Adam Mowafy

Ok, I love my car.....but when its really cold here I really do not enjoy it other than for the fact that its a blast to drive in the snow.


For one, The heater box and ducting design on these cars is horrible. The worst heat I've ever seen to tell you the truth....Why could'nt they have designed it like the B3's of the SAME year....those cars have awesome heat. Not to mention the blower motors are a peice of cake to change.



For two, when its really cold my clutch pedal feels midly retarded until the car gets up to temp and all the fluids become warm.


for three, Theres that point every once in a while when you forget that your wipers may be frozen to the glass and you hit the wiper switch only to watch one wiper go up and then other stay put. You have now stripped all the soft little aluminum teeth in the wiper arm and must replace it. Unlike other cars where the motor will stop if it gets too much resistance...



For four, the windows on these cars act like a 90 year old man getting out of bed in the morning. And no matter what you lube the tracks with it only lasts for a day or two and it really didnt make a big difference in the first place.


for five, The heated seats work only for those lucky folk. And usually its just one seat that works and that seat is most likely the one you are not sitting in...


for six, trying to put it in first gear from a stop when its dead cold is a little game of putting it into a higher gear first in order to get it to pop right in. Or throwing it in first just before you come to a stop...



and for seven, Well, I wont even get into how often the alt belts loosen up and squeal on these cars in the winter.


But all this aside. I love my car and its power. lol


Just my rant because its freezing out and my car is a 20 year old marvel of engineering.


Bring on the snow.

jurq

and salted roads and stuck rear calipers...

qpower

definitly slow alt belt definitly squeals and heated seats whats that? oh thats what those switches on the dash are supposed to do.... yeah right car runs great in cold weather otherwise, in fact it runs better in winter than summer.

MiB@100-2.3NF-91

Well... what can you expect from 20 year old design?

>For one, The heater box...B3.

In B3 you need to dissassembly whole dash to replace heater core. I'm not sure its right design, imagine replacing heater core two or more times, interiour will squeek like crazy.
For the fast heat, newer cars have axullary electric coolant heater takes ~10 min. to warm-up interior.

>for three, Theres that point every once in a while when you forget that your wipers may be frozen to the glass

Newer cars have windshild heater lines in the glass right under the wipers, heating up wipers area so they won't stick or freeze.

>For four, the windows on these cars...

Personally I newer had such problem, even in -25 windows were opening up and down no problem in my '91 100/44.

>for five, The heated seats work only for those lucky folk...

Exactly, IMHO they underestimate load it will take and put thin wires in the heater elements.

>for six, trying to put it in first gear from a stop...

I had same feeling in my 5KTQ, but I was told its normal during cold conditions, LOL

In my imaginable world I would like to have some car with Mercedes engine/automatic transmission, Audi Quattro all wheel drive and design half-half from Mercedes/BMW of 90's. LOL

Randolph

Yeah, I agree! The only thing is until changed my heater core I always thought the car had an excellent heating system. I think I have to adjust one of the temp flaps to get it back the way it used to be.

As for the slow windows, I try to not even use any of mine in the cold weather. I use Brake lube on my window tracks and in the warm weather they are fine but in the cold they get really slow.

Luckily I always remember to free the wipers if the car has spent time outside.

As for the hard shifting, I also agree. I have redline in my gearbox but until everything is nice and warm the car isn't happy.

I know many disagree but I'm a big fan of letting it warm up when it gets really cold out. I never start and drive, there is no way to convince me that starting an engine in below Zero temps and instantly driving is good for it. Based on the behavior of many cars I've driven (new & old) when the engine is cold I think it is a good habit to have. It was 4 degrees the other day and I let the Audi run for 15mins before I left and she shifted smoothly from the start.

For a car made for cold weather they sure seem much happier in warm weather. Of course who isn't. I will say that no matter how cold it gets this thing ALWAYS starts with no problems.

Oh well, either way your not the only one with these issues! LOL

Randolph
87 5KCSTQ
93 928GTS

RussB

The heater on both my 84 5000S and my 88 5000CSTQ works nicely.

If the climate control system worked reliably, it'd be nice. When it does work, I like it. But since it always seems to develop one problem or another, I wish the heater / air conditioner had manual controls.

dwengi

The A6 has a much more robust heater than the 44 - almost GM-like - but the 44 rear window defroster is second to none. That thing will melt a glacier. The A6 has a wussy rear defroster.

I also like when the old VW style door handles get iced up and break in half.

Then again the wildebeest has big wide openings where the doors should attach. Its total lack of aerodynamics causes spectacular levels of turbulence which actually causes a wind chill factor effect in the passenger compartment and deposits more rainwater on the inside of the windshield than on the outside. Little kids point and laugh.

So defects and all I have to consider the 44 a proper cold weather machine.

Kneale Brownson

Hey Adam, sounds like you have the words for a new tune by the Yoopers.

I've always had plenty of heat from the 5ktq, two 200q20vs, two V8s and 4kq in my yard. Driver side seat heaters all died, of course.

I always drive off as soon as I start the car, but I try to avoid pushing it any until warmed. Your driveline isn't warming up while you sit with the engine idling, and an idling engine of Audi design isn't turning over fast enough to burn fuel properly.

S4for73

Just don't leave it out in a snow storm. I once bent the valves trying to get it started. I had a terrible time getting used to fast windows in my S4. Its when they quit alltogether on a cold day and are down that gets me.

SteveAngry

I've forgotten what it's like.

I'll tell you what, the A6q's heater system owns the 5000's IMHO.

Steve
Michigan