Cold Starting Problem

[welbly]

I have a 2004 AUDI TT Quattro. If my car sits for awhile while it is freezing cold outside it will not start. By not starting I mean I turn the key and nothing happens, no clicking, no cranking, nothing. If I play with it enough eventually I can get it to start most days, however many times when it starts my climate control, radio, head lights, tail lights, and steering column controls do not work. After the car warms up to regular running temperature I can turn it off and restart and most times everything works after that. It only happens when it is cold, if it is warm there are no problems and everything behaves normally.

Any ideas, moisture in a relay, bad ignition switch, I'm all ears.

[Cincy]

I would start with having the battery tested. It could be having issues putting out the CCA. If that comes out good, next does seem like an electrical issue

[Tmoney]

For me it depends on two things, weather and time. usually if the car sits for a 2 days in the cold garage it will click, but not start. However, one of my friends accidently turned the radio on in my car(M drivers press every button imaginable) and it stayed on all night which resulted in the car being totally dead and i didnt even get the engine to even role over-zero-nothing. Might be time for a new battery for both of us lol

[welbly]

The battery tested fine, that was my first instinct as well. My car doesn't have to sit for very long. 4 hours is enough to exhibit the starting/electrical issue if it is freezing or below outside, the warmer it is the longer it can sit with out any issues. I'm going to start with the ignition switch, it seems to be the likely culprit with the starting issue but the radio,/climate control/ steering column not working doesn't make a lot of sense....even if it was the battery that doesn't make sense.

[Murderface]

Really sounds like a bad battery. Even if the battery is reading the correct voltage it might not be capable of delivering the cold cranking amps you need to start your car. The colder it is the more inhibited the reaction in your battery that produces electricity is so it makes perfect sense.

the radio,/climate control/ steering column not working doesn't make a lot of sense....even if it was the battery that doesn't make sense.

It does actually...all that stuff is run off of the battery, that's why you can play your radio/use your blower/read your cluster without your car running. Stuff that keeps the car running like ignition etc is run off the alternator. The connector on the main + wire for my battery is messed up and shakes loose for a split second when im driving sometimes....sure enough all the lights go out, radio turns off, cluster shuts down then comes back.

[l88m22vette]

Many places will check it for free, and it gives you a reason to get a lightweight battery ;)

[welbly]

As before the battery is fine it was checked and is less than a year old. yes I know all of those things run on the battery but if the car warms up all of those things work fine, and before I start the car, many times they will work. The head lights aren't dim before starting and if I use the emergency flasher button the blinkers all work. It is just when I use the turn signal switch on my steering column. If the car didn't have enough juice to turn on the blinkers I doubt it would have enough juice to actually run, let alone turn over the engine. I'm pretty sure it is the ignition switch at this point, I'll keep you all posted on the out come once the switch comes in.

[Irish*TT*]

knock on wood my lil girl starts up when its -20 out! do any of you use or know of someone that has a block heater for our cars?

[welbly]

Sorry it has been so long, I was in Orlando for work all last week. So I changed my ignition switch, 19.99, and so far it has addressed all of my issues. If you've been following the weather you know it is way colder now than it was when I first started experiencing my problems. I'll repost if the problems resurface, but so far it seems it was just the ignition switch.