GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Mk1Macca on 30 October 2017, 09:36
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Silly question... I have the climate screen on my 7.5 GTi. How do I turn it on to clear the screen or defrost the windscreen in the winter?
I can’t find a button for it.
Thanks
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It's not a heated element like on Ford's....
https://www.volkswagen-media-services.com/en/detailpage/-/detail/Perfect-visibility-with-no-heating-wires--the-climate-windscreen-from-Volkswagen/view/4487024/7a5bbec13158edd433c6630f5ac445da
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I have a Nav Pro MIB2 unit and I just go in to the air con screen and press the window icon on the bottom of the screen, then sit back and watch the magic happen.
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It normally comes on automatically (rain/light sensor also detects mist/condensation).
I never needed to activate it through the MIB unit (press the setup button on the climatronic, between the temp dials) on my 63 reg.
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It's not a heated element like on Ford's....
https://www.volkswagen-media-services.com/en/detailpage/-/detail/Perfect-visibility-with-no-heating-wires--the-climate-windscreen-from-Volkswagen/view/4487024/7a5bbec13158edd433c6630f5ac445da
That's an interesting read - thanks! I had a Ford XR3, back in the day, with a heated screen. The filaments were a real distraction in certain conditions, but the ability to clear a misty or frozen windscreen, really quickly, was brilliant.
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If you want to turn it on manually, press the "Setup" button on the lower half of the middle climate control knob. You will then be presented with a pictogram showing the airflow though the various vents though the car and the temperature set etc.
At the bottom of that screen is a small "heated windscreen" logo. Just tap that and it turns from white to orange indicating it's on. Press again to switch it off. Press any of the head unit buttons (Radio for example) to exit out of the climate control menu.
Incidentally, when you are in the climate menu screen, hitting the small "setup" button in the lower right side of the screen presents you with a few options, one of which is whether you want the climate screen to turn on automatically on not. Some have reported though that the "auto" setting is a bit random and doesn't always seem to switch it on when you want. I prefer to go down the manual route of switching it on (as mentioned above) manually as an when I need it. I agree it should have a dedicated button however.
Do love it though - worked wonders this morning in the first heavy frost of winter 2017 - cleared the screen completely in around 2 minutes.
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If you want to turn it on manually, press the "Setup" button on the lower half of the middle climate control knob. You will then be presented with a pictogram showing the airflow though the various vents though the car and the temperature set etc.
At the bottom of that screen is a small "heated windscreen" logo. Just tap that and it turns from white to orange indicating it's on. Press again to switch it off. Press any of the head unit buttons (Radio for example) to exit out of the climate control menu.
Incidentally, when you are in the climate menu screen, hitting the small "setup" button in the lower right side of the screen presents you with a few options, one of which is whether you want the climate screen to turn on automatically on not. Some have reported though that the "auto" setting is a bit random and doesn't always seem to switch it on when you want. I prefer to go down the manual route of switching it on (as mentioned above) manually as an when I need it. I agree it should have a dedicated button however.
Do love it though - worked wonders this morning in the first heavy frost of winter 2017 - cleared the screen completely in around 2 minutes.
A bottle of luke warm water clears all my windows in less a minute :whistle:
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If you want to turn it on manually, press the "Setup" button on the lower half of the middle climate control knob. You will then be presented with a pictogram showing the airflow though the various vents though the car and the temperature set etc.
At the bottom of that screen is a small "heated windscreen" logo. Just tap that and it turns from white to orange indicating it's on. Press again to switch it off. Press any of the head unit buttons (Radio for example) to exit out of the climate control menu.
Incidentally, when you are in the climate menu screen, hitting the small "setup" button in the lower right side of the screen presents you with a few options, one of which is whether you want the climate screen to turn on automatically on not. Some have reported though that the "auto" setting is a bit random and doesn't always seem to switch it on when you want. I prefer to go down the manual route of switching it on (as mentioned above) manually as an when I need it. I agree it should have a dedicated button however.
Do love it though - worked wonders this morning in the first heavy frost of winter 2017 - cleared the screen completely in around 2 minutes.
A bottle of luke warm water clears all my windows in less a minute :whistle:
I'm still with the traditional method and cold fingers. Does you good, makes you appreciate the heating :wink:
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If you want to turn it on manually, press the "Setup" button on the lower half of the middle climate control knob. You will then be presented with a pictogram showing the airflow though the various vents though the car and the temperature set etc.
At the bottom of that screen is a small "heated windscreen" logo. Just tap that and it turns from white to orange indicating it's on. Press again to switch it off. Press any of the head unit buttons (Radio for example) to exit out of the climate control menu.
Incidentally, when you are in the climate menu screen, hitting the small "setup" button in the lower right side of the screen presents you with a few options, one of which is whether you want the climate screen to turn on automatically on not. Some have reported though that the "auto" setting is a bit random and doesn't always seem to switch it on when you want. I prefer to go down the manual route of switching it on (as mentioned above) manually as an when I need it. I agree it should have a dedicated button however.
Do love it though - worked wonders this morning in the first heavy frost of winter 2017 - cleared the screen completely in around 2 minutes.
A bottle of luke warm water clears all my windows in less a minute :whistle:
I'm still with the traditional method and cold fingers. Does you good, makes you appreciate the heating :wink:
Thats nothing Watts, I was topping sugarbeet by hand when I was 7 or 8 years old. Growing up on a farm was not always fun :laugh:
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Can anyone confirm whether the Climate Windscreen has any effect on after-market satnavs, like TomToms?
Thanks.
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Ian
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Well, they used to think it interfered with mobile phone signals, so would only sell it with the premium phone kit.
Now on the Mk7.5, they don't do that.
GPS is a much weaker signal than GSM though, I wouldn't be surprised if it impacted it.
Have you tried adding an external aerial to boost it?
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Guess I'll find out in a few months, hope it doesn't turn the car into a dead zone.Sounds like it's good for stopping people messing with phones whilst on the move :laugh:
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I'm not aware of any Mk7.5 issues with the climate screen killing mobile signals or GPS, but not sure if the person asking was talking about a 7 or 7.5?
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YES, cripples signal as there is a thin metal layer.
But only really causes problems in bad weather or cities with skyscrapers.
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Wow - invisible metal!!
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YES, cripples signal as there is a thin metal layer.
But only really causes problems in bad weather or cities with skyscrapers.
You have facts to back that up.
In my Evoque which had the Ford style clearscreen it never interfered with any type of signal.
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Well, yes, I agree... neither Ford (of days gone by) nor Mini (much more recently!) seemed to have a problem.
And neither do VW now on the Mk7.5....
I still think it was a VW UK configuration funny.... from the people who forgot to tick the box for foglights. Maybe they thought they were doing the right thing... and then discovered it didn't matter.... or simply forgot on the Mk7.5... again :D
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It's not invisible metal..... you can see it.
Look onto windscreen from outside; there is a thin conductive metal layer in the windscreen that gives it a noticeable tint. How do you think electric current could otherwise flow through it (which heats it)?
This does absorb some signal - not only GPS but also other electromagnetic spectra. Hence VW have bundled it with the advanced telephone system.
VW are the first to use this wirefree technology to heat screens iirc, but it has been around for a while. My brother's mid-2000 C4 had a 'climate' windscreen (not heated) that took out IR to stop interior from heating up (or at least less) and that was pretty good at lowering the signal so it would take his handheld sat nav ages to get a lock and frequently drop out.
Ford's system has some more blank space in between the heating wires, so potentially this might allow more signal in. I never tried a handheld sat nav in a Ford though.
As I said, usually GPS (or GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo) reception should still be OK unless the weather is poor (very overcast, thunderstorms, etc) or you drive in a location with tall structures (skycrapers, industrial plants, mountains, etc).
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... not sure if the person asking was talking about a 7 or 7.5?
I currently have a 7, but I'm likely to place an order for a 7.5 later this month, either a GTD (if I'm brave) or a GTI Performance. I was looking at adding the Climate Windscreen, but wanted to check if it affected the use of a TomTom satnav (which I prefer to the built-in satnav).
--
Ian
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It's not a heated element like on Ford's....
https://www.volkswagen-media-services.com/en/detailpage/-/detail/Perfect-visibility-with-no-heating-wires--the-climate-windscreen-from-Volkswagen/view/4487024/7a5bbec13158edd433c6630f5ac445da
I have that option!, it is awsome in the Cold Sweden ;)
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It's not invisible metal..... you can see it.
Look onto windscreen from outside; there is a thin conductive metal layer in the windscreen that gives it a noticeable tint. How do you think electric current could otherwise flow through it (which heats it)?
This does absorb some signal - not only GPS but also other electromagnetic spectra. Hence VW have bundled it with the advanced telephone system.
VW are the first to use this wirefree technology to heat screens iirc, but it has been around for a while. My brother's mid-2000 C4 had a 'climate' windscreen (not heated) that took out IR to stop interior from heating up (or at least less) and that was pretty good at lowering the signal so it would take his handheld sat nav ages to get a lock and frequently drop out.
Ford's system has some more blank space in between the heating wires, so potentially this might allow more signal in. I never tried a handheld sat nav in a Ford though.
