Heating system is useless

[MattA]

Ineos are working on a solution
See attached file from customer support

What date was that ticket and response given?
The system is the same now as it was when the vehicle was first released with no engineering / design changed so just wondering when the new ones will have a improved system

 

[River Meese]

The heating system in my field master has been rubbish from day 1
Now covered 7000 miles.
Car was delivered with a damaged water hose which was replaced by the selling dealer.
However they could not get the heater to blow anything other than cold air into the footwells.
Eventually went to another (service) dealer who did improve matters by bleeding the system
However the whole system is rubbish for a £70k vehicle

Ineos have admitted that the heating system is poor and suggest running in auto mode once you’ve got the car warm.
Even then my feet are always cold

They have accepted that it’s rubbish and a very basic design.

There are no plans to improve or modify it.

I believe it is not of merchantable quality and certainly not fit for purpose !!!

Really spoils an otherwise super 4x4

The heating system in my field master has been rubbish from day 1
Now covered 7000 miles.
Car was delivered with a damaged water hose which was replaced by the selling dealer.
However they could not get the heater to blow anything other than cold air into the footwells.
Eventually went to another (service) dealer who did improve matters by bleeding the system
However the whole system is rubbish for a £70k vehicle

Ineos have admitted that the heating system is poor and suggest running in auto mode once you’ve got the car warm.
Even then my feet are always cold

They have accepted that it’s rubbish and a very basic design.

There are no plans to improve or modify it.

I believe it is not of merchantable quality and certainly not fit for purpose !!!

Really spoils an otherwise super 4x4

The message from customer support was dated 15/8/25 with regard to the update to the heating system.

 

[CRH]

Just came across your post . I have also been told it’s a major design fault and nothing can be done . Mine has never worked since i got it and now it’s on 11,000m . I have resorted to buying a plug in one from amazon and that gives me hot air in cold weather . I can’t even sell mine as no one will touch these grenadiers , no dealer will put it on the floor and resale values have plummeted . They have mine back in the service centre trying to fix it again .

Your service centre is not fixing the issues. The heating will blow hot and cold if sorted. In-between settings and large and quick temp changes upset it.
Firstly, check the 2 expansion tanks for any signs of water leaking, if they are they need changing under warranty to get the system to work with the In-between temps. Check they are both topped up with coolant. Try doing the bleeding procedure that is available on here. Do this a number of times, after long runs and engine has cooled down. Make sure the refrigerant is topped up by dealer. If all this is done your heating will work. You may need to turn the aircon off at time s to get the mid temps when in auto or manual, sometimes you won't.

If you really want to sell, and i believe your selling issue is due to location from a dealer, i would contact Chester as they tell me they can't get enough second hand ones. But please try fixing first, saves loosing a lot of money and you will start to love it

The heating system needs to be treated gently when working, just one temp click change at a time and wait. If it insists on blowing cold on mid temp after a long spell of full heat, try a blast of full aircon cold and then turn aircon off for mid heat and use in manual.

Ultimately, the heating system should work, your dealer is just not doing their job

 

[LRNAD90]

Edit Fail..

 

[LRNAD90]

The message from customer support was dated 15/8/25 with regard to the update to the heating system.

And this didn't present in the Million+ miles of testing? They are just now 'looking for a solution'?

 

[Jeremy996]

And this didn't present in the Million+ miles of testing? They are just now 'looking for a solution'?

It will not be the first time issues came up when you had actual production vehicles vs the general public.

BMC Mini and leaks in wet climates
Rootes Imps not liking being stood for a few days
Ford Pintos exploding when hit from behind
Audi being a misguided missile when presented with pensioners

Much of the Grenadier heater issue appears to be there is not enough vertical space in the heater to bleed it easily and no way to move the body in white, too few temperature sensors and insufficient error trapping in the software. Only the last one is fixable cheaply.

 

[MattA]

It is kind of amusing though the fact that cars have had heating and cooling for a little while, well in fact well over half a century and put into millions of makes and models from around the globe.
Yet given that, we have people making excuses on why Ineos has a useless system that is so temperamental it’s laughable and so finicky to use people actually give advice on how to use the system when others dare mention what a failure it is.
I sincerely hope that the next model has a totally revised HVAC system and redesigned front drive shaft and diff

 

[Korg]

It will not be the first time issues came up when you had actual production vehicles vs the general public.

