I have a 2001 TT Quattro that I have driven infrequently over the last several years (almost at 70K miles, reached 50K in 2004). I live in the Minneapolis area and drive the car about 1K/year, garaging it over the winter.

Lately it is taking longer to start. The battery is kept on a charger and the starter seems strong. It's just taking longer to fire up. This only appears to be the case during the first startup after sitting for a weeks or so. If I start it again later in the day, it fires right up. Any suggestions? My guess is new plugs and leads, but I suppose it could be related to the fuel system.

If it is the plugs, any issues removing the old ones on this engine? Should the threads get anti-seize or should they be left bare? I don't recall when they were changed last, but I had all of the routine service done. My guess is they were changed to the 50K tune-up.

Thanks,
Mike

 

I use anti-seize on any dissimilar metal contacts. Spark plugs are no different. Just a little bit. Makes it a hell of lot easier to get them out the next time.

It does kind of sound like a fuel pressure issue though. If it were the plugs and leads, you'd have a misfiring or rough running condition. It also could just be a bit of moisture in the gas tank that accumulates when it sits for while. It'll settle to the bottom of the tank and get sucked into the system on that first start up.

Is the check engine light on? If so, pull the OBD codes. It might tell you what the issue is instead of guessing.