Is it just my BMW or Does Anyone has a heating problem

[e34slave]

I have an e36 and e34 and I'm not satisfied with the way the heat blows. My e36 never gets warm at all for over 30 mins and when it does, its still not as warm. I own a Honda accord and you can fry a cat's thigh on it after 10 mins of engine start. What could be the problem?

[TheRide]

last winter i was not getting the heat i should. but after chaning my thermostat and all that stuff, i was not toasting. my heat is always on the first bar and sometimes i have to turn it off.

[DeanP]

My car does not warm up much when the OAT is under 25 degrees. It could be that the thermostat is stuck open. I just figured it is a small engine with a good cooling system and when it's that cold the coolant doesn't get that hot.

[Andryuha]

I'm satisfied with heating in my E34. There's a big problem though - the rear vents blow cold air!

[e34slave]

I'm satisfied with heating in my E34. There's a big problem though - the rear vents blow cold air!

mine too, I dont know what to do, especially when you got kids in the back.

[harvoh126]

Mine too. The back vents only blow cold air. The front vents blow nice and hot air. Is this another known issue from BMW.

[Alan]

I think heat for the rear on the E34 only comes from the floor vents.

Also, regardless of how good the cooling system is, the T-Stat controls how hot the engine gets. If its stuck open (even a little) the car will not get to its desired temp. See if you coolant temp gets to exactly the half way point and STAYS there. If it moves more than a needle's width or two either way from 1/2 there is a cooling system issue. (Might get hotter in SEVERE use, eg track of desert traffic). Also, make sure your center adjustment knob between the center vents of the dash is working correctly. This knob controls the heat out of the center vents independent of the rest of the vents. Allows you to have cooler air for your face than the rest. If this knob fails (which it is known to do) it will be stuck on whatever it was when it failed, a lot of air comes out of this vent.

[TheRide]

in my e39 i get heat from all over when i want to. the heating is great on my car.

[TireFryer]

the rear only gets heat from the floor vents,,,BMW design.
my E34 525i was also not heating up to par...evrything checked out fine. someone then recommended I change the inside cabin microfilter...and VIOLA! there was actually air coming out of the vents like a hurricane and it was heat galore....maybe the dead bird (or rather feathers and bone remains)I found imbedded in my microfilter had something to do with it! Chances are you change your cabin microfilter and you'll get improved heat and air control.

[MontanaRob]

My heat blows like holy hell...except it also does that when the ac is on "auto" so that's not good.

[Qsilver7]

yeah...I coulda swore I read in my owners manual that only fresh or "conditioned" air comes from the air vent at the rear of the center console...heated air to the rear passengers comes from the floor vents under the front seats...

[Andryuha]

yeah...I coulda swore I read in my owners manual that only fresh or "conditioned" air comes from the air vent at the rear of the center console...heated air to the rear passengers comes from the floor vents under the front seats...

So those center vents in the rear only blow ambient air? That's very stupid if you ask me. So if anybody sits in the middle is supposed to freeze their ass off?

[Qsilver7]

So those center vents in the rear only blow ambient air? That's very stupid if you ask me. So if anybody sits in the middle is supposed to freeze their ass off?

Yes, they only blow ambient or "conditioned" air (AC)....and no...they don't have to freeze...they can close the vent. (there's a dial on the left side to do just so)

Is it stupid? I don't think so...because it allows rear passengers to control their own comfort. For instance, if rear passengers feel uncomfortably warm (in the winter) they can open the rear ctr vent to allow some cool air to circulate to the rear of the car without asking the driver or front passengers to turn the heat down. Same thing in the summer...if the rear passenger happens to be on the "sunny" side of the car and require a bit more cooler air...they can adjust the rear ctr vent to blow air in their direction...and for those times when the driver does not have either heat nor AC on...and rolling the windows down would not be the solution either...the rear passengers can open & adjust the rear ctr vent for fresh air circulation.

