Poor demisting? Any experience

[DunlopRS]

I've no doubt that if I lived in Canberra, or anywhere on top of any of the ranges or highlands where the temps go subzero and are mostly below average, and where the winter humidity is mostly higher than average that I'd have ordered one as an option ex-factory when buying my Octy.

....yes ... Mine is under cover almost always when not on the road so interior temp is good (love the seat warmers...).

Have however been considering a euro cover for the lower grill for winter. On some of these cold mornings (-5 or lower) it can take up to 10 km for the temp guage to come off the stop.......

[wai]

When I was doing my apprenticeship we had a Nubian fire tender fitted with a straight 8 Rolls Royce engine. It had an electric block heater & was permanently plugged into a GPO with a quick release extension cord arrangement. It meant that the engine was running reasonably well after 5 minutes use rather than the usual 20 minute warm-up period. Good stuff!

A chief engineer I worked for worked for a period of time in Saskatoon. Once the snow started, if you did not have an immersion heater built into your vehicle for oil and coolant, you had to keep the engine running 24/7 otherwise you would end up with a frozen block and sump.

[donweather]

love the seat warmers

As I live in Qld, when I bought the car and the car salesman told me it came with seat warmers, I laughed at him!!! But I have to say I'm lovin them on these cold Qld winter mornings we're having.

Even gave my Occy to Mrs Donweather tonight as she's working night shift and needed a hot arse driving home in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow!!!

[BottomScratcher]

When I was doing my apprenticeship we had a Nubian fire tender fitted with a straight 8 Rolls Royce engine. It had an electric block heater & was permanently plugged into a GPO with a quick release extension cord arrangement. It meant that the engine was running reasonably well after 5 minutes use rather than the usual 20 minute warm-up period. Good stuff!

The RAAF used Thornycroft Nubians as crash tenders before they went to Oshkosh's. Never drove one, but I remember the ground crews saying they were prone to rollovers due to the weight and location above COG of the solid brass pumping equipment.

Block heaters are common in cars and trucks in the northern US, Canada, and Scandahoovia. Necessity being the mother of invention the Scandi's have some great winter driving gear and tricks that most here in Oz will never hear of. We know there are some colourful characters (nutters) in our outback, and there are equally some characters among people that choose of their own free will to live inside the Arctic Circle. We know the Scandis love their speedway bikes. Problem - the water in the soil is frozen, so no dirt track. Solution - put 200 lethal looking, 28mm sharp pointed metal spikes through the bike's tyres and go ice racing. Add a bottle of Vodka or six. What could possibly go wrong?

[BottomScratcher]

....yes ... Mine is under cover almost always when not on the road so interior temp is good (love the seat warmers...).

Recently got one of my nephew's a beauty. He jumped into the front of my car, thereby relegating his mum to the back seat. Driving off I turned my seat heater on to 2, and turned his on to 3. I made like I was sniffing at the air a couple of times, and when I saw that he was squirming around a bit, and not all that comfortable with what was going on asked, "Can you smell something burning mate?" Reaction - priceless.

[brad]

The RAAF used Thornycroft Nubians as crash tenders before they went to Oshkosh's. Never drove one, but I remember the ground crews saying they were prone to rollovers due to the weight and location above COG of the solid brass pumping equipment.

I don't think I got out of 2nd gear (driving around ANSTO at Lucas Heights). The boss did take me on a wild ride down New Illawarra Rd once & he was trying to crack 100mph. I think he managed 85 & that was pretty scary.

I was pretty fast at pulling them apart - you learn that when they've parked the spare parts machine in the same warehouse as all the yellow cake.

[BottomScratcher]

I don't think I got out of 2nd gear (driving around ANSTO at Lucas Heights). ... The boss did take me on a wild ride down New Illawarra Rd once & he was trying to crack 100mph. I think he managed 85 & that was pretty scary.

I was pretty fast at pulling them apart - you learn that when they've parked the spare parts machine in the same warehouse as all the yellow cake.

Pre-Duty Of Care days. Gen Y will never experience or understand.

Looking at your pic it's easy to comprehend the rollover remarks. High COG, and short wheelbase is not conducive with fast cornering. Not if you want to get around corners I mean.

So the Nubian was at the frontline as first response to a nuclear reactor going critical. No wonder the scientists and government ministers could all get up before the media and tell us in all sincerity that no amount was being spared on safety at the site.

[brad]

So the Nubian was at the frontline as first response to a nuclear reactor going critical. No wonder the scientists and government ministers could all get up before the media and tell us in all sincerity that no amount was being spared on safety at the site.

The Nubian was used for bushfires mainly. It replaced a Series 1 Land Rover fire tender similar to below. It was great British products like these that gave me the patience of a saint.

Nuclear spill response was a 4-wheeled towed wooden cart that I had to pump the tyres up every week... I'm quite serious. It was a long time ago & and HIFAR was a fairly safe piece of kit (The family knew most of the scientists out there). Like most things, Australia was pretending it was running an open cut mine using Tonka Trucks..

[K1W1]

When I was doing my apprenticeship we had a Nubian fire tender fitted with a straight 8 Rolls Royce engine. It had an electric block heater & was permanently plugged into a GPO with a quick release extension cord arrangement. It meant that the engine was running reasonably well after 5 minutes use rather than the usual 20 minute warm-up period. Good stuff!

That used to be standard on all fire trucks (mainly Dennis brand) in NZ back in the 1960s onwards it may still be.
In the US you can also order cars with either cold weather or hot weather packs. The cold weather packs include an electric block heater and many garage floors in the mid north US states have an electric socket centred under where the car parks for use with these heaters.
Australian bound cars from Europe are often fitted with the hot weather pack (larger radiator, bigger fans) as standard by European manufacturers.

[vRS Carl]

One thing to check is the pollen filter under the dash in the passenger footwell. Check that isn't full of leaves and crap etc and it isn't damp. I used to get this on my 2011 car, I changed the pollen filter and touch wood it's been fine ever since.

Carl

[dagget]

One thing to check is the pollen filter under the dash in the passenger footwell. Check that isn't full of leaves and crap etc and it isn't damp. I used to get this on my 2011 car, I changed the pollen filter and touch wood it's been fine ever since.

Carl

I will have to check this filter, just assumes that cause mine is new it wont be that but depending on and where the car has been stored for the past year it could be full of crap.

[vRS Carl]

Mine was like that after 11 months. I now take it out and get rid of all the crap from it once a month to keep on top of. I also replace it every 12 months, excessive I know but they are about £12GBP to buy so a trivial expense.