The content of the article:
- Is it worth warming up the car in winter
- How to quickly warm up a car interior in winter
- Optional equipment
In winter or during a cold period, many drivers are faced with the fact that the car needs to be warmed up, and they do not really want to sit in a cold cabin. First of all, the question arises: how to quickly warm up the car interior. It often takes a lot of time, on average, from 15 minutes, to bring the interior temperature from a cold state to a comfortable one.
Still, how to quickly warm up the car interior in winter? Most of all, this situation is relevant when the car stood all night on the street in a severe frost, if it is not difficult to warm up the engine, then it is not a simple matter to warm up the interior. In addition to the discomfort, a cold interior, in particular car seats, can lead to serious health hazards. It is possible to warm up the car interior both by standard methods (standard devices), and by installing additional equipment or by non-standard options.
Do I need to warm up the car in winter?
Many new car manufacturers say that it is possible not to warm up the car in winter, and some even recommend not to warm it up. It is not known for certain what served the manufacturers to provide such information to buyers; rather, it is a marketing move, so that after a while the car parts would fail. Every experienced driver understands that all fluids in the cold become thick and change their viscosity, especially the oil in the crankcase or gearbox. Cold oil is viscous and can damage parts, most often it is recommended to warm up the engine and automatic transmission at least to 40 degrees and only then start driving, turn on the heating of the car interior.
Well, the conclusion suggests itself, despite the recommendations of the manufacturer and the advice of friends, the car is strongly recommended to warm up in winter, especially in severe frosts. This will allow not only to save the car's engine, but also to warm up the interior, because in many cars, the radiator of the heating stove starts working after the engine warms up, otherwise the interior of the car will not warm up.
How to quickly and correctly warm up a car interior in winter
As such, there are no strict rules for warming up the interior of a car, basically there are recommendations, advice from experienced drivers, or our own experience. Based on all these situations, it can be concluded how best and how to properly warm up the car interior to a comfortable temperature. If you are going on a long journey in winter, and even in heavy snowfall, then it is imperative that all standard interior heating systems work in the car, as well as several additional systems for an unforeseen event.
Today, engineers install a cabin heating system in every car, in some they are mechanical (an ordinary stove), in others they are automatic (climate control). In addition to the standard equipment for heating the interior, you can find equipment for additional heating in car markets or in car stores. Mercedes cars have a rather interesting and useful REST function. The bottom line is that after a complete stop of the engine, you can activate the function and warm up the car interior with the remaining heat of the unit. This function is found only in the presence of climate control, which allows you to automatically maintain the temperature and turn off the heating of the passenger compartment if necessary. The first rule, even rather the advice of experienced drivers, is to warm up the engine to operating temperature and only then turn on the "stove" or control. Usually it will take at least 10 minutes to warm up, during this period the interior heating system will heat up and the engine will warm up. It is better to turn the stove on to the first or second position, the air will slowly pass through the stove radiator and thereby warm up the interior well. At maximum speed, the cold air will not have time to warm up, and vice versa, it will only cool the interior of the car. With climate control, the matter of heating the interior is much better, it is enough to start the car and set the required temperature, the system will automatically adjust the fan speed to quickly warm up the interior of the car.
In winter, windows often fog up or freeze, you should not wipe the inside, for this it is better to direct the air flow not to the windshield and side windows. For the rear window, it is necessary to turn on the heating, which is also included in the standard set. Modern cars boast the presence of heating systems for the front, rear seats and a steering wheel; in some trim levels, a heated windshield is installed.
It will not be superfluous to turn on additional heating systems for the passenger compartment, this will most likely not affect the rapid rise in temperature in the passenger compartment as much as it will have a positive effect on the health of the driver and passengers. This is especially noticeable during regular daily trips, sitting in a cold cabin and on cold seats, after a month, or even a couple of weeks, you can easily catch a cold on your back or other parts of the body. In this case, even with the cold ambient temperature of the cabin, warm seats and a steering wheel change the situation for the better. An equally important tip is to close the flaps and close the doors tightly in order to limit the access of cold air to the car interior from the street, then the heating will be much more efficient and faster.
Additional devices for warming up the car interior in winter
Heated seats, steering wheel and so on are not additional, but rather standard equipment, which can not be found in all modern cars.
Among the non-standard, additional devices for warming up the car interior, you can use everything that gives you warmth. Often, drivers install autonomous air heaters from small ones in the size of a mobile phone to heaters the size of a small travel bag. At home, you can arrange a quick warm-up of the cabin, you can use the same technical hairdryer, overtaking warm air or other device for heating the air.
It is worth remembering that using autonomous heating from the cigarette lighter or from the general power supply of the car, the battery will drain quickly enough, so it is better to turn on such devices when the engine is running.
In addition to heaters, in stores you can find special seat warmers, heated steering wheel covers and many other devices that can quickly warm up the car interior in winter, even in the most unpredictable situations. For example, the price of a small heater for warming up the interior of a car is about $ 10-15, a seat heater (lining) will cost from $ 15.
Some drivers are modifying the standard cabin heating system by extending the tubes and installing additional radiators and fans. In this case, the heating of the passenger compartment will be instantaneous as soon as the engine warms up. But, as a rule, this is installed only in fixed-route taxis or large cars. For small passenger cars, this is not so cost-effective, there is little space and painstaking work.
In no case is it recommended to use heaters with an open fire to warm up the car interior, except for special travel devices. In this case, you can not only spoil the interior of the car, but also completely set the car on fire.To warm up the cabin, you can also use a catalytic heating pad, which can be found in any travel store. It is produced by the leading manufacturers of gasoline lighters, the size of a device for heating the cabin, like two matchboxes, and 10 ml of gasoline is enough for 12 hours of heating.
The principle of operation of such a device for warming up the passenger compartment is simple, having scorched the accumulated fuel, the oxidizing head (covered with a thin layer of platinum) heats up. Due to a special protective casing, such a heating pad does not give an open hearth of fire, it can be carried in a pocket even in working condition. Within 15 minutes after the start, the heating of the car interior will be noticeable, you can bring it to a positive more or less comfortable temperature.
These are the most basic and elementary rules so that the heating of the car interior is efficient and fast, but there are no such strict rules. Each driver can independently decide and build on the current situation, how best and faster for him to warm up the car interior in winter.
