Block Heater Q5
11-25-2012, 11:30 AM
#21
AudiWorld Member
As far as I know, if not a specific Audi part, at least VW. Had ours put in at time of purchase last December and I like to plug mine in as soon as it goes below -10 to -15 C - I figure it's just a lot easier on the vehicle and a relatively minor cost given what I paid for the vehicle and so far plan to keep it for the long haul.
11-25-2012, 12:45 PM
#22
AudiWorld Super User
Yes, that's somewhere warm 
. I typically don't worry about it until my car is going to be parked for more than a couple hours in temperatures below -20°C.
That said, when I expressed surprise to the dealer that my Q5 didn't come equipped with a pan heater, they said they don't do them on any models with the longitudinal 2.0T engine. Those of you who had a dealer install a pan heater, is it an Audi part, or an aftermarket heater?
. I typically don't worry about it until my car is going to be parked for more than a couple hours in temperatures below -20°C.That said, when I expressed surprise to the dealer that my Q5 didn't come equipped with a pan heater, they said they don't do them on any models with the longitudinal 2.0T engine. Those of you who had a dealer install a pan heater, is it an Audi part, or an aftermarket heater?
Last edited by spijun; 11-25-2012 at 12:50 PM.
11-26-2012, 06:20 AM
#23
AudiWorld Member
Spijun is right - just checked with the local Audi dealer and I was mistaken about the pan heater being Audi/VW sourced - dealer here in Edmonton sources the pan heaters locally from aftermarket supplier. Still happy I got it installed.
12-18-2016, 05:16 AM
#24
My 1969 bug had a oil pan heater that looked like an electric charcoal starter :-) attached to the fins. That car required you to drive with one hand so you could you use your free hand to scrape the interior of the windscreen until the pathetic heat made it to the cabin. The 50 cent/day parking lot at one of the universities I attended had power at every parking spot... those were the days.
/dan
/dan
12-18-2016, 08:12 AM
#25
AudiWorld Super User
spijun-
In the 70's I had the pleasure of leaving my car out overnight when the temperature dropped to 0F (in the US, we call zero zero, and we laugh at how "zero centigrade" is still so warm) and the wind chill brought it down to twenty below zero, I actually saw the oil pressure gauge take almost 30 seconds to come up to normal pressure--when it usually came up "instantly". That's what cold weather does to conventional 10W-40 motor oils.
Of course the new 0W-40 full synthetics are an incredible improvement, and they have radically different thin-film properties, so they lubricate much better in the cold than any conventional oil would have. But even then...cold oils don't lubricate during the critical first few revolutions of the engine, the way warmer oils do.
In Minnesota, in Canada, all sorts of places where subzero (Fahrenheit!) temperatures are normal, engine block heaters are also normal among serious owners. Some are heating pads that attach under the oil pan, to keep the oil warm. Some are heated dipsticks, or electric blankets that go over the entire engine.
I've never seen testing or numbers that show how much better the new oils actually do, but I'd bet the heaters still provide an advantage. The thinner oil also allows for less of a load on the starter motor--and since cold kills batteries, that engine oil heater might also give your battery and starter a break.
In Finland, of course, both the drivers and their cars are held to a higher standard than they are over here.(G)
In the 70's I had the pleasure of leaving my car out overnight when the temperature dropped to 0F (in the US, we call zero zero, and we laugh at how "zero centigrade" is still so warm) and the wind chill brought it down to twenty below zero, I actually saw the oil pressure gauge take almost 30 seconds to come up to normal pressure--when it usually came up "instantly". That's what cold weather does to conventional 10W-40 motor oils.
Of course the new 0W-40 full synthetics are an incredible improvement, and they have radically different thin-film properties, so they lubricate much better in the cold than any conventional oil would have. But even then...cold oils don't lubricate during the critical first few revolutions of the engine, the way warmer oils do.
In Minnesota, in Canada, all sorts of places where subzero (Fahrenheit!) temperatures are normal, engine block heaters are also normal among serious owners. Some are heating pads that attach under the oil pan, to keep the oil warm. Some are heated dipsticks, or electric blankets that go over the entire engine.
I've never seen testing or numbers that show how much better the new oils actually do, but I'd bet the heaters still provide an advantage. The thinner oil also allows for less of a load on the starter motor--and since cold kills batteries, that engine oil heater might also give your battery and starter a break.
In Finland, of course, both the drivers and their cars are held to a higher standard than they are over here.(G)
12-18-2016, 04:39 PM
#26
AudiWorld Super User
Redd
Perhaps you supposed to try to contact Audi engineers in Ingolstadt and to them that you suggest production block heater
In many countries where it is cold there is an option supplementary heater (Webasto) -why not on US market, I do not know
Perhaps you supposed to try to contact Audi engineers in Ingolstadt and to them that you suggest production block heater
In many countries where it is cold there is an option supplementary heater (Webasto) -why not on US market, I do not know
12-18-2016, 06:36 PM
#27
AudiWorld Super User
Spijun-
If we Colonials are the only folks who want engine block heaters, I doubt Audi would be able to sell enough to motivate them. This is to warm up the engine oil, not the passenger cabin. They are simple and cheap to add to any car, so not a problem here.
