YKallroad

To deal with the -40 temperature in Yellowknife, I fitted an oil pan heater from ProHeat Products Inc (www.engineheaters.com) They were great to deal with and installation was very easy. $68.75 plus shipping.

The Model 512 fits the 2.7T oil pan perfectly.


I loaded up on the kit-supplied high heat silicone.

allroad'n

that definitely looks like something that would be worth the money. do you just plug it in to an extension cord? or does it run off the car battery.

YKallroad

There's about four feet of extension cord that you can route out the grill. 8 years up north taught me that grilles break at -40, so I routed it to poke out under the hood. Easier to store away in the summer that way too.

aTOMic

I had one on my '96 E320 and it performed flawlessly for ten years, warming the oil on those frigid 29 degree Fahrenheit mornings. I forgot the brand name and would like to add one to the A8, so thanks for reminding me of the company's name.

The E320 had a ~6" x 10" panel near the fog light which snapped out for the tow hook, I routed my cord so it ended up there, that way it was completely hidden when not in use yet I could stuff the ~3' cord into the area behind that little grille.

John's MTM Allroad

Severe cold kills batteries very quickly. Do you use a heater pad under the battery to keep it warm?

YKallroad

I haven't installed one yet, but yes, I have used them on all my vehicles up north.

John's MTM Allroad

HI there,
I'm getting ready for winter, have ordered a Thor Skid Plate aluminium shield, like the idea of your heater pad for the oil pan and wondered if you are using a specific battery pad for keeping the battery warm at those -40° temps? I will install the heater pad before installing the skid plate but can also get the battery pad installed at the same time. Your comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John

YKallroad

I don't remember the name of the battery heating pad, but I believe it was a 40W model, nothing fancy. $75 up here in NWT, probably cost you $45 down south.

John's MTM Allroad

Thanks for that. I was also thinking about routing the cords through the tow ring outlet in the front of the car - might even keep the tow ring installed during the winter, would save the hassle of figuring out where to hook on in case of getting stuck in deep snow.

DieselMichael

Did it improve cold starting?