BMC Mini and leaks in wet climates
Rootes Imps not liking being stood for a few days
Ford Pintos exploding when hit from behind
Audi being a misguided missile when presented with pensioners

Much of the Grenadier heater issue appears to be there is not enough vertical space in the heater to bleed it easily and no way to move the body in white, too few temperature sensors and insufficient error trapping in the software. Only the last one is fixable cheaply.

I would prefer a HVAC downgrade to the old slider controls with cables that drive the air flow and fan knob with NO software intervention at all. Turn it to the red zone if you want it hotter, blue zone if you want it colder.

 

[Jeremy996]

I would prefer a HVAC downgrade to the old slider controls with cables that drive the air flow and fan knob with NO software intervention at all. Turn it to the red zone if you want it hotter, blue zone if you want it colder.

I agree with you, as it would avoid all of the software issues, but it would not necessarily solve the need for some more head height to make the bleeding easier. One issue is that there are many fewer suppliers making analogue/mechanical blenders with thermostatic control and many modern luxury vehicles, (except the Grenadier, of course), have electrically assisted or even diesel heaters to warm the cabin faster after a cold start.

I find the Grenadier heater satisfactory, but no more; I'm not expecting it to warm or cool the cabin from turning the key on a cold start, it does not have that kind of sophistication, but it does warm or cool the cabin as requested, once the engine is properly up to temperature. It did not do it from delivery; it took two visits to the agent and repeated beeding operations from cold to get there, as the two heating circuits were underfilled.

 

[LRNAD90]

I find the Grenadier heater satisfactory, but no more; I'm not expecting it to warm or cool the cabin from turning the key on a cold start, it does not have that kind of sophistication, but it does warm or cool the cabin as requested, once the engine is properly up to temperature. It did not do it from delivery; it took two visits to the agent and repeated beeding operations from cold to get there, as the two heating circuits were underfilled.

If that is the case, then I'm sorry, but this (particularly given the number of vehicles that seem to be affected) is completely unacceptable Quality Control or Procedure from the factory. There is really no excuse for the truck being delivered from the factory low on coolant and/or improperly bled. It may be tricky to bleed, I'm sure they use a vacuum fill solution that should alleviate that. Sounds more like poor workmanship/care on the final production line. That being said, and particularly given its prevalence, there also seem like no excuse for dealers not checking for/remedying this in presale inspections..

But I suspect, given Ineo's response that engineers are working on a solution and not to expect resolution form your dealer, that while this may be contributory (and apparently somewhat wide spread) there is probably a bigger issue at play as well..

 

[CRH]

If that is the case, then I'm sorry, but this (particularly given the number of vehicles that seem to be affected) is completely unacceptable Quality Control or Procedure from the factory. There is really no excuse for the truck being delivered from the factory low on coolant and/or improperly bled. It may be tricky to bleed, I'm sure they use a vacuum fill solution that should alleviate that. Sounds more like poor workmanship/care on the final production line. That being said, and particularly given its prevalence, there also seem like no excuse for dealers not checking for/remedying this in presale inspections..

But I suspect, given Ineo's response that engineers are working on a solution and not to expect resolution form your dealer, that while this may be contributory (and apparently somewhat wide spread) there is probably a bigger issue at play as well..

I personally think the issue is that this vehicle is from a completely new manufacturer. The design was the most important part before any other details were taken into account. This is their first ever vehicle and they have gone about it with a different mindset to most or all other manufacturers. I bought my vehicle with this in mind, I wasn't disappointed

I'm not trying to make excuses for INEOS, but they are not making something everyone else is and they have gone about in a totally different way. We all look to the original Defender or G-Wagon but they are different vehicles even though they look similar, as per the court case!
I do also think the COVID issue had a lot to do with it as they needed to then rush to production or it would have collapsed before making any vehicles

 

[Skydance]

I believe the coolant and steering fluid was filled via vacuum. So I can’t understand how Magma who built the G Class with all that experience can botch not one but quite a few up and I believe it may be still happening in 2025. In my car history and I’ve had quite a few. I’ve never owned a car that would leak from doors, sunroof or air con. Personally I can’t defend Ineos because it’s laughable even the windscreen jets and wipers.

Would you forgive a highly paid new chef for burning your steak? And for the restaurant not to acknowledge fault & rectify it straight away. You can send a steak back but can’t send your car back. This is my analogy.

