As winter approaches us here in the USA, I'm very interested in securing
what I'd identify as a means of "starting my '99 A-6" from inside my
house -- about 5-7 minutes before I'm ready to drive-away.. Temperatures
range average (at worse) from 10 degrees to 25 degrees. Are such reliable
products available? What do they cost (range)? Where does one go to contact
a seller,, Web-site?
Tks in advance..

 

"JMay" <jmay@***.net> wrote in message
news:b4Vfb.40499$AH4.35859@lakeread06...
> As winter approaches us here in the USA, I'm very interested in securing
> what I'd identify as a means of "starting my '99 A-6" from inside my
> house -- about 5-7 minutes before I'm ready to drive-away..

Extended idle is bad for a cold engine. Why do you need it to idle so long?

Pete

 

"Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:blplii$ovr$1@news.onet.pl...
> Extended idle is bad for a cold engine. Why do you need it to idle so
long?

Oh, and the product you're looking for is called a remote starter and you
should be able to find it at places that install car audio and alarm
systems.

Pete

 

Thanks Pete; Is 5 to 7 minutes "extended"? If so, what's best in 10- 20
degree weather, after stilling out all night? Any idea $$cost-wise$$??
JMay

"Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:blpmdu$r6k$1@news.onet.pl...
>
> "Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:blplii$ovr$1@news.onet.pl...
> > Extended idle is bad for a cold engine. Why do you need it to idle so
> long?
>
> Oh, and the product you're looking for is called a remote starter and you
> should be able to find it at places that install car audio and alarm
> systems.
>
> Pete
>
>

 

"JMay" <jmay@***.net> wrote in message
news:ErZfb.40699$AH4.1258@lakeread06...
> Thanks Pete; Is 5 to 7 minutes "extended"? If so, what's best in 10- 20
> degree weather, after stilling out all night? Any idea $$cost-wise$$??
> JMay

10 seconds is all you need. Basically just start it and go. The car takes
longer to warm up if you just let it sit there. And by letting it idle, the
rpms are too low to allow the oil to circulate well to the upper parts of
the engine and since the lubrication is poor, excessive engine wear occurs.
The quicker you can get the engine to warm up, the better - and the best way
to do it is to start driving it ASAP.

Also, I'd be sure to use some good synthetic oil in those low temps of yours
(0w-XX or 5w-XX), if you don't already.

Cheers,

Pete

 

"JMay" <jmay@***.net> wrote in message
news:b4Vfb.40499$AH4.35859@lakeread06...
> As winter approaches us here in the USA, I'm very interested in securing
> what I'd identify as a means of "starting my '99 A-6" from inside my
> house -- about 5-7 minutes before I'm ready to drive-away.. Temperatures
> range average (at worse) from 10 degrees to 25 degrees. Are such reliable
> products available? What do they cost (range)? Where does one go to
contact
> a seller,, Web-site?

As stated, there are a few options available - probably all for professional
fitment. It's also worth checking the exact laws in your area about
unattended vehicles first..

If the Winter temperatures are consistently low (and you're concerned about
it!), then you might also want to take a look at the Kenlowe pre-heaters.
I've heard that they're very popular is large parts of Canada..

HTH

Hairy One Kenobi

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this opinion do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the highly-opinionated person expressing the opinion
in the first place. So there!

 

"Pete" <escape2music@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<blpu4r$hc6$1@news.onet.pl>...
> "JMay" <jmay@***.net> wrote in message
> news:ErZfb.40699$AH4.1258@lakeread06...
> > Thanks Pete; Is 5 to 7 minutes "extended"? If so, what's best in 10- 20
> > degree weather, after stilling out all night? Any idea $$cost-wise$$??
> > JMay
>
> 10 seconds is all you need. Basically just start it and go. The car takes
> longer to warm up if you just let it sit there. And by letting it idle, the
> rpms are too low to allow the oil to circulate well to the upper parts of
> the engine and since the lubrication is poor, excessive engine wear occurs.
> The quicker you can get the engine to warm up, the better - and the best way
> to do it is to start driving it ASAP.
>
> Also, I'd be sure to use some good synthetic oil in those low temps of yours
> (0w-XX or 5w-XX), if you don't already.

