Remote Starter

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

Have any of you been using a remote starter successfully on your S6 for an extended period of time?

#2

A long time ago I asked about this, and people said the reason Audi didn’t include it was that the motor isn’t really meant to be idling while cold for too long. Perhaps partly because it takes the motor a VERY long time to warm up. I have no idea how accurate that is, but it seems plausible, which is why I never added it to mine.

#3

Yeah that makes complete sense. It’s okay, I’ll just go without it. Not worth the trouble I guess.

#4

This is true. Audi has put into some owners manuals a big disclamer saying its hard on the motor and bad for uneven block warm up of the aluminum blocks. There is a big write up in some of the service manuals. I will look but for Audis recomendation go to page 113 in your owners manual. It says to reduce ware dont let your car sit and warm up be ready to drive your car right after you start it. You motor runs best at operational temps and will acheve proper warm up at moderate speeds

#5

There are multiple reasons why you should not let the car idle to warm up in cold months.

  1. As already mentioned the block will not warm up evenly.
  2. In my experience with direct injection engines, they tend to allow more fuel past the piston rings when cold and thus mix with the oil causing other issues. I have seen this happen with both gas and diesel direct injection engines.
  3. Audi’s PCV systems are terrible enough already but if you idle the engine for a long period with the PCV being cold then I would expect more carbon buildup from more oil being sucked into the intake. That maybe a personal opinion but I would rather not take that chance.
  4. The transmission and differential fluids don’t heat up correctly which can cause uneven wear on clutch packs, valve bodies, synchronizers, and gear sets. Especially if you warm the engine up by a long period of time idling and then hammer on the go fast pedal.
  5. Cars with hydraulic power steering systems tend to not like running cold. Audis use a hydraulic mineral oil based power steering fluid that has an operating temperature range where it works best. I have overheated the power steering fluid before too and it was weird because I lost power steering assist and had to let the car sit and cool down.
#6

Jimmy that was very well said. Its always great to have you add some expert support on these and other subjects.

#7

Thank you all for your insight. No more morning warm ups.