so, winter finally struck across europe, not the least here in Denmark, and it's the first year for me and the 500 in the cold....

the wife has been complaining the last month about the heater, wich she think is not heating enough, I have been anoying that, since she did'nt want the car in the first place, so reconned it was just a matter of her not being able to work around the different settings...

but know I had the experience myself this morning...
when starting it up, there are no prop's at all even in -14c, just spring to live... but the heater seems not being able to work like it's supposed to...

it took about 5 minuttes to defrost the front screen, and even after running the car 45 minuttes to work, it still did'nt give enough sufficient hot air in my oppinion, (aircon on). So I tried to switch between aircon and not aircon, and honnestly could not feel the difference, even with my hand glued to the air outlet.. hmmmmm

I know it's just a 1,2 l engine but is this how ot's supposed to be? before I contact my dealership, does anyone have a similar experience with heating?

I know I have a tendancy to compare this 500 to my other lady, the 93' SUPRA MKIV, 3.0 l , in wich you won't be able to sit for long with the heater turned to max, whether airconned or not... :devil:

hope someone has a clue

It could be something as simple as an air lock in the heater matrix. Does your car have air con or climate control? If it's climate control there could be a thermostat or vent problem.

It isnt a particularly strong system, but to be on the safeside you can always get it checked at the dealer since none of us on here can tell exactly how little it is heating from sitting in a computer!

it's just plane old aircon...

cabin heater filter clogged?

you're right.. it's impossible to tell over the internet..

but if I should, it would be that on my other car, and the chevy that went to buy this 500, you almost could not hold your hand infront of the vent when on full speed and full heat.. whether as to the 500, it won't even warm up a cold hand in 15 minuttes..

found in engine room ?? I will try to locate that...

Hi Lindegaard...air-con systems will not work below 5c. They are designed this way to protect the compressor from ice-damage.

If your car is more than 2 years old a clogged cabin-filter could be the problem (as Andy Monty suggests). The filter is situated under the dashboard on the right-hand side (passenger-side on left-hand drive cars). Google for instructions on how to change this filter - it looks quite straightforward.

Best regards, BK.

check the guide section i think i did a guide but can't remember

barely 2 years, a demo car, so almost no mileage to it, will check though, if that filter i clogged...

my bad..it says "manual Climate Control"...

it says like this in the manual to use this function to defrost quicker than under normal conditions...

I will check the guide section first... ;-)

I aactually think I saw something like that a while ago...

is it the guide section under the 500?? because in that section, it does not seem to be...

Mark Elvin posted about the filter in 2010. Sorry, I don't know how to provide a link, but his name or pollen filter in the search box should come up with it.

Let us know if you need more guidance.

I suspect the lack of heat is not due to this, however. So don't change it, simply remove it and see if it makes a difference. Then replace it with a new one if needed or refit the old one.

The thought of -14 makes my toes go numb!

Does the temp gauge on the dash go fully to halfway

Thermostats are a common failure on FIAT engines. They fail in the open position, so that the radiator is always 'in circuit' and over-cools the engine.

Is the temperature gauge reaching halfway in a timely fashion? About 2km/3 minutes for my 500, though that is at an ambient temp of +10, not -10 degrees. I can detect heat from the heater after less than a minute. As Jeremy Clarkson said of the Panda, it goes from 0-60 degrees faster than it goes from 0-60mph.

An airlock in the heater is a strong possibility (try warming up the engine with the expansion tank cap removed), or perhaps if there is a water valve in the heater's design, its linkage is misadjusted or broken. That goes for flap-type heaters as well. Difficult to check but lying in the left footwell with shelf removed under dashboard, and having someone move the controls, may help you to see what is happening or not happening when the heat control is turned up.

-Alex