...what do you guys/gals think??

I just got through changing a 1.5 year old VW/Audi battery in a 1998 Audi A4 yesterday. I will find out today if it starts fine or not with its new Delco battery.

Does the engine crank over fast enough? Does the dealer have the car inside their shop all nice and warm?

Brrrr...At minus 21 celsius more like minus 6 farenheit, if you don't have nice thin full synthetic motor oil in the motor, it ain't turning over, but it takes a smart tech to figure that one out. I bet the dealer's shop is nice and cozy, right?

Details, please: no cranking? Slow cranking? Cranking but no firing? Cranking but not enough firing to start? Gas or diesel?

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Non sequitur. Your ACKS are Grid: CN89mg uncoordinated." ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Nomad the Network Engineer

Hi Laura. It is a gas 1.8T. I don't hear any cranking when i try to turn on the car. No clicking, no firing, no nothing. When the heater and radio is on, and i try to turn the ignition, the fan goes off and the radio goes off. The LCD on the radio also comes in VERY slowly. But when i boosted it, it turned over on the first try; and once i was driving, everything is okay. Today was like -18 celcius, and i turned it on no problem on the first try when i went to pick it up.

I may not have arm'ed the car for a couple of days, do you think that plays a factor? I read someone on the web, via google, that people are saying that there is more of a power drain if you don't arm your car. dunno if i believe this.

Also, i have zero computer faults; i.e. battery light, engine light, etc.

CErtainly sounds like either a bad battery or a power draw. SWMBO's Corrado has a bad diode in the alternator; however, several shops did not correctly diagnose this. I had to remove the alternator to get the supercharger out and on a hunch I took it to my local FLAPS to have it spun up on their machine and they confirmed my suspicions. I haven't had it rebuilt yet simply because the rest of the car isn't back together :(

nate

-18c is not that cold. Well it is fairly cold but still a good battery with a gas engine should turn over good enough. Most auto parts stores can hook up a test tool for the battery. Have the battery tested somewhere pther than the dealer. Also have the charging system checked somewhere else. You could get a volt meter to see what your running voltage is and the voltage before trying to start. If it starts with a jump, to me that indicates that the battery is a dud. This of course assumes that there is no corrosion on the battery posts or where the battery cables clamp on to the battery. But then you say that it held a charge overnight. I would have attached my battery charger to see what happens after a good charge. On the other hand I drive an hour one way to work which should charge up a battery.

I never press the lock button on my car at night. It can sit in the garage for a few days or more unlocked without any starting problems. It sometimes sits in a cold garage. Where I live it is kind of rare to have more than a week where it does not get above freezing. I used to live where it was cold. Cars started all winter if they had good batteries, good alternators, good battery cables and good alternator wires.

Agreed: you have a bad battery. Get it load tested to be sure. Make sure the electrical system is charging it properly. Accessories cutting out may be the car's doing: many cars kill accessories when the engine is cranking.

My 1986 Jetta's battery is three years old, and doesn't even notice cold temperatures until about -10 C.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Non sequitur. Your ACKS are Grid: CN89mg uncoordinated." ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Nomad the Network Engineer