Locking doors while engine running?
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
Joined
·
32 Posts
To TDIDSG4ME, I don't know why you would want to do that. I know it's really cold up there, but I would think you would want to warm the car as soon as possible. At idle, these engines don't generate that much heat, and it would not really warm up at those low ambient temps. I think you should just get in, start it and drive off.. Go easy on it until it warms. No full throttle accelerations, keep the revs down until the temp gauge comes up. Then motor on.
Joined
·
23,902 Posts
I don't know if Alberta or New Hampshire is colder...but probably Alberta.
turbospool is right, you do want to warm up the car as soon as possible and while the engine won't warm up like a gas engine, it still does warm up a little and will generate enough heat to warm up faster than a stone cold engine once you do start moving. If it's -33, your breath instantly freezes on the windshield and fog up. At that point you really don't have a choice other than letting it idle a little bit.
TDIDSG4ME, do you have another key?
turbospool is right, you do want to warm up the car as soon as possible and while the engine won't warm up like a gas engine, it still does warm up a little and will generate enough heat to warm up faster than a stone cold engine once you do start moving. If it's -33, your breath instantly freezes on the windshield and fog up. At that point you really don't have a choice other than letting it idle a little bit.
TDIDSG4ME, do you have another key?
Not sure about 2010 model but on my 2006 the car autolocks after a few minutes. I got the options turned off buy the dealer as I found it a nuisance. You may be able to get it turned on in your case. The only things I'm not sure of is if the autolock workled on time or once the car started moving so you may want to check that.
Start engine, use second remote to lock the door. If you want to manually lock the door with a valet key, pull the handle and lift the little lock cover to expose the manual lock.
Joined
·
82 Posts
As you've probably guessed by now, the consensus is that idling your TDI after a very cold startup is a bad idea. But to expand:
Cold running, especally that cold, is a very high-stress situation for any engine. The longer it operates cold, or even while warming up (as different materials in the engine warm at different rates), the longer it's in a high-stress phase. And that stress doesn't go away when the temp gauge starts to register heat. The oil warms much more slowly, especially at idle, as it's not receiving much heat from the turbo.
If the reason for letting the car warm up at idle is comfort, try turning the heat on and direct it to the top (face) vents. My '11 Golf has electric heating elements behind the vents, so even on the coldest day, there's warm air flowing within seconds after startup. Combine that with the seat heaters, and everything's toasty within the first 4 minutes of driving. And that's at about 0 degrees F, which is warmer than -27 (33C), but still.
I learned about this feature recently on this forum, and was quite dissapointed that I went most of the winter not even knowing about it, "suffering" through the good 15 minutes it'd take for the heater core to start warming the interior.
Cold running, especally that cold, is a very high-stress situation for any engine. The longer it operates cold, or even while warming up (as different materials in the engine warm at different rates), the longer it's in a high-stress phase. And that stress doesn't go away when the temp gauge starts to register heat. The oil warms much more slowly, especially at idle, as it's not receiving much heat from the turbo.
If the reason for letting the car warm up at idle is comfort, try turning the heat on and direct it to the top (face) vents. My '11 Golf has electric heating elements behind the vents, so even on the coldest day, there's warm air flowing within seconds after startup. Combine that with the seat heaters, and everything's toasty within the first 4 minutes of driving. And that's at about 0 degrees F, which is warmer than -27 (33C), but still.
I learned about this feature recently on this forum, and was quite dissapointed that I went most of the winter not even knowing about it, "suffering" through the good 15 minutes it'd take for the heater core to start warming the interior.
Joined
·
226 Posts
No extension cord?
Joined
·
226 Posts
I think the adapter uses a regular cord on one end so there's no need to make your own!
I am an old school licensed mechanic and I have to warm engine for at least 5 minutes @ temperature below -20*C
This will not work. Valet key might work but I don"t want to remove factory keyhole covers.
Joined
·
24 Posts
You may not have to lock your doors. How big are your dogs?
LOL, they are Shih Tzu. They might unlock doors for a car thief as well if he comes bearing cookies
Joined
·
24 Posts
"I learned about this feature recently on this forum, and was quite dissapointed that I went most of the winter not even knowing about it..."
Just curious, is this feature mentioned in the Owner's Manual?
Just curious, is this feature mentioned in the Owner's Manual?
Joined
·
3 Posts
I was also wondering if the element is only activated with the heater at full blast.
I have another reason for locking the doors while the engine is running.... If I want to run into a store while my dog is in the car, I want to lock the doors for a few minutes. My new car is on order and will have the keyless go feature (Start and Stop button on dash vs. mechanical key ignition switch) The dealer told me that on a 2011 you can't lock the doors from the outside with a second set of keys mechanically (or electronically) because the computer will automatically pop the lock back up. I'm having the dealer check today on a 2011 Jetta MK6 Sedan with keyless go if it can be locked mechanically from the outside. Is there a way to disable this feature? Thanks!
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!