Heater yes or no

[ian]

Interesting question. My Dax is pre SVA and I have never bothered to fit a heater. I bought a Mini one from a scrapper a year or so back when I thought I may have to put it through SVA to register it correctly. Luckily that wasn't necessary so it still hasn't been fitted. I have never found that I have needed a demister, even with the roof on in pouring rain. But I don't have the side windows on mine. Dax put the vent holes in when making the body so it's not a huge job for me to fit a heater. Occasionally I have thought it would be nice to have one but it hasn't been high enough up the priority list to get done. Maybe a job for next winter. Ian.

[clive a brown]

Ian - Interesting question1

Yes I would have the heater not for demisting but to keep warm in winter. But if I was fitting again then I would make it a recirculating air type and not use air from the engine bay. In summer you get a through flow of very hot engine bay air. Also as a last resort it keeps the engine temp down.

Regards Clive

[PrivateVoid]

I drove as a passenger in somebodies sumo 2 weekends ago. It was about 14°C, so not exactly warm, but thanks to the heater we could drive topless (without a roof - ) and it wasn't cold at all... though windy .

Clive if I understand you well you would - during summer - take air from for example under the car or so instead of from inside of the engine compartment, right ? Or from where would you take air then ?
I can imagine a more pleasant feeling during summer, than even warmer air coming in the cockpit.

Michael

[Keith S]

Michael,
I ran plastic trunking to the mini heater from the vertical vents either side of the main grille in the nose of the car.
It needs to be glassed onto the inside of the grille.
The other end of the two pipes is fed into a tee piece, which in turn is connected to the intake of the heater. Takes a bit of HeathRobinson adaptation to connect the different size pipes but it works.
Certainly I have a flow of air through the heater whilst moving without the blower on, this is great in the winter.
The next step, when I get the car repaired and back from Pilgrim, is to alter the piping to the heater with a water valve in circuit.
This will mean I can have cold air into the footwells in the summer;biss :tu

[Miket]

Ian

I wouldn't be without it, I have a VW Polo unit with two speed fan in my AK and it gets ******* hot, it also has an on/off valve so it can be turned off in summer.

I had a Mini heater in my previous Sumo and it was a waste of time over 60mph, couldn't keep it hot enough.

[Steve-Art]

I have to agree with Mike, MK1 Polo heater is brill,I also had a Sumo with a Mini heater, any luke warm air that came out blew from front of it and straigt along the top of the tunnel out of the car!

Steve.

[Steve-Art]

No message

[Ian D c]

How many of you would not fit a heater if the demist function was not a SVA requirement.

The reason i am asking is i've gutted the inside of my KCC to do new seats dash carpet and door panels and as the car was built in SA it didnt have a heater fitted.As the wind screen is in i would have to drill the vent holes from under the dash and iam not sure if its worth the hassle? :}

[osgood]

Ian, a definite must mate. I have a single speed Mini heater which I stripped & reckoned fitted new matrix. Also made it totally re-circulatory drawing air from the cockpit. It blows you out of the car with hood or Tonneau Cover on! Heaters obtained from scapies with blocked matrix in will never do the job, if you are going to do it, do it right first time round Eric

[Ian D c]

Thanks guys for the advice Heater it is then .Just got to drill the screen vents from under neath or try and lift the windscreen out and do it from the top :tu How much should i pay for a polo/mini heater.