Hi -

I purchased a 2001 A6 2.7T in Texas and 8 months ago moved to upstate New York. The cars first real winter was ok - but I noticed that on colder days anywhere below 20 degrees 0 which are quite common for a couple of months at a time, the car would start fine, but when first starting, it seemed like it didn't want to get out of gear. I would sorta chug along for the first 30 seconds or so, but after that, would act normally. I change the oil (synthetic) regularly and the vehicle has 60,000K. I am still under warranty until November - but I don't live near a dealership (3 hours away) so I'd hate to incur the costs and time if it's a normal thing. Any ideas?

Thanks
JJO

 

On very cold starts (around 0 degrees F), it takes a bit longer for the transmission to shift the first time. 30 seconds seems excessive, 5 seconds is more typical for me.

 

i know what ur talking about. mine does the same thing(takes awhile to shift). just try the best you can to not let it go too far past 2000 rpm until your oil temp gets to optimal temp. it can be hard on the turbos.

 

That's what brutally cold weather does to a car. It feels like molasses in the engine and drivetrain until it starts to warm up. (I lived in Saratoga Springs NYfor 15 years.) Just drive it gently until it starts to warm up and be very careful of hard acceleration until the oil termperature needle starts to move. It would be real easy to damage the turbo when the oil is"thick" and doing a poor job of lubricating.