I have heard, in addition to these concerns, that the temp of the
transmission is still relatively low even after extended motor
warm-up. You still have to start off slow and be nice to the
drivetrain in that case. The reason most folks do a long warm-up
around these parts is to get the cabin warm. Helps to melt the frost
on the glass bits. Or snow.

Also keeps the windscreen from misting up on the inside.

To the OP: I have never heard of a DIY remote start. With all the
lockouts to prevent a car from starting, I would think that it would
require a shop to bypass some of these "safety" items - a distinct
liability lawsuit downside. Pure speculation on my part, anyway.
Good luck.

Spider

 

"Spider" <beelzebubba@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:73da2590.0310060858.4baf5150@posting.google.c om...
> I have heard, in addition to these concerns, that the temp of the
> transmission is still relatively low even after extended motor
> warm-up. You still have to start off slow and be nice to the
> drivetrain in that case.

Exactly. When you idle, only the engine warms up (and very slowly at that).
When you drive, the whole car warms up (engine, transmission, brakes,
bearings, etc.).

Cheers,

Pete

 

JMay wrote:

> As winter approaches us here in the USA, I'm very interested in securing
> what I'd identify as a means of "starting my '99 A-6" from inside my
> house -- about 5-7 minutes before I'm ready to drive-away.. Temperatures
> range average (at worse) from 10 degrees to 25 degrees. Are such reliable
> products available? What do they cost (range)? Where does one go to contact
> a seller,, Web-site?
> Tks in advance..
>

You're looking for a remote starter. Cheap ones with DIY installation
can be had at club warehouses for ~$85. I would not recommend the DIY
route. The better ones can be bought at car audio specialty shops. I
got my wife one for her honda accord a few years back for christmas. I
believe the unit was by Bulldog? and ran ~$150 and installation was
another $100. I had a starter by Viper in my previous car (Subaru
Legacy GT). It ran ~$200 and was another $125 for installation. The
units have all sorts of options and the more options the more
installation costs. Both units work the central locking system, so it's
easiest to replace the old key FOB with the starters. The Viper unit
had a starter motor kill, so that if it was "armed" you couldn't even
start the car with a key. Other options include power window operation,
power trunk release, alarms, etc. We both loved our starters (my wife
still does), especially before I built our garage. We live in NH so
cold snowy mornings were a pain. Even after the garage, they were great
when leaving work. If I weren't out of work, i would be considering one
for the A6 wagon, though the heated seats, make life a bit more
bearable. Hope this helps.

Stu

 

Thanks Stud for taking the time to tell me your experiences;
It is appreciated.
From Roanoke, Virginia
JMay

"Stu Hedith" <stuhedith@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Q8Cgb.58039$%h1.42820@sccrnsc02...
> JMay wrote:
>
> > As winter approaches us here in the USA, I'm very interested in securing
> > what I'd identify as a means of "starting my '99 A-6" from inside my
> > house -- about 5-7 minutes before I'm ready to drive-away..
Temperatures
> > range average (at worse) from 10 degrees to 25 degrees. Are such
reliable
> > products available? What do they cost (range)? Where does one go to
contact
> > a seller,, Web-site?
> > Tks in advance..
> >
>
> You're looking for a remote starter. Cheap ones with DIY installation
> can be had at club warehouses for ~$85. I would not recommend the DIY
> route. The better ones can be bought at car audio specialty shops. I
> got my wife one for her honda accord a few years back for christmas. I
> believe the unit was by Bulldog? and ran ~$150 and installation was
> another $100. I had a starter by Viper in my previous car (Subaru
> Legacy GT). It ran ~$200 and was another $125 for installation. The
> units have all sorts of options and the more options the more
> installation costs. Both units work the central locking system, so it's
> easiest to replace the old key FOB with the starters. The Viper unit
> had a starter motor kill, so that if it was "armed" you couldn't even
> start the car with a key. Other options include power window operation,
> power trunk release, alarms, etc. We both loved our starters (my wife
> still does), especially before I built our garage. We live in NH so
> cold snowy mornings were a pain. Even after the garage, they were great
> when leaving work. If I weren't out of work, i would be considering one
> for the A6 wagon, though the heated seats, make life a bit more
> bearable. Hope this helps.
>
> Stu
>