So you see, in my opinion...the rear ctr vent's fuction of bringing fresh air or "conditioned" air to the rear passengers is quite useful and novel...problems with the rear ctr vent usually occur when there is a misunderstanding of how to use it. I hope this explanation clarifies its usage...and perhaps explain why...when used correctly... it's really not "stupid".

[Alan]

Yes, they only blow ambient or "conditioned" air (AC)....and no...they don't have to freeze...they can close the vent. (there's a dial on the left side to do just so)

Is it stupid? I don't think so...because it allows rear passengers to control their own comfort. For instance, if rear passengers feel uncomfortably warm (in the winter) they can open the rear ctr vent to allow some cool air to circulate to the rear of the car without asking the driver or front passengers to turn the heat down. Same thing in the summer...if the rear passenger happens to be on the "sunny" side of the car and require a bit more cooler air...they can adjust the rear ctr vent to blow air in their direction...and for those times when the driver does not have either heat nor AC on...and rolling the windows down would not be the solution either...the rear passengers can open & adjust the rear ctr vent for fresh air circulation.

So you see, in my opinion...the rear ctr vent's fuction of bringing fresh air or "conditioned" air to the rear passengers is quite useful and novel...problems with the rear ctr vent usually occur when there is a misunderstanding of how to use it. I hope this explanation clarifies its usage...and perhaps explain why...when used correctly... it's really not "stupid".

Quoted for truth. Its a very well thought out system.

[CRAZY-M]

Quoted for truth. Its a very well thought out system.

I agree 100%, if you don't, read the damn manual.

[SC David]

None of the cooling or heating works right in my car, and I have never really cared. AC blows hot in summer, heater blows cold in the winter. Both of them fulfill their purpose right when I get to my destination, so I've stopped using them altogether. Normal weather, when I don't care to use them, they work fine. The only thing I really care about is defrosting, and that does its job.

[ILoveMPower]

Thanks for clarifying this guys, just the other week my rear passengers wear complaining my rear vents were broken, as it was 25 degrees and they were getting bombarded with A/C. Good to know my car is doing what it's supposed to.

[kaliimc]

Quite frankly I'm not sure how to use my heater. Tried it a year ago just to see if it works, (had to read the manual to figure it out) but it got too hot, its been too long now and I think I forgot how to use it. Oh well. I just make sure my windows are closed if it gets too cool.

Aloha...,

[Freestyler2K]

In my E39 the heating/cooling works flawlessly. In fact, i have never had a car that could produce hot air so fast as this one can. In teps below freezing it will start to blow warm air into the cabin in less that 1 minut after starting the engine. Maybe it's the diesel engine that gets warm faster? No matter what, i just love it.

[Andryuha]

Yes, they only blow ambient or "conditioned" air (AC)....and no...they don't have to freeze...they can close the vent. (there's a dial on the left side to do just so)

Is it stupid? I don't think so...because it allows rear passengers to control their own comfort. For instance, if rear passengers feel uncomfortably warm (in the winter) they can open the rear ctr vent to allow some cool air to circulate to the rear of the car without asking the driver or front passengers to turn the heat down. Same thing in the summer...if the rear passenger happens to be on the "sunny" side of the car and require a bit more cooler air...they can adjust the rear ctr vent to blow air in their direction...and for those times when the driver does not have either heat nor AC on...and rolling the windows down would not be the solution either...the rear passengers can open & adjust the rear ctr vent for fresh air circulation.

So you see, in my opinion...the rear ctr vent's fuction of bringing fresh air or "conditioned" air to the rear passengers is quite useful and novel...problems with the rear ctr vent usually occur when there is a misunderstanding of how to use it. I hope this explanation clarifies its usage...and perhaps explain why...when used correctly... it's really not "stupid".

Hmm, now that I read your post it makes sense to me. Still, I feel that it would be smarter if BMW just made separate temp adjustment knobs - one for the front and one for the back. So wait then, the air in those vent is actually air-conditioned? I thought it was just ambient air

[e34slave]

who cares about some air conditioned vent in the back? I think it would've been smarter if they used the same money spent on those useless vents to put a cup holder, or a cd player or automatic mirrors or heated mirrors or something else.