Mercedes S 400 Blue HybridParking Heaters Only at the FBS Webasto Service Center

FRANKFURT--The FBS Webasto Service Center in Frankfurt am Main is the only automotive aftermarket installer in Germany that can retrofit parking heaters in the new Mercedes S-Class Hybrid model. In this respect the company is able to draw on more than 20 years of experience as a specialist provider of aftermarket products for all makes of vehicle.

Parking heaters are not factory-fitted as standard in the Mercedes S 400 Blue Hybrid. Nevertheless FBS has found a technical solution that enables it to install parking heaters in modern luxury vehicles. As on other Mercedes models the system is operated via the multi-function steering wheel and can also be operated using Mercedes’ Telestart remote control. Drivers of the new S-Class are thus provided with the level of comfort they are used to. Furthermore the parking heater is installed in such a way as to enable it to be repaired and overhauled by any authorised Mercedes workshop.

A parking heater has a positive impact on a vehicle’s environmental footprint, and it enhances ride comfort during the cold season. But how does that work? As a rule, 90 percent of the vehicles on German roads – in particular in conurbations – have to start from cold. You think that the vehicle is warm, because the interior is already at the right temperature. The engine however has to travel an average of 25 kilometres before it reaches its optimum operating temperature, at which exhaust emissions are then lower and meet the vehicle manufacturers’ specifications. Where cold starts are involved, the figures are substantially worse.

Parking heaters – and that is also relevant for hybrid vehicles – pre-heat the engine. That increases ride comfort. For people who want to travel during winter months, do not have to scrape ice off their windows and windscreens, they can get straight into a warm vehicle and the engine has been pre-heated to operating temperature. That goes easy on the engineering and results in lower exhaust emissions.

However on many types of vehicle, installation of a parking heater is technically complicated or cannot be ordered ex-factory, given low demand. “We are pleased that we have nevertheless found a technical solution that enables us to install parking heaters, even in the S 400 Blue Hybrid“, Frank Wohlrab, CEO of FBS explained. “The series of tests has now been completed, meaning vehicles can be fitted with parking heaters in time for winter.”

As far as parking heaters are concerned, FBS Webasto Service Center is the factory vendor for various manufacturers, particularly in the premium segment. In addition to installation and maintenance of these systems, the Frankfurt-based company’s range of services includes retrofitting, checking and servicing air-conditioning, LPG systems, multimedia equipment and other systems that make driving more comfortable, safer and more environmentally friendly. In this respect FBS is an expert in retrofitting non-factory-supported systems. From classic cars to roadsters and from vans to trucks, all makes of passenger and commercial vehicle, no matter when they were manufactured, are in good hands at the FBS workshop. The company meets the high standards of leading manufacturers in its capacity as the Rhine-Main Webasto Service Center and as a partner of Webasto – Dometic-Waeco – Landi Renzo – Eberspächer – Becker.