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2014 Outback Heater: Adequate ?

Hello,

Have been reading on some of the sites and Forums that the 2014 Outback (and Forester ?) have what can be called, at best, an inadequate heater. Fair number of complaints re this, apparently.

Live outside of Boston. While not northern Maine, it does get pretty cold here in the winter.

Thinking of a 2014 Outback.

Is this heater issue something to be concerned about ?

Is Subaru "addressing this issue," if real, for the 2015 Outback's ?

Have a Toddler, and would not like to be running around with him in a "chilly" car in the dead of winter.

Any thoughts on would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
Bob
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I've had a 2014 Forester for almost two weeks. We just went through the bitter cold this week and the heater in mine worked just fine.

Reply to
PAS

why? sure, it's chilly outside, but inside [s]he is protected from the wind

I have a 9 month old and the shields in HVAC system on my A4 are stuck in the "cold" position. It's -19C outside, As I have discovered this winter due to the heater not working (see above) aside from the issue of de-icing the windshield I do not have much of a need for a heater in winter. anyway. You are dressed for that temperature anyway as does the toddler, I hope. Air conditioner surely is a lifesaver in summer (and helps to defog the windows in the winter), as for the heater it's debatable. More so when the heated seats are present.

Reply to
Brake Dive, Acceleration Squat Body Roll Works LLC

You sure want a heater at -17f - doesn't matter how you are dressed!!!!

Reply to
clare

Unless you are driving only really short distances, I can't see how anyone could say that they don't need a heater at -19C!! At +19C, sure, you don't need a heater.

Yousuf Khan

Reply to
Yousuf Khan

I wear parka in the car just as I do outside. The seats are heated. I only need the heater to keep the windows clean.

Which brings me on the issue of idiocy of climate controls: while with plain old hvac controls you can heat enough to clean the windows and then have minimal heat with climate controls the minimum you could set it 18C (about 63-67F I'd guess, below that is the LOW setting on my car which I assume turns off the heater completely). Now 63-67 is FAR more than I need in winter (I AM dressed already for -19C PLUS the windchill which would be another

-5-7C where I live due to strong winds)

I do need some heat in the car, but not as much as the idiots who wrote the specification for climate controls thought I do.

Stop double guessing what users want. Keep controls dumb and you'd be rewarded with customer loyalty. Overthink what users want and you end up with shitload on unuseable features.

Reply to
Brake Dive, Acceleration Squat, Body Roll Works LLC

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