Aux Heater in petrol cars

[monkeyfinger]

Just out of interest, if you go down the hombrew remote option to start the Webasto as per my other thread, you could use a GSM relay (loads on EBay for approximate £120) You put your own sim card in and just dial it from your own phone - it will then switch remotely. Probably still cheaper than official version

[Turks]

A GSM relay is basically all that the Thermo Call is. They use them in the Disco 3 and 4's. You can also download an app for your iPhone or your Android which stores set texts and will send them on a schedule - basically you could use your phone as a timer and set it to send a text to your car 20 mins before you are due to go to work...


Turks.

[kena]

[quote=""Turks""]A GSM relay is basically all that the Thermo Call is. They use them in the Disco 3 and 4's. You can also download an app for your iPhone or your Android which stores set texts and will send them on a schedule - basically you could use your phone as a timer and set it to send a text to your car 20 mins before you are due to go to work...


Turks.[/quote]

I like the sound of this, would it be easy to install on a factory fitted webasto ???
If so I will be getting this done asap....

[CondorX5]

Me too.....I've found the ebay item, its from Canada, costs about £100 for the dual band version or a bit more for quad band, but I guess we only need dual here. I wonder how easy it is to install........

[kena]

Just made a call to my local webasto dealer and he states that the Thermo Call system has been discontinued

[Turks]

Ken, try a different dealer. I'm sure that you can get hold of this still. It is still advertised on their website and it is good technology so I can't see why they would discontinue. Try these guys... Leyland Auto - 01772 695000. Even if you can get the parts, i'm sure it is an easy install. Failing that then there is just a simple GSM relay that I think the Disco boys use on theirs.


Turks.

[kena]

Cheers Turks

Will try when i get home, travelling back home tomorrow.

[monkeyfinger]

Output of relay goes straight to pin 1 on the Webasto as as for fitting a normal remote relay - try quantek.co.uk for gsm relay in the uk

[Rusty]

What a cool module.

I think I may have to get one of those as soon as I saved my pocket money.

[Turks]

The more I read, the more jealous I am of those with the 3.0d... a very inexpensive mod to a heater fitted as standard!

Does anyone know the model of the Webasto that is fitted to the petrol models like Condor and Kena? From reading, I would retro fit a Thermo Top P but i'm not sure that this would have been fitted from BMW?... there is also the Evo 5 which is a little smaller but has the same output.


Turks.

[CondorX5]

[quote=""Turks""]The more I read, the more jealous I am of those with the 3.0d... a very inexpensive mod to a heater fitted as standard!

Does anyone know the model of the Webasto that is fitted to the petrol models like Condor and Kena? From reading, I would retro fit a Thermo Top P but i'm not sure that this would have been fitted from BMW?... there is also the Evo 5 which is a little smaller but has the same output.


Turks.[/quote]

No no no Turks, you're not really.......its just this time of year when the aux heater is so nice to have......you wouldn't really want a 3.0d

I'll take a look under the bonnet when it stops raining outside and see if I can see a modelnumber on the heater.....it looks exactly the same as the ones fitted on the diesels, a rectangular box the size of a very small car battery.....its even fitted in the same place as the diesel, on the passenger side of the engine bay, doesn't look like the retrofit ones they have on the website, but then the rectangular box may just be a cover of sorts? The old Rover 75 diesel model had the same Webasto - I know of a few V8 Rangie guys who retrofitted Webastos from scrapped Rover 75s to their P38 Rangies, adding a small fuel tank of some kind which had to be topped up with diesel now and then. The factory fitted BMW petrol car units have apparently been modified to run off petrol rather than diesel though.

Might be worth sourcing a unit from a scrapped Rover 75 to investigate it further at a minimal price.......also, diesel Discos have them too, I think both series 1 and 2 both do, not just the latest incarnation, so there must be scrapyards up and down the country with loads of these little Webasto units sitting quietly under rusting bonnets of ancient Rovers and Land Rover products.........

[Turks]

[quote=""CondorX5""]No no no Turks, you're not really.......its just this time of year when the aux heater is so nice to have......you wouldn't really want a 3.0d
[/quote]

What I meant to say was I am extremely jealous of anyone with a Webasto! I wouldn't swap the 4.8is for a 3.0d just to have the heater... i'd rather fork out for the retro fit! Also I don't think the dogs would like it in a 3.0d after being chauffeured in a V8...

Are the webasto's easy to see Condor? Do you think you could take a photo and post it up or email it to me?

I could do what the Disco fellas did and add a separate fuel tank and use the old Veg Oil from the chippy to fuel it


Turks.

[CondorX5]

Yes, the Webasto is fitted neatly quite high up and easy to see, will get some pics of it when I get my camera out, it'll only be tomorrow now as I won't be reunited with my camera till late this evening - Blackberry pics are truly awful. I think the 3.0d has it in the same position but never having owned a diesel anything, ever, I'm not sure

The P38 installation was quite innovative, I thought - a good use for smelly old chippy oil!!! I'll see if I can find a link on their forum.

Oh, and my dog is just the same - I don't think she'd agree to climb in anything but the 4.8!!!