Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 21:38

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - oilrag

There were years where I could walk down the drive in a T shirt at -5c, get into the car and radiate my own heat - courtesy of being almost 15 stone.

Much trimming off though, under 11 stone and a decade older - I`m like one of those lizards you see coming out of the sea and seeking a hot rock.

So while the old Bond minicar when aged 16yrs and under 9 stone (funny that - so it`s more than body weight) was driven through a winter scraping ice off the inside of the screen while actually driving. The current Punto van puts out heat that has you worrying about the skin on the back of your hands. Great for current needs.

The worst I actually remember was the Maestro Clubman D - shivering wearing a coat while ticking over and trapped in a snowfall for 7 hours around 1995.

You could say `well it was direct injection and burning little fuel` but so is the van with the Multijet. That remains as hot at tickover.

Good old Rover - I remember the 1.6 petrol auto, owned prior to it being just the same.

I can remember when heaters were optional and teachers coming to school in them in the winter of 62.
Anyway, heaters have my vote for the next 9 months or so..

What have been your experiences with heaters?

Or is the term `heater` archaic and you are now immersed in the gas equivalent of a bottle of spring water?

Edited by oilrag on 02/10/2009 at 21:40

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 21:41

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - Altea Ego

I remember hiding under a thick rug in the back seat of my dads Austin 7 tourer. That was one cold car.

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 21:44

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - Pugugly

Climate is the best thing ever in that respect. Set the temperature and forget it all year round.

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 21:53

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - i m j

My grandfather always specified his cars without heaters, when they became standard he would never use them. I will always remember borrowing his car one day (a late mk11 Triumph Vitesse), switching the heater on demist and being greeted with clouds of dust and burning smells.

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 22:31

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - dxp55

Mk11 Zodiac - heater was always cold so bought one of those little strip heaters to stick on front screen - not much good - after numerous attempts at flushing system I finally took heater out and found in and out were on same side of matrix one above the other - heat in top and straight out bottom - being handy them days I unsoldered one and put patch over hole and drilled hole opposite and soldered pipe in superb heater from then on as was heater on Mk3 Zodiac - also heater on DAF 44 was superb - hot within 30 sec - came straight off air cooled manifold heat exchanger.-- 2CV was rubbish -Our two Clio's from early 90's took 10 miles to get screen clear on frosty morning but all Japanese cars have been good.

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Fri 2 Oct 2009 23:35

Lizard on a hot rock - heaters good and bad - martint123

Coldest (for vehicles with fitted heater) would have to be old Fiat 600. Rear engine, air cooled - not a cat in Hades chance of getting heat to the front.

Warmest, MX5, top down on a crisp winters day, there must be an atomic reactor or something under the bonnet - Nice and hot and very quick to warm up.

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