However, with all that said this car has made me into a boring old git who turned into a DIY mechanic so it given me something to do.

It’s a solid tank, rough around the edges and I’m hoping that Ineos do the right thing and sort out the HVAC and condensation drops which is the only thing left on my fix list. Before the warranty ends please.

 

[CRH]

I believe the coolant and steering fluid was filled via vacuum. So I can’t understand how Magma who built the G Class with all that experience can botch not one but quite a few up and I believe it may be still happening in 2025. In my car history and I’ve had quite a few. I’ve never owned a car that would leak from doors, sunroof or air con. Personally I can’t defend Ineos because it’s laughable even the windscreen jets and wipers.

Would you forgive a highly paid new chef for burning your steak? And for the restaurant not to acknowledge fault & rectify it straight away. You can send a steak back but can’t send your car back. This is my analogy.

However, with all that said this car has made me into a boring old git who turned into a DIY mechanic so it given me something to do.

It’s a solid tank, rough around the edges and I’m hoping that Ineos do the right thing and sort out the HVAC and condensation drops which is the only thing left on my fix list. Before the warranty ends please.

With regards to your steak analogy, if it was a new chef with no experience, just because you paid for Michelin star food, would you expect perfection every time, or would you choose the chef with the experience to back up the reliability of consistent quality

 

[HereinDaRockies]

Perhaps the poorly bled vehicles were built on Fridays during wine & cheese hour?

 

[CRH]

Perhaps the poorly bled vehicles were built on Fridays during wine & cheese hour?

They are French, every day is a Friday

 

[Jeremy996]

If that is the case, then I'm sorry, but this (particularly given the number of vehicles that seem to be affected) is completely unacceptable Quality Control or Procedure from the factory. There is really no excuse for the truck being delivered from the factory low on coolant and/or improperly bled. It may be tricky to bleed, I'm sure they use a vacuum fill solution that should alleviate that. Sounds more like poor workmanship/care on the final production line. That being said, and particularly given its prevalence, there also seem like no excuse for dealers not checking for/remedying this in presale inspections..

But I suspect, given Ineo's response that engineers are working on a solution and not to expect resolution form your dealer, that while this may be contributory (and apparently somewhat wide spread) there is probably a bigger issue at play as well..

Both of my Grenadiers were early builds, February and April 2023, so I expect they were still towards the bottom of the learning curve. Vacuum filling is not foolproof and looking at the BMW fora, even BMWs have issues. Chandlers, my delivery agent took it very seriously, got advice from Ineos and made sure the car was bled from cold, kept topped up and made sure all of the flaps/motors worked.

My second Grenadier has had no HVAC issues in my hands, but was originally Mark Tennant's car and was maintained by Halliwell Jones Deva, who seem to be properly switched on.

Back in my days in the motor trade, (more than 40 years ago), PDIs were no fun, especially if you had the misfortune to work for an Austin Rover dealer, (I worked for Porsche, hardest job was getting the protective wax off), as you never knew quite what miss-built dog would come off the transporter. I earnt a lot of overtime, moonlighting at the ARG dealer, putting on missing starters, alternators, distributors and random switches, as disputes at Lucas had an impact on line build.

 

[HeavyFoot]

On all cars I leave my temp set to full hot or full cold and use the fan speed to adjust the temperature when I’m comfortable. For me, the set up would be fine if the fan speed were continuous rather than stepped speeds. 1 blows a bit high for my style of temp control. But I work outside and have driven cars without AC or broken fan motors and don’t care enough for it to affect my opinion of the car.

 

[Skydance]

With regards to your steak analogy, if it was a new chef with no experience, just because you paid for Michelin star food, would you expect perfection every time, or would you choose the chef with the experience to back up the reliability of consistent quality

Michelin star restaurant would make sure the chef is fully trained before letting him loose on the grill. It’s the restaurant’s reputation. Sometimes, you only get one chance if customers don’t like it, they never come back.

 

[OkGo]

With regards to your steak analogy, if it was a new chef with no experience, just because you paid for Michelin star food, would you expect perfection every time, or would you choose the chef with the experience to back up the reliability of consistent quality

If a Michelin star place rolled out a new chef who had never cooked before... Well, there you have it. The Ineos Grenadier experience. Right there.