As I said, usually GPS (or GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo) reception should still be OK unless the weather is poor (very overcast, thunderstorms, etc) or you drive in a location with tall structures (skycrapers, industrial plants, mountains, etc).
Right, so you claim the super thin layer of metal impedes signal and I quote "cripples signal".
1. If true, why isnt my signal blocked completely virtually all the time considering the rest of the car (other than the remaining windows) is a huge metal cage with much thicker metal walls than the glass.
2. If the glass is impeding signal, why does my Garmin GPS Forerunner and Edge (which use GPS and GLONOSS) devices also suffer location issues when in a heavily urban area or when I'm out in bad weather, which neither have any metal surrounding them.
It's a bit far fetched to claim a thin layer of metal has any noticeable effect on any signal in an already metal vehicle.
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Full quote really not required.
Your nav is on the screen and gets signal from above, so the rest of the car doesn’t really bother it too much.
VW do include (or make you take) advanced phone connection with heated screen - I had the heated screen in my 1st mk7 and it lets through less signal than the non-coated. Do I have screenshots of GPS status of my phone in that and my new car - no! But it’s my observation that you get less signal under similar circumstances.
Try it with your smartphone if you want to see, I use GPS status app, it shows signal levels.
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If you want to turn it on manually, press the "Setup" button on the lower half of the middle climate control knob. You will then be presented with a pictogram showing the airflow though the various vents though the car and the temperature set etc.
At the bottom of that screen is a small "heated windscreen" logo. Just tap that and it turns from white to orange indicating it's on. Press again to switch it off. Press any of the head unit buttons (Radio for example) to exit out of the climate control menu.
Incidentally, when you are in the climate menu screen, hitting the small "setup" button in the lower right side of the screen presents you with a few options, one of which is whether you want the climate screen to turn on automatically on not. Some have reported though that the "auto" setting is a bit random and doesn't always seem to switch it on when you want. I prefer to go down the manual route of switching it on (as mentioned above) manually as an when I need it. I agree it should have a dedicated button however.
Do love it though - worked wonders this morning in the first heavy frost of winter 2017 - cleared the screen completely in around 2 minutes.
That was me this morning at -1 deg.Trusted it to come on automatically when i pressed the screen demist button.Which it did.I'd say it comes on automatically about 90% of the time.It is so quick- it soon becomes obvious when you have to switch to manual.I notice it stays on if you don't switch it off again (on manual).
Bit like the heated mirrors which i always forget to switch off.I wish there was a warning on the dash for them!.
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It's not invisible metal..... you can see it.
Look onto windscreen from outside; there is a thin conductive metal layer in the windscreen that gives it a noticeable tint. How do you think electric current could otherwise flow through it (which heats it)?
This does absorb some signal - not only GPS but also other electromagnetic spectra. Hence VW have bundled it with the advanced telephone system.
VW are the first to use this wirefree technology to heat screens iirc, but it has been around for a while. My brother's mid-2000 C4 had a 'climate' windscreen (not heated) that took out IR to stop interior from heating up (or at least less) and that was pretty good at lowering the signal so it would take his handheld sat nav ages to get a lock and frequently drop out.
Ford's system has some more blank space in between the heating wires, so potentially this might allow more signal in. I never tried a handheld sat nav in a Ford though.
As I said, usually GPS (or GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo) reception should still be OK unless the weather is poor (very overcast, thunderstorms, etc) or you drive in a location with tall structures (skycrapers, industrial plants, mountains, etc).
I've noticed the tint on mine.It is almost a dark green shade.Sometimes looks like the inside of the car has misted up, it's quite noticeable parked beside other cars.
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Bit like the heated mirrors which i always forget to switch off.I wish there was a warning on the dash for them!.
Is there any reason to switch either off?
Ok, so the current drain will (marginally) effect your fuel consumption but its not going to melt and catch fire like those stick on demisting things we used to have last century.
I drive around with my heated mirrors on most of the time. It helps keep them clear of spray as well as ice. No fires to report yet.
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Heated mirrors on prevent mirror dip in reverse (needs to be on L to work). Other than that and bit of fuel waste nothing to really worry about.
They never get really hot anyway I think, most likely they have NTC circuit built in to stop heating at a certain point (like heated washer jets that had this for a while already).
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I still use Waze a lot in my 7.5 in an attempt to save my driving license and haven’t noticed any I’ll affects from my climate screen. I have never tried it whilst it’s in operation to be fair. Maybe that could affect it? I have my iPhone mounted on a magnetic holder attached to the air vent above the media unit so would have thought that combo would kill it - but no, works fine 😁
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So what’s the general consensus on the automatic activation then?
