i want to do away with the stock heating setup, i rarely use the heat but will still need it at some times, so i was thinking maybe an aftermarket company might make a 12 volt electric heater for cars, nuthin crazy, ill still have a heater box with blower motor to push the air through, so basically i need a 12 volt heating element warm enough to defog the windows or heat the car a bit (no winter use or anything like that) anyone have any insight?

 

I have no idea but it seems to me that you'd need a LOT of power to run that thing. Most of those space heaters you see consume LOTS of energy. That's the nice thing about our heating systems in cars... It just uses the heat from the engine.

 

newer mersadies and i beleive bmw's have an element they use before the engine heates up. The only thing with an electric one you would have to make sure it wouldn't set anything on fire. They make 12 volt hair dryers could always gut one and use the element or 2.

 

I've actually seen a product for sale that's a small heater to plug into your cigarette lighter. I can't remember where i saw it though, might have been a tv commercial. I suggested it to my friend who has an older car and the heat doesn't work all that well any more.

 

yeah coleman sells one that plugs in, i think thats what ill use, its only 20 dollars and says it great for winter time use, that means it should be plenty sufficient to defog my windows on cool summer evenings.

 

i want to do the same thing too....get rid of all the HVAC **** under the hood, but i still want to be able to defog my windows...i thought of making my own little box with a fan (in place of the original heater fan) and maybe install a little coil to heat the air flowing over it. but it must be safe...

 

Hmm, you could rig up a hair dryer to plug into the cigerette lighter, that would defrost niceley

 

i;d say canadian tire cus thats where i got mine for 15 bucks, but your in the states so go to walmart and get one

 

advance auto parts or like walmart or meijers or k mart sells them too i beleive.

 

I bought a Back Seat Heat brand 12volt heater to use in my car. When I installed the new dash I eliminated everything that was not necessary-including heat since this is a summer time racer/cruiser. I thought ahead to the night races when condensation is a factor, that's why installed the electric heat. It it a small unit, bought it off e-bay for $40, this one sells for like $99 new. It wont make you sweat, but with the heat coming through the carpet from the exhaust I've never gotten cold yet.