sk88erguy

hey guys last night was the first night of reall ycold weather and we had about 4 inches of snow to make things worse (fun to drive in though) But i was wondering if any of you that have to park out side like me do anything to keep the car warm, and if so what do you use?

Thanks, Mat

audijim113

i have driven an 86 5KS back and forth to Buffalo, NY in major blizzards, then left it sit in a motel lot over night. With the exception of the time i put in 40 weight oil by mistake, it started fine every time. course you need a snow brush and maybe a snow shovel to find it.

if you are concerned about making it start easier in cold weather, there are two options. you can get a dip stick oil heater which works, but the audi dip tube and pan won't let the thing go down far enough and part of the heating element is left dry. that might cause a fire.

another alternative is to put a water heater / passive circulator in the collant line somewhere. with either the oil dip stick heater or the water heater, you have to run an extension cord out to the car. if you are going across a sidewalk or something, that could be an issue.

zsolt1

I am not sure where you're located, but I had parked outside for years. It does get down to -30C or even colder for brief periods here in Alberta, and most of my previous Audis did not like starting below -20C, but there are exeptions to this. I also had an 86 5ktq that had no problems starting even in the coldest wheather without having it heated in any way.

All the cars have block heaters here and IMO dipstick heaters are useless, but there is no point plugging the car in untill about -20. Even then, it's a good idea to put it on a timer and only have the block heater on an hour or so before you want to use it in the morning.

You can also get electric interior heaters which again, you can put on a timer. If it's really cold (below -30C) it does suck though. Everything is frozen solid. You have no suspension, you even get flat spots on the tires, the seats are like rock, and Audi doors don't close either. This is usually the weather when one gets flat tires, and the dash too.

On the positive side, you can go skiing in the winter, but when it's that cold it's not fun either.
Cheers,
Zsolt

Adam Mowafy

head up to Wal-mart and look for a nylon cover that you lay over the windshield. It also has tabs that get tucked inside the door so it wont blow away It really saves time and energy on the whole scraping window bullsh!t.

sk88erguy

thanks adam ill do that and i need to do some kind of heating cause i just cant stand starting it

birdmanmt

just get a block heater, best thing there is. plugs in to the block on these cars somewhere below the exhaust manifold. run the cord out the grille or under the bumber and plug into and extension cord. I plug mine in all the time. Reduce the # of heat cycles for the engine when dealing with REALLY cold temps. temp guage comes up IMMEDIATELY when i start the car. I also have had great luck with magnetic heaters. Park the car, slap it on the oil pan, oil's warm makes starting easier. I've heard of people popping the hood and putting an electric blanket over the engine compartment, i kinda don't like that idea personally though.

MIllion ways to skin a cat
block heater's are the best IMO/E.
Jeff

shortyq

I remember a friend who called on Westbend in southern OH. They indicated to him that the sales of hot air popcorn poppers increased during the winter months. Not because of folks inside by the fire....

They make nice interior warmers pre winter drive...

Scott Justusson