Patent ID: 8302384

Claim:
A method for operating a motor vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: providing the motor vehicle with a drive and an exhaust system having at least one controllable heating device to be placed in contact with exhaust gas; (a) detecting at least one operating parameter of the exhaust system, wherein the operating parameter is a temperature of the exhaust gas or a temperature of an exhaust gas cleaning component; (b) determining at least one influential variable of the heating device, wherein the influential variable is a temperature increase potential of a heating power for a given exhaust gas mass flow; (c) comparing the at least one influential variable with a target parameter of the exhaust system, wherein the target parameter is a predefined value of the operating parameter of the exhaust system; (d) activating the heating device in such a way that the operating parameter reaches the target parameter, whereby the heating device is only activated when the operating parameter is able to reach the target parameter; and denying an external activation request of the heating device when the influential variable determined in step (b) is not sufficient to insure that the operating parameter is able to reach the target parameter as required in step (d); wherein steps (a)-(d) are started when the drive is activated, steps (a)-(d) are carried out continuously after being started, and steps (a)-(d) are ended when the drive is deactivated.