TIM 5O Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I have been thinking do I really need a heater ( clayton model) I would not like to put off Wifey wanting to go out in it but I cant remember tha last time I used the heater so thought I would ask has anyone regretted removing it is it worth the work involved any advantages apart from weight saving thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickh7 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 No regrets in removing it and the bonus is it makes getting at the under dash wiring a doddle . You will get cold but the heater was never any good at warming up your shoulders and neck which to me is the bit that always gets cold Nick h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Depends on your usage. I once drove to work at about -5C, the tintop was sick and a heater would have been very very nice. Out in France however I never missed it, funnily enough. Absence of a heater makes a K series easy to bleed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I keep mine because I sometimes do long distances (many hours at the wheel) in the cold and it's then a Godsend. But otherwise.. don't use it. Likewise if I had a full hood it would probably not be needed. Maybe I should fix my hood.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul jacobs Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 For general road use, I would vote to keep a heater in place. If you use a half tonneau on the passenger side, there is a nice cocoon of warm air which will drift up past the shoulders and head area when driving, and will just make the difference to get cold to the bone, or staying slightly more comfortable. We are only talking mainly about those clear sunny frosty winter day blats, but even on a nice summer evening, I've used the heater for comfort, but then I am getting to be a bit of an old fart these days! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickie Normuss Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I use mine a lot, especially stuck in 30 degree traffic for 2 hours to keep engine temps down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Depends where you live. I fitted one for our holiday to the western isles, have been very glad of it on many occasions north of the border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted November 28, 2011 Area Representative Share Posted November 28, 2011 I use mine (and have a heated seat liner) both get a big when the temperatures drop below zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wight Skipper Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Loving my heater now. When I picked up the new Duretec a few months ago I did wonder why I had specced one as the heat in the footwell was biblical! However, now that the temp is falling, it is used when on the move. Needs to be turned off in town or at a set of lights though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewie Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 As a biker I wouldn't expect a heater on my Triumph or Honda. Infact I don't bother with the hood. Just a set of thermals and water proofs . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIM 5O Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Hi All Many thanks for the replies so far just to explain useage I live in Croydon Surrey area I do not use the car to work run vx do not use over winter- I know im soft always run windscreen -I know soft again Have no full roof - as I hate them - but do have soft bits half roof -what else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 What's a 'heater'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob L Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I took mine out last year as there was a slight leak that I couldn’t find the cause of. It was easy to bypass and remove the old system but then that leaves a large section of scuttle that needs to sealed off and should be fire resistant. Ali sheet works well. However, I was surprised how little the heater actually weighed so advantages here seemed minimal and from threads on BC, I found the cause of the leak and managed to repair with a replacement matrix quite cheaply from Clayton compared to a CC replacement unit. I went back to the heater once I found I could repair it at reasonable cost but more importantly, I did notice the cold during those early morning blats over the last month. The new (repaired) heater and silicon hoses have made the whole experience far more pleasant with a big difference in temperature noted even without the fan on. Apologies to the purists but I‘ve reverted back to the dark cosy side and can not honestly say I’ve noticed much difference in performance Perhaps it’s an age thing, I’m 53 and from the soft South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumster Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 You lot must be going soft , when I swapped from X/flow to Zetec, SWMBO agreed for the heater to come out as we rarely used it and heat from the engine bay is usually enough to keep the toes from freezing anyway. 7 is used all year round..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted November 28, 2011 Area Representative Share Posted November 28, 2011 You must be tougher than I am. Recommended: and cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipper man Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I live close to you and have similar usage. Removed mine a few years back and never regretted it. To be honest I don't seem to get any colder without it than I did with. I put that down to the fact that when your feet are nicely toasted, it makes your top parts seem even cooler. To me the benefit of the better access to everything under the bonnet outweighs the loss of heating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 would one fit in a tillet I wonder? I've been frozen solid a few times this year; my long standing heat problems MAY have been solved by the half doors swopped for the full doors.. now I get cold. swmbo will be the final judge next year, if she will stay awake long enough. Tonneau as a heat collector is very effective.. I'd forgotten that, and how to fit when the half doors are using the poppers.. if the op removes his heater and keeps his tonneau, that would work in clacton or wherever you are 😬 edit: oh yeah, I'm 55 and from the 'ard Norf. def gone to the cosy side. :-) Edited by - anthonym on 28 Nov 2011 19:22:57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted November 28, 2011 Area Representative Share Posted November 28, 2011 Anthony, they fit in a tillet very well indeed, adding lots of warmth and just a tiny bit of cushioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Are there any tough guys out there who regularly tour north of the border and either don't have or don't want a heater? I'm also a biker and I've commuted Ed - Glasg in a Scottish winter on two wheels. If there was a heater for bikes, I reckon I'd have got one. I did the drive from Surrey to Edinburgh a few years ago in Feb before I installed the heater. I wore subzero thermals, my winter lined gore-tex motorbike suit, 2 pairs of gloves and a sheepskin hat and had the roof on. When I got to Scotch corner for fuel, I struggled to move out of my seat I was so cold. I had to go for a jog to warm up again. I think being that cold dulls your senses and slows your reactions. I'm sure some of us feel the cold more than others. Perhaps some have more 'natural insulation' than others :) ? Edited by - charlie_pank on 29 Nov 2011 08:19:51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob L Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 ‘Tis true that we can all pad up and insulate our important little places but why have one of the fastest cars on earth when it takes you 20 minutes to find all that lagging and apply it ☹️ Some of my best blats have been during unexpected free time or just that quick trip to the in-laws on an errand. Its got to be a balance but as the heater probably weighs less than a sheepskin / thermals and I’ve yet to find a job where the heater gets in the way – its staying put 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 My first two cars (Singer 12, Ford Pop E93A) had no heater. For my third car, I had to choose bewteen a Ford Anglia van with a heater and (a newer) one without. I never regretted taking the soft option, and I wouldn't even want to think about running my 7 without a heater. JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Ford Pop? the one with the three speed gearbox and manual "windscreen wiper" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted November 29, 2011 Member Share Posted November 29, 2011 I had a Ford Popular 103E which was kept in a shed at school. Unlicensed but only used in the school grounds. Fabric roof... because of post-war steel shortage? (If so it's related to Land Rovers!) But the wipers were operated by inlet manifold vacuum... much posher than manual. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Quoting anthonym: Ford Pop? the one with the three speed gearbox and manual "windscreen wiper" ?The very same, Anthony. Except that the wipers, as JK pointed out , were operated by inlet manifold vacuum. Which meant, of course, that as you stepped on the gas to climb a hill or accelerate (I use the term loosely), the wipers slowed to a crawl. My fully heated Anglia was like a Rolls-Royce by comparison: 4-speed with synchro on 2-3-4, sweet very oversquare engine (used as the basis for F3 power in those days), and acres of loadspace. The best feature was the rear doors (like any van). I could park in very narrow gaps, and then exit via the rear! I'm not too sure how the drivers of the adjacent vehicles coped.Quoting Jonathan Kay: Fabric roof... because of post-war steel shortage?I was led to believe that Ford used the piece they cut out of the roof to make the bonnet. JV Edited by - John Vine on 29 Nov 2011 17:36:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanns Per Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 NO again confirmed after lots of blats this november at temps close to the freezing point. Hanns Per Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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