MG Airscarf, defroster and airflow mods. 'How to'

Mercedes Benz introduced an 'Airscarf' in their new Cabriolet. An airscarf blows warm, or cold air onto the driver and passengers neck and shoulder areas. It also tends to warm up the seat back nicely.

It operates using the existing heating system and is really quite simple to do. It costs around £6.50 per seat to do this mod. The Mercedes brochure says this -

The 'Airscarf' is a popular option that works very effectively to warm the occupants' necks when travelling top-down and this costs an extra — but not unreasonable — £350. For the UK weather, it really is a 'must-have' item.

So, £350 or £6.50 for hot air. It's a 'no brainer' really.


If you want to do the mod for yourself and your passenger here is 'how to' do it. The video and pics below show what it does and how it can look when finished - The 'final look' is ultimately your own individual choice.

I fitted thermometers to gauge temperature improvements using the airscarf.















A simple scented air freshener with spinning vents. These can be colour coded to suit your car and when you complete your journey you will smell like a pine forest or a peppermint. :lol:






Old Range Rover Vogue vents. Sprayed with dash shine to look like new.






A slot grill from an old PC.




Other members / owners submissions -




How to make an airscarf -
It only takes around ten minutes or so, once you have the parts, to have the mod up and running. If you want an airscarf for both seats, you will need two 'Henry Hoover pipes'. They're £6.49 each on fleabay currently. I used them as they're much cheaper than ducting pipes but channel the hot air just as well.

Any reasonable diameter ducting pipe, up to around 40mm wide, can be used. Another chap used 28mm fishpond pipe and reported that it worked well. You will need approx 7ft ducting pipe for each airscarf. The hoover pipes are 2.5m long. That's around 7ft.


Cut off both end bits. So, all you have left is the long 2.5m pipe.


Slip the pipe under the seat and up the back of it. My storage bags provide good cover. But you won't see the pipe once the seat is pushed back into its' usual position.


Remove the footwell light panel and insert the pipe.






Resecure the footlight panel.



Insert the other end of the pipe under the headrest. The headrest holds it firmly in place. I didn't cut the pipe as I wanted to use it for the 'Defroster mod' which you will see shortly.


This is how it should look now. Feel free to test the airflow on your neck at this point.





The new Airscarf mod is in position and working. But it's not as pretty as it could be. It will be up to the owner to make it look nice by finding a suitable cover for the pipe showing under the headrest. Alternatively, you could just hide the pipe behind the seat when not in use. I found that I now use mine daily, roof up or roof down. Warm air is always nice.

Below there are pics of prototype cardboard shapes that provide the best hot airflow to the back and neck. Try to find something that looks nice, like I did, but still directs air to where you want it.

Best airflow prototype shapes.




Showing what's visible once it's done.










Further mod adjustments - 06/11/11 - Taped around the vents to maximise airflow to the headrest pipes.


View from behind the taped vents.


View from above when closed. Nothing shows.






Driving around on a night that was minus -3C below freezing point. The airscarf provided 31.9C heat to the drivers neck and back area. You can't beat hot air on your back and neck when it's that cold.



Here's another look that I tried. I didn't particularly like it though. Your look will be up to you.




The Defroster mod

Click here for defroster mod pics in use in icy conditions.

Our cars, if you have a plastic screen fitted, don't have a a rear screen defroster.

I figured that most of us will have the roof up when it's icey and therefore we won't be using the airscarf. So, by simply pulling the pipe from the headrest, and pointing it towards the rear window, it should melt the ice in a short time. You can then drop the roof safely minimising the likelihood of cracking the rear windsceen panel.






That's it. Two simple yet effective mods that don't cost the earth. Hope you try them yourselves and are as impressed as I am with them.

Notes;-
1. Point the heater towards the windscreen setting if the airscarf becomes too hot for you, or too cold in the morning until it warms up.

2. Tribute is paid to David Aiketgate, PQD44 and Broon who inspired me to do this mod. For further info click here.

3. Another person tried this mod with a 'washing machine discharge hose' and reported that the benefits were negligible, unless on full fan setting, probably due to too small a bore circumference on the hose. In that case, I would add that you must ensure a good seal at the place where the pipe connects to the vent by using tape or sponge if there isn't enough force to push the air out at the headrest area. Mine is sufficiently warm on setting number 2 on the fan, once the engine is warm, because I modded the vents with some tape to stop air escaping around the pipe. That effectively feeds the air into the pipe correctly. It then goes to where it is required, at the headrest outlet.

4. The colder it is outside. The more you feel the benefit of this heat. Especially if you're a 'top down nut' like me. :broon:
It does work equally well with the roof up. Or so my wife tells me.

5. If you want storage bags like mine. They're here;-

Storage bags link, click here.







