2018 eGolf AC/Heater Humming Noise and Electric Windshield

[sktrojan]

Hello everyone:

I just bought a new 2018 eGolf and noticed a few things:

1) The car is totally quite until I turn the AC/Heater on. When it's on, the car makes a low pitch humming noise. It's a little annoying and I need to turn on the radio to drown it out. Considering this is a new car, I'm a bit worried. I did some research on the forums and noticed some mentioning a heat pump. I don't think my eGolf has a heat pump, but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

2) When I went to my eGolf tonight, I noticed the driver side of my windshield was clear of frost, while the passenger side was frosted. I turned the heated windshield on and noticed the passenger side still was frosted. Do you think something is wrong with the heated windshield?

I love the car other than these two hiccups, which I'm hoping are solvable.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Thorallophon]

I find it funny how we get used to some things. Without knowing exactly how loud your fan is, I would say it's normal. The sound just stands out now 'cuz there is no motor rumble to cover it up.

However, as I understand it, the windshield defrost operates as a single unit, so when on, it will do "both sides". I would go get that checked, maybe post the results here when you find out.

But I'm a little confused, you say you turned on the windshield? As far as I know there is no switch for this function, it just seems to know when to come on. You would think that the Max Defrost button would do the trick, but I'm not convinced as my experience so far (when I've been paying attention) has been that it seems to be variable no matter how hard I try to "force" it on. My best experience with it has been when it's left on Auto, cuz us winter dwellers don't know s**t compared to some programmer in Germany.

 

[dephan]

Even the MAX windshield switch will turn on it, but the controller will determine on or not depending temperature and humidity .
So chance may be nothing wrong, it's seemly not on because high temp. or low humidity.

 

[BarryMW]

Electric windshield heater is turned on by using the “Menu” button at bottom of infotainment then clicking onscreen the windshield icon.

Barry

 

[sktrojan]

Thanks for the reply everyone. Berry is correct, I manually turned it on using the steps he outlined. I suspect it maybe malfunctioning, as it happened again tonight (driver side of windshield clear, passenger side fogged up).

I'm hoping the dealer will have a resolution for this and hum I mentioned above.

 

[2016golfse]

Thanks for the reply everyone. Berry is correct, I manually turned it on using the steps he outlined. I suspect it maybe malfunctioning, as it happened again tonight (driver side of windshield clear, passenger side fogged up).

I'm hoping the dealer will have a resolution for this and hum I mentioned above.

Before you do that, I would clean the windshield completely using rubbing alcohol and a nice microfiber towel. There's a reason the fog is building up more on one side of the windshield.

 

[sktrojan]

Thanks for the tip 2016golfse. I'll give it a try.

 

[Thorallophon]

Electric windshield heater is turned on by using the “Menu” button at bottom of infotainment then clicking onscreen the windshield icon.

Barry

Son of a gun. look at that. perfect, good to know I can use that function manually. Thanks!

So, any guesses as to what uses more power: the windshield heater or the fan+heat and maybe the AC, if the situation warrants it?

 

[Thorallophon]

OK, so a web search found this tidbit from the VW Pulse site (https://pulse.vwmodels.ca/2017/03/2017-e-golf-maximizing-electric-car-range-winter/)

"Energy-efficient heating

The 2017 e-Golf is equipped with a “heat pump” as standard equipment. The heat pump is similar to what is used to control the climate in many buildings and residences. It takes what heat is available from the drivetrain and combines it with a refrigerant circuit to heat the cabin. The result is about a 30% savings in range compared to an e-Golf without a heat pump.

Every e-Golf is also equipped with an automatic, humidity-controlled heated windshield that can defog and thaw without the aid of the AC compressor and fan, giving you a clear view that uses less battery power.

In addition, standard heated seats allow you to heat your core quickly and directly, making it possible to minimize cabin heat as much as individual comfort allows.
"

 

[sktrojan]

In my short time owning the car, I've found switching on the heated windshield takes off about 2 miles instantly vs. using the max defroster, which saps almost 10-12 miles. It's similar when I switch on the rear window defroster.

And thanks for the heat pump info Thorallophon, this is helpful.

I made an appointment with the dealer about both issues. I'll update the thread when I get more info.

 

[RonDawg]

The 2017 e-Golf is equipped with a “heat pump” as standard equipment.

Is that for US cars as well, since that info is coming from a Canadian website? Sometimes specs can differ between US and Canadian versions of the same car. I know the Leaf in Canada for example comes standard with a 6.6 kW on board charger, but the cheaper US versions without DCFC are still stuck at 3.8 kW.

 

[2016golfse]

The 2017 e-Golf is equipped with a “heat pump” as standard equipment. The heat pump is similar to what is used to control the climate in many buildings and residences. It takes what heat is available from the drivetrain and combines it with a refrigerant circuit to heat the cabin. The result is about a 30% savings in range compared to an e-Golf without a heat pump.

Every e-Golf is also equipped with an automatic, humidity-controlled heated windshield that can defog and thaw without the aid of the AC compressor and fan, giving you a clear view that uses less battery power.

In addition, standard heated seats allow you to heat your core quickly and directly, making it possible to minimize cabin heat as much as individual comfort allows.
"

The above info is 100% correct for Canadian models. For US models, every E-Golf has the humidity-controlled heated windshield and heated seats. But for the heat pump:

2015 - 2018 SEL's models and the 2017 LE model have a heat pump.
2015 LE and 2016-2018 SE models do NOT have a heat pump.

 

[2016golfse]

Sometimes specs can differ between US and Canadian versions of the same car. I know the Leaf in Canada for example comes standard with a 6.6 kW on board charger, but the cheaper US versions without DCFC are still stuck at 3.8 kW.

Very correct. In Canada, every E-Golf comes with 7.2 kW on board charger and DCFC. In US, it varies as follows:

2015: All come with 7.2 kW on board and DCFC
2016: All come with 7.2 kW on board and DCFC except the SE without the DCFC package (those have 3.8 kW).
2017 and 2018: All come with 7.2 kW on board. LE and SEL have DCFC standard. SE need the DCFC package.

 

[sktrojan]

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone. It's awesome to be part of an engaged ownership group.

So here's the latest:

Heated Windshield - the dealer confirmed that the factory forgot to include a connection that makes the heated windshield work on the passenger side. There was a proper connection for the driver side (which works), but none for the passenger side. They ordered the part, so I'm hoping that will do the trick. I'm hoping they did a proper QC on my car before it was delivered to the dealer, hopefully nothing else is missing!

AC/Heater Hum - Dealer said it's a normal noise. I did some additional research and based on the official eGolf literature, the U.S. 2018 eGolf SE doesn't have a heat pump. So that can't be causing it. The dealer recommended that we sit another new eGolf to see if we can replicate the humming. I'm going to take him up on that offer.

I'll provide another update once I pick up the car. Thanks everyone.