams, I would lose heat. Never figured that out.

twochevrons > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 09:15

Volvo 850R – amazeballs. It comes up to temperature extremely quickly, and if you override the excellent climate control system (seriously, it's the first one that I have come across that is both comprehensible to use, AND does the right thing most of the time) and turn it up full blast, you'll incinerate yourself. The air conditioning is similarly effective.

MGA – nonexistent. I have the heater unit for it, but it needs rebuilding, and it was an optional extra anyway. Its absence isn't a big deal, though – there is absolutely no heat shielding, and the heat soak from the exhaust (running right under the driver's footwell) is phenomenal. I made the mistake of driving it with bare feet once. Never again.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 09:38

[[lives in Hong Kong]]

[[doesn't need to use heater]]

Niquemarshall > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 15:29

mine barely works; and even so only blows for about 7 minutes before turning cold

George McNally > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/15/2014 at 20:16

2014 Elantra.....heater kicks ass. I get heat before I get to the end of my street on my way to work in the morning. I park in a semi heated garage, so that probably helps.

Tohru > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/16/2014 at 04:54

TinyTohruTruck: Speed 8/10, Capability 10/10. It'll cook you right out of the cab, but ze G63B warms up slowly with it's four tiny cylinders struggling against the Wisconsin cold.

Project $300: Speed 10/10, Capacity 10/10. It went from stone cold engine to "interior hot enough to have to turn down" in under 3 minutes - at idle.

McMike > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/16/2014 at 19:33

Once the Van heats up, it's really warm. (has rear heater, too)

There's just too much coolant for it to heat up quickly.

DocWalt > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/16/2014 at 19:35

BRZ takes too long to warm up, but once it's warm I could drive around naked. GTI is about the same as the BRZ and it has a heavy cast iron block to heat up... Never seems to make quite the heat that the BRZ does though.

Stef Schrader > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/17/2014 at 22:38

The Lulzcer is about an 8. It's not a GM product (hoo boy, that's the one thing GM does well), but man, it's good. Only downside is that something (rat?) chewed on my HVAC fan under my dash and now it rattles when I go over bumps. Meh. I'll fix that eventually.

944 is a -42. I ripped that heavy mess out, man.

crowmolly > Jedidiah
11/18/2014 at 18:48

Why not just change out the stat for colder weather? Too cold is a bad thing.

Jedidiah > crowmolly
11/18/2014 at 19:12

That's what I always wind up doing when I get a free weekend before it turns really cold in addition to retuning the carb. Still is cold blooded.

Alfisto > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/18/2014 at 19:27

My 2008 Charger is pretty good, considering the volume it has to heat. My 1998 Blazer got so hot that my wrist would get burns from where the air vent blew on my watchband.

Effef > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
11/19/2014 at 13:55

2005 Altima 2.5

Takes a sec to heat up when its really cold but once it does the heater will run you out of the car.