What it is and where to buy it
A replacement for the standard heater unit. One owner says it works like the earlier aftermarket heaters, pushing air straight through the matrix. It is sold in two versions, so pick the one for your drive side:
Check the price and what is in the kit on the maker's page, because the threads don't give either. Which engines it suits is also not stated in them.
How owners rate it
- Heat and airflow: an owner who fitted one in 2019 called it almost as good as a normal car's heater, with better airflow, less noise and much hotter air than the standard unit. Another recommended it for anyone using the car on the road.
- Demisting: in 2019 an owner said it clears the screen a lot quicker than the standard heater, but maybe not as quickly as an average modern car. A 2025 owner said screen clearing in cold, wet, damp weather is still not great, but it gets there eventually.
- Versus other aftermarket heaters: an owner who had fitted two earlier aftermarket designs before this one said that if you already have one working well, he wouldn't bother changing. If you are upgrading from the standard heater, he voted for this one. He liked its small footprint, which he says is often a problem on left-hand-drive cars, the mechanical mix control using the same cable, and the build quality.
- Lead times: one buyer in 2019 said it took over a month because of the anodisers, even though it was listed as in stock. Another received his within 4–5 days. These are past reports and may not apply now.
Fitting notes
Air hose
One owner found the supplied air hose is narrower than the original and would not fit over the inlet on the back of the dash. Another fitted the supplied flexible hose inside the car-side part rather than over it, which he says looks wrong but works fine. A third bought a cheap Amazon part with trumpet-shaped ends, to use one end as a reducer, as it was cheaper than any reducer he could find. It isn't reported yet whether that worked.
Coolant hoses
- The existing hoses may not reach the new heater's connections. One owner found the left one reached with some manipulation, but the right one needed trimming on the car side to avoid a kink. The instructions don't mention this.
- Another owner fitted his with no kink and no restriction, routing "not ideal, but not terrible".
- Don't let a hose kink, as that would restrict coolant flow to the heater.
- After disturbing the hoses, top up the coolant and bleed any air out of the system. See the cooling circuit guide.
Removing the battery afterwards
The new heater sits close to the battery, so removing the battery later is awkward. Reports:
- The heater has to be unbolted and slid over a little. It can be done with the hoses still connected, which means you don't have to drain the coolant. Two owners say this works.
- That owner suggests leaving out most of the small Allen bolts when you first fit it, to make this easier. He used about 3 at the front and maybe 1 or 2 at the back. He also bought a long T-handle 3 mm Allen driver (3 mm from memory).
- Another owner changed the battery with the heater left in place by tipping the battery on its side and lifting it out using an old belt as a sling. He found it harder than usual, and found it difficult to get to all the bolts for the slide method.
- The owner who asked the question considered a smaller lithium battery to avoid the problem, then decided against it. Another owner prefers a larger, powerful battery over saving weight.
- If you are in there anyway, one owner suggests fitting a new battery to put off the next removal.