Best place to purchase/install block heater

[Flabbibulin]

Yup, my wife's '07 Jetta wont start. I thought Synthetic oil increased the chances of it starting in super cold weather, or is this a misconception?

Anyways, does anyone know some good places in the city to have one installed? What are the standard prices? Im guessing the dealership does this, but wondering if I could get a better price elsewhere. Is it difficult to install yourself?

Any advice appreciated.

[burn_this_city]

Sythentic oil pours at this temp, if the engine is extremely cold it won't start even with synthetic. I wouldn't attempt this yourself, you have to pop out a frost plug on the engine block to put the block heater in. You would end up with coolant mess on the garage floor.

[wooohooo]

There are other ways than using the frost plug. There's a magnetic one that goes right on the oil pan I think and just plugs in normally. Of course it's not as good but something is better than nothing.

I think there's also one that replaces your dipstick and slots right in there which I heard was pretty decent.

[North East Goon]

did you try gas line anti-freeze, could just be a problem there?

[Buzzard]

Sorry, don't mean to hijack, but while we're on topic...any block heater I've been around you can hear it sizzlin' away when it's plugged in. My old truck sounds like a kettle boiling out there. But my wifes newer car, when it's pugged in you can't hear it. Last night I went out, plugged it in, couldn't hear a thing. It hadn't been running either so its not like it was warm and block heater just hadnt kicked in. I stood there for a few minutes to to listen but nothing. In this cold, you can hear everything so clear too. It seemed to start fine this morning so it must be working. Do block heaters nowadays work in stealth mode?

[North East Goon]

My 2010 GTI has no block heater either, seriously VW this is Canada put some damn block heaters in every model, every year!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Sorry, don't mean to hijack, but while we're on topic...any block heater I've been around you can hear it sizzlin' away when it's plugged in. My old truck sounds like a kettle boiling out there. But my wifes newer car, when it's pugged in you can't hear it. Last night I went out, plugged it in, couldn't hear a thing. It hadn't been running either so its not like it was warm and block heater just hadnt kicked in. I stood there for a few minutes to to listen but nothing. In this cold, you can hear everything so clear too. It seemed to start fine this morning so it must be working. Do block heaters nowadays work in stealth mode?

Umm....I cant hear my block heater. I dont think you're supposed to be able to hear it....

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Sorry, don't mean to hijack, but while we're on topic...any block heater I've been around you can hear it sizzlin' away when it's plugged in. My old truck sounds like a kettle boiling out there. But my wifes newer car, when it's pugged in you can't hear it. Last night I went out, plugged it in, couldn't hear a thing. It hadn't been running either so its not like it was warm and block heater just hadnt kicked in. I stood there for a few minutes to to listen but nothing. In this cold, you can hear everything so clear too. It seemed to start fine this morning so it must be working. Do block heaters nowadays work in stealth mode?

I think you may be having a stroke!

[burn_this_city]

Buzzard is right, they make a humming sound or light bubbling.

[CaptainCrunch]

I don't hear mine, but its pretty obvious that it works in this weather.

Now I need a transmission heater. Man my transmission is a little stiff right now.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Locke

Umm....I cant hear my block heater. I dont think you're supposed to be able to hear it....

Every one I've had, has made noise. All from day one on new vehicles, with stock block heaters.

1998 Jeep TJ. Check.
2006 Daytona. Check.
2010 Liberty. Check.


Mind you they have been getting quieter.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

My old truck sounds like a kettle boiling out there.

Any 1980's GM V8 vehicle I have owned has made a similar sound.

[Regular_John]

True story, the 2000 Diesel Jetta we just bought last night won't start this morning either. Although with no block heater I expected it.

I was looking around online this morning and found this heater specifically designed for diesel/TDI Volkswagens: http://frostheater.com/frostheater.htm

It seems to have pretty good reviews on the VW forums, but I'm gonna see what my mechanic says before I order one.

[Northendzone]

my block heaters have always made a sound - i'd assume they all do as you are basically using electricity to heat something.

A battery blanket can also help and is easier to install than a block heater. I'd goolge installing a block heater first and before starting make sure you can finish the job. It is not fun working on a vehicle in this type of cold.

Dealer would likely be the most expenisve place to get it installed.

[Regular_John]

Just wanted to give this thread a bump now that the mercury has dropped again.

We had a Frostheater installed in our diesel Jetta about a week ago and this weekend/this morning was the first real test of it during that time. It passed with flying colours, I'm pretty dang impressed.

It produces enough heat that there are areas of the hood that the snow won't accumulate while it's plugged in. A mechanic buddy of mine did the install for a bottle of rye, so I can't speak to the cost of having it installed, but it was pretty straight forward, bolt the unit onto the bottom of the battery tray, remove one collant hose and replace with the FrostHeater unit & the two hoses. Yes there's coolant involved, but took my buddy about 45 minutes start to finish with his full shop tools.

Like I said it's working great, car starts no problem, and you can get almost instant heat into the cab because the engine's already warm. Always a plus.

[pylon]

Cold start problems with TDI's is a fuel delivery problem, not a oil problem.

Block heaters essentially keep the engine oil warm, to prevent it from gelling in cold weather. Modern synthetics, which is an engine requirement for a TDI, do not require the block heater as we don't get cold enough here for the oil to 'gel' or thicken.

On a TDI engine now, you want a coolant re circulator/heater. It keeps the entire engine warm, including the combustion chambers, which promote better combustion due to compression as you probably know, your TDI engine, has no spark plugs/ignition system. Diesel doesn't ignite well when the combustion chamber is freezing, even with the help of the glow plugs.

I have gasoline powered VW's, and have driven them for 15 years. I have always run synthetic oil in them, and I have not plugged one in ever, in 15 years. And I have never had a no-start situation. Diesels however, they are routinely stuck in a no-start mode on our lot, once the temperature drops below -20.

So in conclusion, it is a fuel issue, not an oil issue, and as Jaydorn found out, the re circulator is the ticket.

[Bill Bumface]

No car that requires synthetic oil will come with a block heater. My last 2 cars haven't had them and have always started.