On the Webasto heaters, I think you mean those are auxiliary diesel heaters for the cabin? Like the Espar/Esbacher heaters used on buses and trucks? Here, Audi uses an auxiliary electric heating element until the engine has enough heat for the cabin, so that's not necessary on their cars.
If we Colonials are the only folks who want engine block heaters, I doubt Audi would be able to sell enough to motivate them. This is to warm up the engine oil, not the passenger cabin. They are simple and cheap to add to any car, so not a problem here.
On the Webasto heaters, I think you mean those are auxiliary diesel heaters for the cabin? Like the Espar/Esbacher heaters used on buses and trucks? Here, Audi uses an auxiliary electric heating element until the engine has enough heat for the cabin, so that's not necessary on their cars.
12-19-2016, 04:23 AM
#28
AudiWorld Junior Member
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Spijun-
If we Colonials are the only folks who want engine block heaters, I doubt Audi would be able to sell enough to motivate them. This is to warm up the engine oil, not the passenger cabin. They are simple and cheap to add to any car, so not a problem here.
On the Webasto heaters, I think you mean those are auxiliary diesel heaters for the cabin? Like the Espar/Esbacher heaters used on buses and trucks? Here, Audi uses an auxiliary electric heating element until the engine has enough heat for the cabin, so that's not necessary on their cars.
If we Colonials are the only folks who want engine block heaters, I doubt Audi would be able to sell enough to motivate them. This is to warm up the engine oil, not the passenger cabin. They are simple and cheap to add to any car, so not a problem here.
On the Webasto heaters, I think you mean those are auxiliary diesel heaters for the cabin? Like the Espar/Esbacher heaters used on buses and trucks? Here, Audi uses an auxiliary electric heating element until the engine has enough heat for the cabin, so that's not necessary on their cars.
12-19-2016, 09:46 AM
#29
AudiWorld Super User
Perhaps because fuel is comparatively cheap here, the US market is simply more willing to let the car idle and use the engine and electrics, rather than adding in a fairly expensive combustion heater. (Which needs separate venting from the cabin, creates questions of monoxide production, intrudes on interior space, etc.)
Not that fuel here is any cheaper than it is in the EU, really. It just seems cheaper because we don't add 100% taxes in top of the product price itself. Like the French do, to pay for their rail system. (Arguably, not a bad idea, but one that doesn't sell here.)
Long-haul truckers running their diesel engines all night, because the fuel is still so much cheaper than any alternative, including extra engine wear, tends to make me think that may be part of it.
Not that fuel here is any cheaper than it is in the EU, really. It just seems cheaper because we don't add 100% taxes in top of the product price itself. Like the French do, to pay for their rail system. (Arguably, not a bad idea, but one that doesn't sell here.)
Long-haul truckers running their diesel engines all night, because the fuel is still so much cheaper than any alternative, including extra engine wear, tends to make me think that may be part of it.
12-19-2016, 03:59 PM
#30
AudiWorld Senior Member
Oh for the good old days of my beetle with auxiliary gas furnace.That was the primary source of heat after two years because the main heat from the engine was routed through the rocker panels to get up front and those rotted out after a couple of Quebec winters.
By the way let me shed a little light on the block heater that we all knew and loved in the distant past.In my garage we stopped installing block heaters in the mid 2000's.Keep in mind i'm talking about a place where -30 to -40 is not uncommon.,relax you don't have to convert, -40 is = C & F. These heaters have a net negative impact on modern FI engines with good lubricants.Pre-heating the oil or coolant tricks the ECU into thinking it's in Palm Beach.It fuels incorrectly for the ambient temps and in some cars can make starting difficult.Modern oils - (even non synth.) are so much better these days that as long as you have the right viscosity, the best way to treat your engine is follow the manufacturer's suggestions for cold starting and drive off without putting too much demand on the drivetrain until it's fluids are getting up to normal temp.
My evil diesel fires up in seconds at those temps - no supplemental heat, and anybody who's been around a while knows how remarkable an accomplishment that is.
By the way let me shed a little light on the block heater that we all knew and loved in the distant past.In my garage we stopped installing block heaters in the mid 2000's.Keep in mind i'm talking about a place where -30 to -40 is not uncommon.,relax you don't have to convert, -40 is = C & F. These heaters have a net negative impact on modern FI engines with good lubricants.Pre-heating the oil or coolant tricks the ECU into thinking it's in Palm Beach.It fuels incorrectly for the ambient temps and in some cars can make starting difficult.Modern oils - (even non synth.) are so much better these days that as long as you have the right viscosity, the best way to treat your engine is follow the manufacturer's suggestions for cold starting and drive off without putting too much demand on the drivetrain until it's fluids are getting up to normal temp.
My evil diesel fires up in seconds at those temps - no supplemental heat, and anybody who's been around a while knows how remarkable an accomplishment that is.