Should it come on when temperature is below a certain level?
Or do I need to press the max front windscreen blower button and it will come on with that?
Used it for the first time this last week or so. The manual button on the display definitely works just wondering under what conditions it will automatically activate?
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I pressed the max front windscreen button on mine this evening leaving work and it didn't activate the climate screen, it still had to be activated manually - and it's set to Auto enable in the settings menu.
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Your nav is on the screen and gets signal from above, so the rest of the car doesn’t really bother it too much.
VW do include (or make you take) advanced phone connection with heated screen - I had the heated screen in my 1st mk7 and it lets through less signal than the non-coated. Do I have screenshots of GPS status of my phone in that and my new car - no! But it’s my observation that you get less signal under similar circumstances.
Try it with your smartphone if you want to see, I use GPS status app, it shows signal levels.
1. Theres actually an external antenna, top of the car (sharkfin) for GPS, as most cars have these days.
2. No VW do not make you have advanced phone connection when taking the heated windscreen - I certainly dont have it with my climate screen on my 7.5
3. I do compare, in our other car (DS3) which has no clearscreen/climate screen type windscreen the phone has exactly the same signal strength and loses it, in exactly the same places as I do on the commute if I was taking the Golf into work.
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ad 1) So the handheld sat nav uses the roof antenna for signal.... Interesting.
ad 2) VW used to make you take advanced phone on the mk7. If they stopped it on the 7.5 I wouldn't know; haven't configured a FL model. My current car's not up for replacement for another 18 months.
ad 3) OK, if that is your observation - great. My observation was different, number of satellites was usually a few less and signal strength was a little lower. You only need 4 satellites to have a signal, the more the more accurate though.
Just saying if you have lower signal then it may drop out a little sooner. How much will also depend on the model of phone or sat nav you are using I guess, whether that uses mobile data to substitute location info, has an external antenna....
Using the word 'cripple' was a dramatisation. And I think we probably really confused the OT. :D
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That was me this morning at -1 deg.Trusted it to come on automatically when i pressed the screen demist button.Which it did.I'd say it comes on automatically about 90% of the time.It is so quick- it soon becomes obvious when you have to switch to manual.I notice it stays on if you don't switch it off again (on manual).
Bit like the heated mirrors which i always forget to switch off.I wish there was a warning on the dash for them!.
The heated windscreen does switch off automatically, even if you switch it on manually
The heated mirrors go off too, after 10 minutes from memory
Not sure if anything has changed with mk7.5's tho
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Bit like the heated mirrors which i always forget to switch off.I wish there was a warning on the dash for them!.
Is there any reason to switch either off?
Ok, so the current drain will (marginally) effect your fuel consumption but its not going to melt and catch fire like those stick on demisting things we used to have last century.
I drive around with my heated mirrors on most of the time. It helps keep them clear of spray as well as ice. No fires to report yet.
Must be the tight fisted Scotsman in me coming out. :laugh:
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So what’s the general consensus on the automatic activation then?
Should it come on when temperature is below a certain level?
Or do I need to press the max front windscreen blower button and it will come on with that?
Used it for the first time this last week or so. The manual button on the display definitely works just wondering under what conditions it will automatically activate?
Reading my handbook tonight after 2 years of ownership!.It says it only truly activates automatically (no buttons pushed anywhere) 'if the automatic window fogging detection system detects that a window could mist up'.So i guess the way forward is to have it set to come on automatically and press the max demist button which you would do anyway.For a 'belt and braces' approach (as sometimes happens) you have to go into the menu and touch the symbol to start it.
I've never had my front screen mist up whilst driving so i guess the heater must be kicking in silently in the background as i drive.Nice touch.
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That was me this morning at -1 deg.Trusted it to come on automatically when i pressed the screen demist button.Which it did.I'd say it comes on automatically about 90% of the time.It is so quick- it soon becomes obvious when you have to switch to manual.I notice it stays on if you don't switch it off again (on manual).
Bit like the heated mirrors which i always forget to switch off.I wish there was a warning on the dash for them!.
The heated windscreen does switch off automatically, even if you switch it on manually
The heated mirrors go off too, after 10 minutes from memory
Not sure if anything has changed with mk7.5's tho
Some more quotes from my handbook which this thread made me want to read up on it!.
Heated windscreen:'Switches off automatically depending on the outside temp or after a max of 8 mins'.
Heated Mirrors:'Heat at max for approx 2 mins then they adjust according to outside temp'.
I think i'll get my Highlighter out for all of the useful stuff in a book with 450 pages!. :undecided:
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Not had chance to test it in the cold yet but do like how tinted my climate windscreen looks :cool: :cool: