2013 OB heater

4039 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by BadAV, Feb 19, 2013

davidjensen

Discussion Starter · Jan 21, 2013

I've had my new 2013 Outback (2.4) for 1 month. We have had a cold spell over the past few weeks with highs in the upper 30's. The Outback heater seams a little weak. Especially with heat to the feet. Anyone else with a 4th gen Outback have issues with the heater?

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

Cobalt

· #2 · Jan 21, 2013

Yep my feet freeze in my outback, it has the worst foot area heater of any car or truck I have been in or owned.

I spend most of the day outside walking doing wildlife photography and my boots get muddy and wet, this outback is the only vehicle I have ever owned that my boots are just as wet after driving 60 miles with the heat cranked as they were when I stepped in the vehicle

Some goofy engineer decided to divert a bunch of the air to the defrost vents when you select foot vent which is just dumb since right next to the foot vent button their is a foot/defrost button of course when you hit that one it kicks in the air conditioning compressor.

The foot vent doesn't even blow downward, it kind of blows to the side, when I get some time I'm going to rip the bottom of the vent off and see if I can divert the air down and also try and figure out how to short out the signal sent to open the defrost vents.

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vince is outback :-)

· #3 · Jan 21, 2013

davidjensen said:
I've had my new 2013 Outback (2.4) for 1 month. We have had a cold spell over the past few weeks with highs in the upper 30's. The Outback heater seams a little weak. Especially with heat to the feet. Anyone else with a 4th gen Outback have issues with the heater?

My legs are nice & toasty while my feet are icicles, poor design...:28:

davidjensen

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 24, 2013

I thought my 06 Mitsubishi Outlander had a bad heater but this is worse.

benamin

· #5 · Jan 24, 2013

My only beef with the heater as well although if you put your hand over the foot vent there is lots there, it's just poorly directed. when I can park somewhere warm I plan on gluing a plastic tab to direct the air deeper towards my feet.

jogosub

· #6 · Feb 17, 2013

davidjensen said:
I've had my new 2013 Outback (2.4) for 1 month. We have had a cold spell over the past few weeks with highs in the upper 30's. The Outback heater seams a little weak. Especially with heat to the feet. Anyone else with a 4th gen Outback have issues with the heater?

As posted elsewhere, the driver's side foot heater outlet is partially blocked by the plastic shield above the brake pedal. Simple solution is to run plastic tie through perforated holes in that shield and raise it/tighten it against the steering column. That way the heater outlet is unobstructed and you get the heat blowing straight on your feet. I found that mod 100% effective!

RUNNOFT

· #7 · Feb 17, 2013

I guess I'm the odd one out. We've had temps in the 0-10 degrees in the last few weeks and no problems with the heater. Feet were just fine. Same with the wife, who gets cold easy.

BadAV

· #8 · Feb 17, 2013

RUNNOFT said:
I guess I'm the odd one out. We've had temps in the 0-10 degrees in the last few weeks and no problems with the heater. Feet were just fine. Same with the wife, who gets cold easy.

This will be my first post on the forum! I joined last night, after buying a 2013 2.5i Limited CVT with SAP. I've lurked on the forum for a couple of months while deciding whether or not to purchase.

You aren't the odd man out. One of the things I noticed on the drive home last night was that my feet were pretty comfy.

jogosub

· #9 · Feb 17, 2013

It depends how low that shield gets... it's just a piece of plastic - if you look above the brake pedal. Some of them are sagging down partially blocking the outlet down there - as reported earlier on these pages by someone else. I just happen to look there today and indeed it was sagging down to the extend that most air was blowing beyond and above that shield - not directly down on your feet. I guess some stay up and there is no problem - but - some hang down too low blocking the air flow. Mine was just a couple of inches above the brake pedal. In that position the hot air blows above it - not diretcly on your feet. Go and look at it and see for yourself! I am not making this stuff up, mind you....others reported elsewhere that this modification helped! It helped me!

Efmall

· #10 · Feb 19, 2013

Heat to feet is all good!

My OB heat to feet appears to work well. I keep it on combined feet/defrost setting.
It's been 0-15F depending on the time of day lately. I usually do not preheat the car for longer than it takes the high idle to lower, and I'm off. Have 2.5 miles of dirt road at max 25 mph before the car gets above like 2300 rpm except on the rolling hills maybe up to 3k rpm. By the time I hit asphalt the blue light is off.

I wonder if this issue is tied at all to attire? I wear an insulated leather boot all the time. However, I see people wearing CROC's year round. I know when I wear my Johnston & Murphy's with leather soles my feet get cold in winter.

Gibe54

· #11 · Feb 19, 2013

Efmall said:
My OB heat to feet appears to work well. I keep it on combined feet/defrost setting.

Don't forget that if you leave the system with this setting (feet and defrost) all the time, AC will run permanently too. Not very good for gas consumption !!!

Efmall

· #12 · Feb 19, 2013

AC is not independent of air flow?

Gibe54 said:
Don't forget that if you leave the system with this setting (feet and defrost) all the time, AC will run permanently too. Not very good for gas consumption !!!

Strikes me funny...
On the premium the AC button is below the buttons to direct air flow. When I have it in any air flow position the AC button is off (indicator light off) unless I press it independently and the lighted AC button lights up.

The light, when lite indicates the AC is then on? Correct?
If the light is off the AC is off? Not functioning?

Thanks, Ed

ScottyNorq

· #13 · Feb 19, 2013

Efmall said:
My OB heat to feet appears to work well. I keep it on combined feet/defrost setting.
It's been 0-15F depending on the time of day lately. I usually do not preheat the car for longer than it takes the high idle to lower, and I'm off. Have 2.5 miles of dirt road at max 25 mph before the car gets above like 2300 rpm except on the rolling hills maybe up to 3k rpm. By the time I hit asphalt the blue light is off.

I wonder if this issue is tied at all to attire? I wear an insulated leather boot all the time. However, I see people wearing CROC's year round. I know when I wear my Johnston & Murphy's with leather soles my feet get cold in winter.

Where is this blue light everyone keeps talking about lol?

WIBrewDude

· #14 · Feb 19, 2013

ScottyNorq said:
Where is this blue light everyone keeps talking about lol?

On the base and premium models they get a dummy light instead of a temp guage.

Sent from my MB855 using AutoGuide App

ScottyNorq

· #15 · Feb 19, 2013

WIBrewDude said:
On the base and premium models they get a dummy light instead of a temp guage.

Sent from my MB855 using AutoGuide App

That also explains why people are complaining about not having a temp gauge. I guess that does not apply to me. Thanks.

Efmall

· #16 · Feb 19, 2013

WIBrewDude said:
On the base and premium models they get a dummy light instead of a temp gauge

Oh, I see the big spenders are praying on the common folk now! Must be feeding time.

LOL

BadAV

· #17 · Feb 19, 2013

Efmall said:
Oh, I see the big spenders are praying on the common folk now! Must be feeding time. LOL

Isn't that what "whales" are supposed to do? :hide:

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