Takes forever for the car to warm up ??

[davegt]

Has anyone else noticed that it takes forever for the car to warm up? And when it does its still not Hot in the car.
The cold weather started here this week. -10c to -15c. And it takes along time for the car to warm up. I always found
it took a long time for the car to get to operating temp... but it takes up to an hour for the car to be a nice hot temp inside
And very disappointed in the wipers and their windshield placement. Heat will never get to where the wipers are.

 

[TreyP]

Yes!! I've been waiting for someone to mention this.

Well, the car seems to warm up at a normal pace, meaning the blue light goes out within 2 miles or so, but the heat absolutely sucks. I drive 20 miles to work and it never really gets 'hot' inside the car.

I have especially noticed that the foot vents always blow out cold air, regardless of the selector position (Foot only, Defrost, Defrost-Dash, Dash-Foot, etc.) and also regardless whether it is set to Fresh or Recirculate.

 

[CodyZoom]

I have a 12 mile commute to work and I haven't had any problems. I drive a couple miles to the interstate and that's where it really heats up much quicker. I've had no issues getting hot air in the cabin after a reasonable amount of time. My mornings have been in the high teens, low 20s (F not C).

 

[tdman]

My heat up quick enough, cold enough last couple days at -20c. I only need to move the dial mid way into the red otherwise it will be too hot. One thing I found was the vent closest to the steering wheel on the right doesn't seem to direct air close enough to where my hand is on the steering wheel, I have my hand in the right position at 9 and 3, just doesn't feel the air much to my hand and I had the vent adjust to max angle to the left and up.

 

[TreyP]

I notice that both responders who are happy with the heat both have GT/GS models. I know the controls are different from my Touring, so maybe the plumbing behind them is also different?

I'm not sure which model the OP has.

 

[brandini]

Some tips with Mazderp:
-some vent settings run the AC, crack the manual open and try avoiding them to see if it makes a difference
-Set to fully hot but run the fan slow until reaching 15 miles into your trip
-Always use outside air
-Keep the RPMs between 2k and 4k after the cold light goes out, engine load creates heat, not just rpm so you might have to drop a gear or hold a gear longer to help it
-Maybe try some sort of coolant boost? I've used it in the past since it's hot as hell and humid here in summertime but heat transfer is heat transfer... Amsoil Coolant Boost is usually what comes out on top since Water Wetter has silicates in it that form into crusty hard gunk over time.
-And finally: an engine block heater. Canadians can get it easily apparently from Mazda but not in the US for some reason. Would work wonders for giving the car a head start- as well as fighting startup wear.

 

[Nikoman]

No problems here. Keep in mind it's a small 4 cylinder engine that sips gas. You need combustion to heat the vehicle. You either get a remote start or warm up the vehicle longer while sitting in it - to solve the problem.

 

[tdman]

I notice that both responders who are happy with the heat both have GT/GS models. I know the controls are different from my Touring, so maybe the plumbing behind them is also different?

I'm not sure which model the OP has.

The GS Canadian model is almost the same as the Touring in the US, I don't have automatic dual zone control like the GT, I have the old fashion dial to set the fan/temp/direction of the airflow. What I don't have or can't get is Bose and Tech with the GS trim like in the US.

 

[phil_chan86]

I also found that problem too. It was -35C. It took about 15mins idle or 5km drive before the engine cold temp turn off. To be honest I hate the foot heating. It take forever to get hot temp. on the feet area.

 

[TreyP]

No problems here. Keep in mind it's a small 4 cylinder engine that sips gas. You need combustion to heat the vehicle. You either get a remote start or warm up the vehicle longer while sitting in it - to solve the problem.

I actually do have remote start, and as mentioned, I drive 20 miles to work. If that is not long enough to get it hot then something is definitely not right. I may have Mazda check it out next time I'm in for service.

 

[bluefan]

Some tips with Mazderp:
-some vent settings run the AC, crack the manual open and try avoiding them to see if it makes a difference
-Set to fully hot but run the fan slow until reaching 15 miles into your trip
-Always use outside air
-Keep the RPMs between 2k and 4k after the cold light goes out, engine load creates heat, not just rpm so you might have to drop a gear or hold a gear longer to help it
-Maybe try some sort of coolant boost? I've used it in the past since it's hot as hell and humid here in summertime but heat transfer is heat transfer... Amsoil Coolant Boost is usually what comes out on top since Water Wetter has silicates in it that form into crusty hard gunk over time.
-And finally: an engine block heater. Canadians can get it easily apparently from Mazda but not in the US for some reason. Would work wonders for giving the car a head start- as well as fighting startup wear.

