In-Car heater?

[bimmer8604]

May sound a bit off the wall, but is there a product that you can leave in your car or something to keep it warm overnight?

I dont know what the benifits of something like this would be, but I can only think of mainly positive ones:

Postive:
Semi-constant temp. inside car
Componants staying above freezing
Less stress on inside materials/componants

Negative:
Risk of fire
Battery drain - use outside power source or batteries?

Anybody know anything in this area?

TIA
Kyle

[808BMW]

I think the fire risk part is enough to get over the idea.

[e9nine]

Why would you want to keep your car warm overnight? You got a pet that lives in the car? :P

If its the cold that you are concerned about and don't have a garage, simply spend a few mins warming it up before you get in to drive to work/school/someplace...

If its your block you are concerned about, there actually are car block heaters to prevent the motor from freezing in extreme temperatures. Its avail for e30s too I dunno if you are in Alaska or close to the North Pole but you might consider one if that is the case :twisted:

[Jarvis]

808BMW - What are nights like in Hawaii? 65 degrees on a cold night? Until you've woken to your ride to school or work buried under 2ft. of snow in -5 degree weather and had to drive around in a cold-ass car trying to get it warm up (heard letting it sit and idle for a while to heat up is bad, never do it), you'll never understand the importance of this idea. Lucky bastard ;)

If it was a very light heat source then a fire would be near impossible. Defrosting your windows might take a while at first, but I think it's a do-able idea.

[///M42 sport]

heard letting it sit and idle for a while to heat up is bad, never do it)

why, you also idle in traffic and at stoplights.
________
FERRARI 125 SPECIFICATIONS

[Jarvis]

but not for 15 minutes like some people do when heating their car up in the morning.

[bimmer8604]

I was thinking something more in the effect to protect the materials, such as your leather/dash and other stuff like that. I mean, it can't be all that good on stuff to continuously hit the 15 mark prolonged periods of times.

As for warming up my car/defrosting/warming oil and the block I find starting my car 5 minutes before I leave for school is fine. Just keep the revvs low for a while.

People try to protect their cars from the heat, so why not try the cold,too?

Kyle

[bkelsey86]

I have no idea what purpose that would serve a cheaper alternative would be to pull it inside anyways.

[BS87]

I dont see how leaving you car at idle for 15 minutes can be bad. in stop & go driving your car winds up in idle for an accumulated time of ALOT longer than 15 minutes.

[Rob]

would help prevent the dash from cracking....

[Inspar8r]

I was gonna say, a garage, or remote start would be sufficient. I know new mercs have the ability to keepthe car warm or cool for up to an hour after shut down.

Might want to look into this. Perhaps it can be setup for startup?

Whether warm-up is beter than immediate start and drive is a topic with tons of different opinions, like breaking in an engine.

Go with whatever works. My personal opinion is, if the time of most wear on an engine is at startup, immediate driving only makes things work. If immediate driving is better, then why is it important to keep the revs low?

I would get a garage spot, and if you can't, get a remote start system, and remote start right before you put your shoes and jacket on.

[bimmer8604]

I would get a garage spot, and if you can't, get a remote start system, and remote start right before you put your shoes and jacket on.

My car isn't deemed "important enough" got get a garage spot at my house. So, im stuck with the drive way.

I didn't have this idea to think about warming up the car, i was thinking of somethin to keep the materials in the interior at a constant ambiant temperature, to help their longevity.

Kyle

[Inspar8r]

You could get some solar cells to run a heating coil or run some heated seats.

[SickE30]

do they make a remote starter for a manual tranny...wait we dont have to depress our clutches for our cars to start...hmmm

[Rob]

I dont have to press the clutch....

yes, you can get a remote start to work in a manual tranny car. You just have to hook a switch up to the ebrake, and take care not to leave the car in gear.