Can anyone explain why Webasto diesel heater prices are so different on the internet.

[Sam Woodbridge]

I have a Webasto Air Top Evo 55. I want to buy a second one for a back up. The prices on the internet are as cheap as $1399.00 to $2500 from the Seattle Wa dealer. Both prices are for the unit and not the kit. Does anyone know if there is a marine use one and a standard use one?

But mainly does anyone know why the prices are so different. I would really like to gain more understanding before buying one.

Thank you - Sam

[Shrew]

Is the Dealer a brick and mortar vendor?

Is the online vendor going to profit from shipping and handling fees ?(very common).

How legitimate is the online vendor?

[Pete7]

Sam, there is a UK dealer who swears they are different. Me? I am not convinced and put a truck one in my yacht. However, there are some differences with the various attachments you need to be aware of. Firstly a truck variety isn't going to have a through hull fitting. Mine was $30 from Turkey and looks very well made even if it was a copy. Secondly there is an exhaust silencer on the truck version which has a hole in it to drain condensate. You really don't want to fit this item inside a yacht.

If you already have one fitted, then you won't need the extra bits, so if it was me, I would just buy the truck / RV version, keep the fuel filter as a spare and sell on the bits you don't need.

Pete

[Sam Woodbridge]

Shrew, thank you for your reply. As far as I know the dealer is a normal brick and mortar store. The online vendor is out of the UK and receptive of emails and he sent me the manual and parts book for the heater he sells which seems to be the same. So, I don’t know what to think yet.

Pete7, thank you for the reply. You gave me a lot of good info!

[Sailor Ray]

Webasto sells to the truck market. Most 18 wheelers in the Us have a Webasto heater. That may explain the difference
- boating clientele perception have money to burn.

[Pete7]

Who is the UK dealer?

I use these folk, family business were the bloke in the stores walked around the shelves looking at bit to make me a 90' bend with two male ends that would split in the middle, and he worked it out. One part Webasto and another from a Webby. That's the sort of business I want to deal with when things go wrong.

https://www.butlertechnik.com/

[Sam Woodbridge]

Sailor Ray, thank you

Pete7, thank you for the link. The website I was looking at is https://www.heatso.com/webasto-air-heaters/

[mick russell]

There are a lot of money making middle men in the marine industry. I have fitted a Planar 4KW diesel heater on my 40ft steel yacht. Total cost of purchase and delivery was $1100.
Works extremely well, had 4000+ hours so far. Keeps the boat very comfortable at around 20°C through the winter, is a very quiet unit, located in our cabin and doesn't disturb sleep.
But, as always there are imitations and cheap alternative options, but my opinion not worth the risk.
You do need a through hull fitting for the exhaust.
Prices through various chandlers vary by more than $400, and through installers by the same kind of amount, so variables from $1100 up to $2,200

[cal40john]

I don't know how reliable this is, I thought I remember getting it from the source but it's been too many years to remember where I actually heard it from.

They provide larger gauge wires - a boat usually has a longer run for the wires and runs more often with the engine off so lower voltage. The heater has a low voltage shutdown feature which can be tripped especially when it's drawing 20-25 amps in startup with the glow plug on.

They take out the thermistor that's in the air flow and replace with a component that fakes out the control board that air is always cold, then supplies a thermostat - The lower heat settings supposedly coke up the heater faster, so the heater is only on high, and is turned on and off by a room thermostat to maintain the temperature.

I have a regular Webasto. I turn the rheostat supplied with the heater full on until the boat is hot then turn it off, a manual human thermostat that only runs the heater at high power. (I don't live on the boat, and PNW is nice to have heat to take the edge off.)
I removed the house and start batteries in the bow (previous racer owners put them there to trim boat bow down to get a better race rating) and used the 00 (or 000?) gauge wire to create a subpanel near the heater.

On a separate note -
The starter on the boat's engine spins a lot faster once the start battery was inches from the engine compartment.

[250224]

Mick, you are talking about a Planar (Autoterm). Obviously this is not Webasto; Autoterm is much cheaper than Webasto, nothing to do with middle men, you cannot compare prices. There are even much much cheaper China heaters (but personally I wouldn't go there)

[mick russell]

Originally Posted by blu3534

Mick, you are talking about a Planar (Autoterm). Obviously this is not Webasto; Autoterm is much cheaper than Webasto, nothing to do with middle men, you cannot compare prices. There are even much much cheaper China heaters (but personally I wouldn't go there)

Absolutely agree, my point mostly pointing out a more affordable reliable heater on the market. Webasto as with many other equipments vary in price dramatically dependent upon dealers and installers.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

We just had to replace our 20 year old Air Top and I got the replacement from the Seattle brick and mortar dealer - Sure Marine in the Ballard area in Seattle. They were more expensive than online, but whenever I called and needed info regarding the installation of the replacement, they were very informative, pleasant, and patiently answered all my questions.

The brick and mortar issue as well as the great customer service is most likely what is driving the cost difference, but in my case, I am ok with that. This is my third successful experience with Sure Marine. I dealt with Graham in the Service dept. and highly recommend him and Sure Marine in general.

[goboatingnow]

The Chinese heaters are quite ok actually. You need to replace some ancillaries.

Webesto and Eber heaters are almost always supplied into the oem market , hence retail pricing is “ what you can get “

Note that the differences from Eber between the truck and the marine One are all down to accessories , the basic heater and controls are the same

[Sam Woodbridge]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

Smokey’s Kitchen, sure marine in Seattle is who I called for a price. They where very helpful, but expensive.

[Scott Berg]

Originally Posted by Sam Woodbridge

Thank you for the replies everyone.

Smokey’s Kitchen, sure marine in Seattle is who I called for a price. They where very helpful, but expensive.

SureMarine in Seattle is a great dealer with outstanding after sales support. That isn't free. They provide warranty support for Webasto gear regardless if they sold it or another dealer did. I've found them well worth the extra up front cost for outstanding tech support and service. They are the gold standard in the industry. You can always find a 'drop shipper' online who buys a pallet of gear and dumps it on his/her website or Amazon but in general I refer my clients to long standing professionals who service what the they sell. The price delta between the 'online' site and theirs is what funds that quality after sales support. YMMV...