maximiliantiger49

Seat Tarraco Diesel Rough Cold Starts and Fuel Consumption

I'm getting a bit frustrated. My 2023 Seat Tarraco diesel is giving me grief. It's been running really rough on cold starts. Plus, I'm sure my fuel consumption has gone up. I've scanned the error memory and it's showing something about the PTC heater. Could a defective electrical auxiliary heater really cause this much trouble?

4 comment(s)

That sounds very familiar. I had similar issues with my old BMW 3 series diesel. Cold starts were rough, and the fuel consumption definitely went up. Has the engine management light come on at all? If so, have you read the error codes?

Yes, the engine light did come on. I scanned it and it showed an error related to the auxiliary heater. Could that really cause the poor running and increased fuel consumption though? I thought it was just for temperature control inside the car.

Yes, the PTC heater being faulty can definitely cause those symptoms. It's part of the HVAC system, but on a diesel, it often assists with engine warm-up, especially in colder weather. If it’s not working properly, the engine struggles to reach operating temperature quickly, hence the poor running and increased fuel consumption. The electrical fault will trigger the error code. I'd suggest getting the heater repair done by a workshop. That should solve your problems.

The workshop confirmed it was the PTC heater. 350€ later, and the Tarraco is running smoothly again. Thanks for your help and confirming my suspicions, I really appreciate it.

Join the discussion now: