Insufficient heating power
 

Hi everybody,</P>


Here, higher north, we have been having pretty cold weather (down to minus 30). I am very disappointedwith the heater. It does not provide very warm air in any setting. The temperature of the car is at the middle of the gauge (80), which is the normal engine temperature I get all year round.</P>


The car is a C230, 1998 and thank god it has heated seats.</P>


Every comment welcome.</P>


Many thanks

</P>

Insufficient heating power
 

This model uses the enginecooling system to warm the inetrior, but when the cabin air intake is open (recirc button, shows a cabin iconwith an arrow that "circulates" inside, in this case off) this -30 °F air will go in through the heat exchanger. Normal engine temperature is 80 °C, the air coming in is -22 °C, given the heat transfer capacity of the element, if you get 50 °F inside, you're lucky. The winter "package" includes a larger heat exchanger and an auxiliary electric heating coil. ONe solution would be to set the system to recircular (it will not work when the air "direction" is to the windshield, or deforst mode), but the moisture will condensate in the windshield and other glasses.