I tried the mod with 2 airflow pipes (one in each of the footwell heater vent apertures, shown in the pic below). They both fitted well enough and were not too inconspicuous. It allowed me to turn the heater down to level 2, a slight noise decrease from level 3, but no real difference in the job it was doing in keeping me warm. So, one pipe is plenty. Around town I use setting one. Two or three when driving up to 80 mph on the motorway.



Update January 2012 - On my drive home from work at night I check the thermometer attached to the top of the airscarf vent when I have to stops at lights etc. The thermometer usually shows between 25c and 35c. Considering the ambient temp outside has been as low as minus -9c, the airscarf is perfect for nullifying the windchilled draft I used to suffer across my shoulders. A perfect little mod at a perfect little price. Should you ever decide to make your own, then feel free to ask any questions that arise as you do so.

Update June 2012 - 11200 miles done in the car. Roof up for 470 of those miles. That's a pretty good ratio for a ragtop in the UK. Now, something that never occurred to me. On those rare hot Summer days, the airscarf blows cold too.

Works well on a 1998 MGF in New Zealand. Passengers side is a bit of a tight fit otherwise inconspicuous. Off to the ski fields to give it a real test!
Many thanks for a great easy 1 hr mod. Wish I'd had one of these on my 57 MGA.
Alan

Much obliged Alan and :welcome: to the T-Bar.

Don't forget the pics please... and your woolly hat.

Out of interest Alan, did you have to do any splicing or cutting of airpipe ducts with the F at all?

Having seen Leighs in the flesh, I have to say what a good looking mod

Leigh
The mode into an F is just as you detail. There is plenty of room to duct the pipe along under the central consul with out restricting airflow from th e rear vent to footwell area.

Not splicing required. The only mod was a ziplock cable tie at the rear of the seat rail ( there is a small hole above the rear mounting bolt on the tunnel side and I simple slipped a tie through this and secured the pipe at this point) this allowed the seat to move easily for and raft without pulling on pipe.

I used air vent from (& hate to say this a Toyota) which provided a small adjustable vent from below stealing column with flexible pipe connector which I simply fitted inside my ducting pipe. Parts cost $10 NZ and I found $12 under the seat when I was fishing around net cost $2 profit

Works well especially with the Windstopper installed as well.

If I can figure out how to get pics onto your site I'll post some.

Thinking it would be nice to add an outlet between the back and seat bottom mmm might need to rin the fan on 4 to get enough air flow or add a small 12volt computer fan inline to aid airflow could simply be spliced into the ducting under the seat with power switched from heater fan control.

Not sure if I want to meddle with my 2004 80th Anniversay car, I'm desperately trying to keep it as original only 10,000 km on the clock and completely original.

Regards
Alan

What a great 'write up' Alan.

This made me really laugh out loud! :lol: Thanks!

Parts cost $10 NZ and I found $12 under the seat when I was fishing around net cost $2 profit

Yes, go ahead and mod it further if you like. Any improvements are always welcome (even if they fail). I've also considered similar ways to pump air into the seat in the past 10 months. But, to be fair, with the daytona seats being half material, they're quite warm anyhow.

I've only seen one other 80th Anniversary car in the flesh and it has gorgeous suede seats. It belongs to a young lad named 'Chris' on the forum. There's some pics of it in Jan's BBQ thread on here (Page 20, Click here for pics it'll save you some time). What material are your seats Alan?

I suppose I'll see soon enough. Thanks for replying and I look forward to seeing those pics. I'm glad the airscarf helped keep you warm on your trip to the snowfields and it's great to have a Kiwi onboard at the T-Bar. Enjoy yourself and have a good look around the guides section. It might come in handy. :broon:


October 2012 - Winter's upon us once more in the UK and Europe and whether you have the top down or a hard top fitted you might want to put some warm air at the top of the car and around your head with one of these devices.

Here's some pics showing how their look has evolved in the relatively short lifetime of the airscarf or 'airwave' as Peugeot calls it.

I am looking around the forum for pictures/feedback on what people have used for venting at the headrest. I have looked on Ebay for range rover vogue vents or other alternative venting, I just cant make my mind up what look I want or something that will provide the best airflow direction.

Can you please throw up your ideas/outcomes of what else was or could be used.

Cheers

This was my version:-


Defrost Vent / Demister Outlet 2" 51mm Kit Car Locost Completed
Defrost Vent / Demister Outlet 2" 51mm Kit Car Locost Completed

I'll pop one of mine in the morn

Thanks chaps!

Are the actual screw holes of the vent being used David?

Sorry David, are you using just the vent section or with the outlet section also being used?

I used the whole thing and attached the hose to the rear of the vent. It did need a filler to secure the hose as the vent is larger diameter than the hose. I still have them lying about somewhere, I think.