^

In my experience in my rugged climate during the winter, best to leave the heat off while driving until engine it warmed up. I always plug in whenever I can and have no issues getting warmed up. Seat heater helps immensely in stating toasty until cabin reaches a good temp. Sounds like maybe OPs heater could be in need of maintenance.

 

[V8toilet]

I have no issue on mine but I set the dial to max hot, recirculate, and selector dial all the way to the left. I also drive 46 miles one way to work right now. If fact mine gets too hot and cooks me after ten minutes on this setting. On my 2.0 Sport the vents got so hot that they got loose and they would fall closed or open depending on where they were positioned.

 

[phoned]

In very cold weather my blue light stays on for much longer than my previous cars did (little honda fit) but once it goes off (normally just a few minutes) it will blow warm air and quickly heats up from there. When I do plug my car in (anything below -10c normally) it doesn't seem to make that big of a difference. The blue light goes off a bit quicker, but in my fit it used to be off and able to blow warm air before the end of my street. Anyone know how much energy the block heater uses? I'm guessing only 500W .. I think the fit was actually more powerful (and had less engine/coolant to warm).

When it was REALLY cold here I actually had the light come back on when I was at a stop sign (just a few km down the road after the light went off). Only had that happen once though.

 

[Bcdad182]

We don't have super cold temperatures here, but in the last week we've hovered anywhere between -5 and +5C and I have noticed that it does take the car a long time to warm up. I just use the seat heaters until the main heat kicks in. With such moderate temps (for winter) I don't find the heat to be a problem, sometimes it is even too hot and I have to turn it down. Of course I don't live where its -10 or more!
I am really disappointed on the wiper/defrost configuration. I've had to stop several times and scrap icy moisture from my window as the wipers and defroster could not seem to keep it clear (this was in about -3 weather with light snow) This car really needs a heated wiper zone at the bottom of the windscreen.

 

[brandini]

best to leave the heat off while driving until engine is warmed up

I do this too but most don't want a 5-10 steps so I keep it simple. A previous car, 99 300M, with auto climate control would wait for the coolant to get up to femp fully before turning on the heat. Was a great feature when suddenly the fan speed would slowly rise by itself and melt you.

Ahh the good old days of displacement.

 

[GAXIBM]

If I lived in the cold north, I would block at least half of the radiator airflow for the winter season when you put on winter tires. If you notice the front of long haul trucks you will often see plastic covers over most of the radiator in winter weather and they have a large engine, but it works better if the coolant does not get so cold. It also improves mileage as do active shutters which a lot of trucks and new cars (new Mazda 3 top trim) now have.

 

[bluefan]

If I lived in the cold north, I would block at least half of the radiator airflow for the winter season when you put on winter tires. If you notice the front of long haul trucks you will often see plastic covers over most of the radiator in winter weather and they have a large engine, but it works better if the coolant does not get so cold. It also improves mileage as do active shutters which a lot of trucks and new cars (new Mazda 3 top trim) now have.

This is a good idea. If I'm desperate enough, a box cutter, coardboard and zip ties should do the trick lol.

 

[phil_chan86]

If I lived in the cold north, I would block at least half of the radiator airflow for the winter season when you put on winter tires. If you notice the front of long haul trucks you will often see plastic covers over most of the radiator in winter weather and they have a large engine, but it works better if the coolant does not get so cold. It also improves mileage as do active shutters which a lot of trucks and new cars (new Mazda 3 top trim) now have.

Hey GAXIBM can you take a picture of your CX-5 front view. Just want to see what you got there. And where u got those cover?

 

[Woodys2718]

TreyP,

You should certainly be making a trip in for service if you aren't getting enough heat within 20 miles.

I too commute 20 miles to work each day. This past week the temperatures in the morning have been hovering around 0 to 10 F. I've had no issues with heat whatsoever. I'd say 5-6 miles into my commute I'm already backing down the fan speed from 4 to 3, 2, and I'm at 1 by the time I'm at work.

 

[Transconductor]

I've had no issues with mine heating up down here in Florida.