VXOC Astra-J/GTC

<<<THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, THREAD WILL BE INCOMPLETE  AND MAY CONTAIN INVALID INFORMATION UNTILL FURTHER NOTICE>>>

*this how to is heavily based on a russian howto, and pictures are temporarily used, credit goes to Sarzamas & GSN.
*This tutorial is for a LEFT HAND DRIVE Astsra. (steering wheel on the left)
*Any help and suggestions with this tutorial is highly welcomed

Howdy folks,

During these winter days, i notice my vehicle is very slow to warm up.
As it's a diesel, it'll also clog up the DPF quickly if i leave it running overnight.

So there was a option called "Quickheat", which is basically a big electric heating element.
It turns on the moment your car is running and the heater dial is turned on. Quick-heat will help defrost when the outside temp is less than 13c
Once your vehicle is warmed up, Quick-heat will turn off and let the engine heat take over.


installation (car fully prepared):

Things you'll need:

-Quickheat element. GM 13276270 or GM 13265204
These are horribly expensive new, and i highly recommend find them used. These can be found in the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira, Insignia, Meriva / Chevrolet Cruze & Orlando.


Here we go!

Pull off the side panel that sits next to the glovebox, this is held in with clips. Can be quite stiff. (MIND THE AIRBAG SWITCH)
Then unscrew the 4 bolts holding the glovebox in it's place. the glovebox then just pulls out.


Remove the lower kick panels of your lower console, these are held in with clips and can be pulled off easily.
I find that the easiest method is prying behind the seam that sits closest to the seat.


Remove the rubber matt in your middle console, then pry the plastic plate out. P


pull off the gearbox boot, this just pulls off.


unscrew the two screws holding the center trim panel in place, then pull it up.
You don't need to remove the entire panel, just high enough for the upper kick panel to slide out.


Remove the upper kick panel by sliding it towards you, DO NOT try to pull it off.


Remove the plastic airduct by removing the two bolts that hold it in place. The duct will need a little bit of maneuvring to pull out.




Remove the cover plate on the heater housing, it's clipped in. Very fragile however...

 
Insert the quickheat element as pictured below, big power connectors to the left, and the control plug to the right. You'll need to provide your own self tapping screws.


The smaller control plug can be find hidden somewhere in the dashboard. it usually sits on the same wire that goes to the glovebox light, or can be pushed somewhere close to the passenger airbag.

The large connector for the the power wires can be found hidden underneath the carpet. on the other side of the lower console.
Simply remove the kick panel of the left side and search underneath the carpet, you'll find it taped away.


Plug everything into the unit.
Make sure the fusebox underneath has the 100a fuse connected.
You may need to provide your own fuse,  if the cable is not visible in the fusebox, it's tucked away underneath the fusebox or coolant bottle




The retrofit is complete!
All that is left is having it programmed, this can be done at your local Vauxhall / Opel dealer,
or Rusty of course.

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SEE BELOW IF YOUR VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE WIRING OR HALF WIRING FOR QUICKHEAT


installation car half or not prepared:

-Control wiring

Remove your middle console, and radio as shown in rusty tutorial

-Large power wiring:
W.I.P.

-Quickheat plug (element didn't come with the plug)
W.I.P.


Wiring diagram & connectors:



G111 = Ground

E41 X2 = Power plug

E40 X1 = control plug

pin1  0.35mm² '3195' Violet "Quickheat   "heater control"
pin2  0.50mm² "39"   Violet/Darkgreen    "run/crank ignition 1 voltage"
pin4  0.35mm² '3196' Yellow/Dark green "quickheat status signal"


K33 x2 = plug HVAC module

pin5  0.35mm² '3196' Yellow/Dark green "quickheat status signal"
pin7  0.35mm² '3195' Violet "Quickheat   "heater control"

Hi, what's the status of this retrofit?
It's still labeled as a work in progress, but seems quite complete to me

Also, are you sure programming is needed?

I'm running a 1.6 CDTI Astra J and this winter the coldest one since I bought the car and it takes a million years to heat up.
And as I have no heated seats or steering wheel I'm freezing
So I'm looking into this retrofit.

Hello Mila, i never finished this retrofit guide but it's  fairly complete. 
Just have to do a bunch of error corrections and format it properly.

However i no longer have a J, and have exited the Vauxhall/Opel retrofititng scene

Thanks for the info!

Do you remember about the programming?

(17:th-Mar-2021, 19:54:29)_Mita Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the info!

Do you remember about the programming?

Yes, no VCI required.

SPS > HVAC > Enable C32.

GDS2 may still show the module malfunctioning, but it always worked fine.

Thanks!

I have done this to mine and it works a treat, needs a bit more testing though.

(18:th-Mar-2021, 06:26:46)Lansa Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, no VCI required.

SPS > HVAC > Enable C32.

GDS2 may still show the module malfunctioning, but it always worked fine.

Does that mean, it's even possible via VAUXCOM/OPCOM-Module?

Only with MDI in afraid.

No go in opcom

You can only program with SPS and a J2534 interface.

OPCOM isn't really usefull for the J at all. The only thing you can program is some exta menu's in the IPC.