Anyone else having problems starting in the cold?

Petrified · Post by **Petrified** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:26 pm

My car hasn't started first time every day this week.
It takes about 10 mins from the first time of turning the key.
The key turns but nothing...

I think it might have something to do with the temp. It seems to work ok when over 1Âºc but anything below it wont start at all.

It's useless, It took the best part of an hour today as the temperature was -4 and I obviously can heat the car up without the engine running!

Any ideas?? Or do I have to take it back AGAIN?

Also when you're driving and it goes under 4Âºc it makes a chiming noise and starts complaining every few mins. Anyone else get this???

Speedlaw · Post by **Speedlaw** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:01 pm

The chiming is probably to warn you about ice on the road.

As for the starting, I'm lost.

dxg · Post by **dxg** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:01 pm

I get this. I also find it really hard to get the thing started if you've just driven it down the drive - like swapping the cars round for someone else to get out. But then the alternator has never really been any cop. We've had the lights dipping when the revs fall situation.

Sorry that it doesn't help you. "They all do that, sir."

Be careful when it gets cold though, I had to call VW Assistance out last New Years because the ECU flooded it when I tried too many times in a row to get the thing to catch. With the "drive by wire" throttle you don't seem to be able to give it some revs to get it to catch, either - you're at the mercy of the ECU while it figures out what its idle revs will be for the day.

Again, sorry - no simple solution, afaik.

Deek.

dxg · Post by **dxg** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:04 pm

I'm guessing you park it on the street - if it's in your driveway or a garage then a little electric trace heater left on under the engine bay ould be one appraoch. I remember my parents having to do that with our MK1 Fiesta back around 1980. Progress, eh?

Deek - on a downer - can you tell?

vwpower · Post by **vwpower** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 3:06 am

like 2 nonths ago I had problems startign at the first. But only at the first key turn.

Don`t ask me how but it never happend again

memm · Post by **memm** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:35 am

I didn't have these problems yet, but I once read about these problems, I forgot the details, but I they used alloy or sth. like that for the engine so the new "better" engines are more likely to have problems when it's cold... (hope i can find that article again)

Post by **mole** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 2:49 pm

It's not happened to me Petrified, and it's not right!

When I was in Sweden, in the mornings it was -28 outside and my car started first time, just as it always does. The only problem I had was the drivers door lock froze, and I didn't know about the heated locks at the time

Petrified · Post by **Petrified** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 2:59 pm

Thanks for the replies, looks like another trip to the garage.

It happened again today and the temperature was +5 although it did start on the third try.

A similar thing happaned on my Mk5 Polo where eventually the car wouldn't start at all. The had to replace the ignition switch and put the steering wheel back on at the wrong angle.

They tried to adjust it 3 or 4 times but never got it right...

James.

Post by **mole** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 3:06 pm

VW dealers eh? Who'd use em!

Nelson_Wilbury · Post by **Nelson_Wilbury** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 10:00 pm

NEVER had a problem with starting from cold (I know its a different engine, but still...). Has always started on the button.

Only problem I ever had was the dirty throttle body playing a bit with the revs earlier in the year.

Seems to be allot of problems with the 1.4 engines, strange as most of them have already been tried and tested in the MK5, Lupo and A2