schindyguy

I want a remote control auto start ignition for my 2006 A4. Any suggestions?

irenesbob

say this is a risky proposition with the very real risk of screwing up the vehicle's entire electrical system, especially the engine starting and managemmnt system. They say the risk for aftermarket installation is very high unless a very technically oriented person does it. I don't really know why, but if it's such a great idea why don't the luxury makes that could afford to include it, fail to offer as an option. FWIW. Besides, with heated seats you can afford to go out in the cold and start, wait 30 seconds and GO!!

AudiAddict B7

When you open the drivers door it runs the pump in the fuel tank to pressurize the system.

By passing that process might not be good.

RichAA

2nd

Hobbes

Remote starting in cold weather is like putting your engine through a torture test. The most stressful thing to do to an engine is cold start, even worse in cold weather. The second most stressful thing to do to an engine is idle. Idling the engine immediately after a cold start is the worst of both worlds. More wear is put on the engine during such a process than hundreds of miles of highway driving.

The best way to treat your engine is to start the engine and drive away once the oil pressure is up, only about 10-20 seconds. Until the engine is warm you should drive conservatively putting as little stress on the engine as possible (low revs). This warms the engine under load and much more quickly, which is best for the engine and long-term wear and reliability.

This is how you treat an engine right. Of course, if you don't keep your cars for long, the resulting engine wear won't show up until future owners. Or you might be willing to trade the engine wear for the convenience of a warm car, which is fine.

My engine ('97 A4) runs better now than when I first got it, with more power. I've never had a single engine-related problem, and it doesn't burn a drop of oil. I've had the same success with previous cars.

tictaq

hmm
I've always been told to warm up my engine before driving it.
I usually warm it up while i eat breakfast in the morning. So I shouldn't do this?

Hobbes

Look, with modern high-tech engines the additional wear on the engine might never accumulate to cause noticeable problems, or at least it might take many years for the problems to show up. But warming a stone-cold engine at idle creates more wear for the engine than anything else you can do.

Engines are designed to run best when warm and under load. Running when cold and at idle is as far from that design as possible. And since the engine takes so much longer to get warm at idle than when driving, the cold-engine torture is prolonged.

tictaq

thanks for your help

schindyguy

I wouldnt be idleing the car for long, I like the idea of autostart because most new (mostly japanese cars) have the autostart keyless ignition (lexus gs infinit m). I dont know, I dont want to damage the engine by doing it, but from what everyone is saying, it doesnt seem so bad if I press the autostart button and get in and start driving the car 10 seconds later. Its really the idleing that kills the engine

Hobbes

You are correct, it is the idling that does the damage. I don't see any problem with using it the way you describe.

Most people want a remote starter because they live in a cold climate and want a warm car to get in before going anywhere. I don't blame them, because scraping windows and getting in an ice-cold car is certainly no fun (I live in the Northeast). People should just be aware of the trade-off in engine wear they are making. Personally, I'm willing to trade a few minutes of discomfort in exchange for reduced engine wear.

Also be aware that the temperature doesn't have to be cold for idling to do the damage. The engine being "cold" is the problem, it is only made worse when the weather is very cold.