well im not really sure how well its working. It starts fine, just runs rough. I don't think my car likes our climate. defintiely likes the snow tho

 

my car doesn't like to start cold and immediately be driven. It needs at least a couple minutes to warm up, otherwise it feels a little sluggish.

 

Probably doesn't have a block heater, unless it was specificaly ordered. Look around for a dangling electrical cord

Btw, -20F is colder than -20C, and wind chill doesn't affect engine starting.

I used to live in Regina, so I know cold too.

 

When it's real cold, you don't really want to leave your engine idiling. You want to be moving within 30-sec. or maybe a minute of starting the engine. Its easier for the engine to warm itself up if you're giving it gas. Just keep the rpms under 3K until the engine gets warm. Pretty sure thats what it says in the manual. I will say that my engine sometimes stuggles when I move from park to drive (auto tranny) but its never actually died.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Upstate NY can get chilly by most standards, but you canucks are straight-up eskimos.

 

yeah my clutch like the cold weather least of all...until I drive it for about 10 minutes it feels like I've got a clutch from a 3 ton truck.

 

dealership said they dont use block heaters...oil pan heater for $300!!!

Well i left it outside last night...big ´mistake, car barely started and now my airbag light is on!!! MINUS 30 geeeezus

IM ORDERING A VAGCOM FRIDAY...can u clear the airbag code with zour vag?

 

Thats what Mine does when its cold, if I let the car sit for 5 minutes, it doesn't have a problem shifting... I'm just afraid I'm going to mess up something, because it feels like the tranny is slipping, however I know its only because of being cold, when its warm, it has no problems whatsoever. I really need to take the snowmobiles out of the garage, and put my car in it.

EDIT - It was -12 degrees last night when JP A4 and I had to go rescue our broken down friend at 1:00 a.m.

 

idtrav: just came back fro mmy mechanic who installed an oil pan heater instead of a block heater which i thought i was getting.apparently there is no pre-drilled hole for the standard plug type block heater. cost for part was $140 from a shop here in winnipeg. he didnt charge for labour because the install is rediculously easy. let me know if you want the name of the parts supplier. and i agree, quattro is soooo wasted on our southern friends!

 

Hey Joel, can you give me the name of the supplier for that, maybe a part number? I'm in Winnipeg as well, I was just quoted from a guy in Winkler a total price of $380 w/ synth. oil change, so I think that's a little excessive. Where can I find this oil pan heater, and could I actually install it myself or would it best be done by someone?

What car do you have - mine's an A4 2004 quattro. I also agree, that quattro is unbelievable here in Winnipeg, especially with dedicated snow tires - better than most 4x4's out there. I've had a few AWD's (Forester, Toyota Celica All-trac) so I've been a big believer in this for a while. Nothing like it for highway road safety, especially yesterday if you were out on the roads/highways.

 

Totally agree its unbelievably cold here in Red Deer -36. As well I don't know where the block heater in mine is or if I have one haha.