F55/F56 Heater not very effective
#1
#2
Heater is a little slow to warm up ~2-3 miles of driving. Wife has a BMW X3 and almost has instant heat. Mini heat is OK, but you have to drive the car to get it going. Sounds like if you have the heat maxed out, it should be blowing much hotter. I would visit the dealer and have it checked. Could be a faulty thermostat...but also could effect your engine.
#4
#5
I agree with the OP. I don't find the MINI heater very effective. Given how small the car is, you'd think the heater on high would blast the heat out.
I don't find the seat heater very effective. When on high it takes a long time before I have to turn it down.
I also don't find the A/C to cool the car very quickly. As with the heater, it takes a long time before I have to turn it down.
I'll mention this to MINI service next time I am in. Maybe there is a thermostat issue.
I don't find the seat heater very effective. When on high it takes a long time before I have to turn it down.
I also don't find the A/C to cool the car very quickly. As with the heater, it takes a long time before I have to turn it down.
I'll mention this to MINI service next time I am in. Maybe there is a thermostat issue.
#6
#7
Trending Topics
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
I sure hope my car's seat heaters don't do that. That would be stupid. My seat heaters are fine. My car heater rocks. Leave it alone!
#14
#16
#17
#19
Yes that's what I have. I realize it's a different car but many of the things are still shared.
#20
auxiliary heater?
Do these cars have an auxiliary heater? The only reason I ask is while browsing Sewell parts list I found a reference to 64119334416 (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html) which appears to be an electric heater used in an i3.
I also noticed the alternator is rated at a mammoth 180 amps (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html), though maybe this is normal for cars with electric steering.
I also noticed the alternator is rated at a mammoth 180 amps (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html), though maybe this is normal for cars with electric steering.
#21
Do these cars have an auxiliary heater? The only reason I ask is while browsing Sewell parts list I found a reference to 64119334416 (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html) which appears to be an electric heater used in an i3.
I also noticed the alternator is rated at a mammoth 180 amps (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html), though maybe this is normal for cars with electric steering.
I also noticed the alternator is rated at a mammoth 180 amps (http://mini.sewellparts.com/oem-cata...-F56-2014.html), though maybe this is normal for cars with electric steering.
From a 2013 Nov. press release information, this is what I see:
F56 70Ah battery, 150A alternator.
F56S 80Ah battery, 150A alternator.
#22
I suspect the alternator size is more likely to be the result of the 'brake energy regeneration' system, although that is allied to the auto stop/start. Since the battery is (mainly) charged when braking - so that it is using 'free' energy to restart the engine - it must be larger than usual since it has less time under load than a regular alternator charging system.
#23
I suspect the alternator size is more likely to be the result of the 'brake energy regeneration' system, although that is allied to the auto stop/start. Since the battery is (mainly) charged when braking - so that it is using 'free' energy to restart the engine - it must be larger than usual since it has less time under load than a regular alternator charging system.
#24
Learning about alternators might be educational, as their output is dependent on the field current supplied to them, as well as on rpm. An alternator is not just an AC dynamo and the ability to control their output independently of rpm is one big reason for their use in all cars. BMW have said that the field current is, when possible, only energised when braking so that the energy to charge the battery is taken from the engine's inertia when fuel is not being supplied. So absolutely nothing to do with the stop/start system - I believe this charging system has been fitted to all R56s, even US-bound cars, since early in the R56 life (though not in the first year or two, I think).
It is a very clever idea, since it requires nothing that is not already present on a car except maybe to increase the alternator size and a bit of ECU coding.
In contrast a hybrid system is expensive to make and Prius owners who have instrumented their cars seem proud to convert as much a 10% of the car's kinetic energy into battery charge. Reports on the all-electric BMW i3 suggest that it does much more regenerative charging but has an odd braking feel from a closed accelerator as a result - the avoidance of which has been given as Toyota's reason for not achieving more regenerative charging.
#25
Angib, where do you see such thing mentioned on a F56? I don't know anything about R56 (except MINIs had bad reputation on reliability) since this is my first MINI. I'd like to read more about it if you can point me to the right direction.
I read a lot of their technical write-ups and never once seen anything mentioned about brake energy recapturing in a MINI. Mazda uses super capacitors because there are not that much to be captured. With the captured energy they just provide some power for the accessories for a little bit.
The usefulness is also related to how much brake you use during a trip, but even if our cars had a brake energy recapturing system I don't think braking will do the majority of charging up your battery. Let's say you had a dead battery and did a jump start (assuming you don't have a AC charger). Would you rather takeoff-and-brake 100 times in a parking lot instead of running on a highway for an hour?
If brake energy capture was that effective and you capture that much energy back into the battery, you should also see much less brake wear and more odd feeling when braking.
I see there's a mention in wikipedia about this brake energy capturing that powers auto-idle-stop-start. But it says "all non-US vehicles", besides this is different from brake energy regenerative capturing. A link to the actual technology would be nice, but I figured that it's just a clutched alternator that's controlled by the ECU and nothing fancy. Okay, maybe a bit more intelligent ECU will be needed.
After reading some more at BMW.com, what it does to increase efficiency is when you accelerate it decouples the alternator (if you have enough battery already) and on a down hill or coasting when you let go of the gas pedal it couples the alternator back so it charges the battery. This won't be happening all the time.
This is far from brake-energy-regeneration. I hope this wasn't what you were referring to. If yes, then I think you were suckered into their marketing.
I read a lot of their technical write-ups and never once seen anything mentioned about brake energy recapturing in a MINI. Mazda uses super capacitors because there are not that much to be captured. With the captured energy they just provide some power for the accessories for a little bit.
The usefulness is also related to how much brake you use during a trip, but even if our cars had a brake energy recapturing system I don't think braking will do the majority of charging up your battery. Let's say you had a dead battery and did a jump start (assuming you don't have a AC charger). Would you rather takeoff-and-brake 100 times in a parking lot instead of running on a highway for an hour?
If brake energy capture was that effective and you capture that much energy back into the battery, you should also see much less brake wear and more odd feeling when braking.
I see there's a mention in wikipedia about this brake energy capturing that powers auto-idle-stop-start. But it says "all non-US vehicles", besides this is different from brake energy regenerative capturing. A link to the actual technology would be nice, but I figured that it's just a clutched alternator that's controlled by the ECU and nothing fancy. Okay, maybe a bit more intelligent ECU will be needed.
After reading some more at BMW.com, what it does to increase efficiency is when you accelerate it decouples the alternator (if you have enough battery already) and on a down hill or coasting when you let go of the gas pedal it couples the alternator back so it charges the battery. This won't be happening all the time.
Originally Posted by bmw.com
With Brake Energy Regeneration, BMW EfficientDynamics points the way to a more energy-efficient future. As soon as you brake or take your foot off the accelerator, the kinetic energy is captured and fed to the battery. This reduces the amount of power the battery takes from the engine and hence lowers fuel consumption. When the driver presses the accelerator, on the other hand, the alternator is decoupled from the drivetrain. With fewer components drawing power from the drivetrain, more of the engine's output can go into accelerating the car.
Last edited by hp79; 12-21-2014 at 01:24 PM.