coldstart mode

[Adam-D]

after reading the "milage thread"

i go to work and back every day now in my 2.6 v6
i only live a couple of miles away from work

would this do any damage to my car? and if so what?

i do, do long journeys every now and then with it, ie, last weekend i went to see time attack at oulton park, in a week or so im goin back to see the touring cars so it does get the odd long journey every now and then,

 

[Bong Water]

Its mostly scar mongering in the other thread IMO, as long as you use the correct oil and change it more often then it should be fine, im not saying its good for it im just saying you should take the right precautions. You could make sure it warms up fully too, sit in the car for mins before or after the journy to make sure it gets to temp

 

[Adam-D]

yeah it gets to temp the oil is changed every 2k sometimes even less

i only do about 7k a year

 

[SonicDeathmonkey]

What mileage thread? Can you post a link? I was thnking about starting one, asking for people to provide specifics rather than hearsay, about topic such as bore wash and the damage and cost it causes.

 

[aragorn]

it was me that mentioned it in the other thread, although i dont have any hard and fast facts.

I used to work around a mile and a half from home and clearly the car wouldnt get upto temp on the run there. Some days i'd drive home for lunch and therefore it would be doing this run 4 times a day and sometimes not getting run in between. It used to start running like a complete sack after 2 or 3 journeys, ie driving back to work after lunch it'd be missfiring etc. I'd always try to give it a decent run in the evening to warm it up properly but when i couldnt you could really tell the engine wasnt liking it.

Heated lambdas and such things help the engine get the fueling back to the optimal range ASAP from starting, but it can still take a few miles of driving for this to happen. If your constantly doing short trips then i'd try to give it a run >10miles every day or two to get the oil properly warmed up. As although the coolant comes up to temperature pretty quickly the oil takes much longer.

 

[Adam-D]

ive just changed the spark plugs as i couldnt tell by reading the service history when they were last done

it had bosh super 4's in there, they wernt discolourd but did look quite old. and in my experience super 4's are not that great, i put oem bosh plugs in "+7" ones with 2 prongs instead.

im coming upto 1k so ill change the oil then.

also considering getting a cheapy car to go to work in, but that then negates the point of owning the audi lol

 

[aragorn]

I just used standard copper plugs when i changed mine. If read some articles that say copper plugs are actually better for the engine than platinum/iridium ones as their larger surface area conducts heat away better, the only reason the platinums are specified by MFR's is because they last longer.

I know a few people running tuned Vauxhall LET engines (350-400hp), and the recommended plugs to use in those are copper plugs from a Ford RS Turbo.

I try to change my oil around 5k as i find thats the point it stops being golden and begins to turn brown/black. You'll notice if your doing lots of short journeys that your oil will smell a lot more of fuel and will take a lot less time to get that way. This is mainly due to the excess fuel ending up in the sump because of borewash.

I dont think its neccesary to buy another car, just take sensible measures to help protect the engine, like giving it a proper run as often as you can. Obviously you need to balance it up against fuel costs, few years ago i'd think nothing of driving the long way home from work and doing 10 miles instead of 3 but that makes a big difference to the wallet these days!

 

[Adam-D]

thanks, the old plugs did look a bit olld, not goosed but they were imo needed changing.
ill keep a eye on the oil

 

[AndyMac]

Can we knock this one on the head once and for all please?
It's just common sense that journeys of less than 5 miles are harder on the cars mechanicals per mile than longer journeys? Is anyone really stupid/ill informed enough to argue this is not the case? Exactly what facts & figures do people need to prove the bleedin' obvious?
If you warm up your car before setting off then you're not only a sad tosser with too much time on his hands but you are also polluting the environment and wasting fuel. No one does this, so you should just assume that short journeys on low mileage cars are completed with the engine cold.
Yes there are low mileage cars out there that aren't used for the school run & are just used on infrequent long journeys, but good luck finding them. The large majority are used every day on journeys of less than 5 miles, just park up outside a school at 8.30am for your proof if you really can't get your head around this simple concept.
Low mileage cars will only be serviced at the specified time intervals rather than the mileage indicator. This means they will be lucky to get one service a year. A high mileage car will get more regular servicing every 6-9 months with far more opportunity to pick up any required maintenance along the way.
Short journeys are not only hard on the mechanicals due to the engine not being up to temp, but are also more likely to be carried out on potholed roads with lots of parking manoevours (per mile) which will put wear & tear on steering racks/servos/suspension bushes etc.
I wouldn't discount low mileage vehicles, but I certainly wouldn't pay the outdated premium to buy one. For the same money a younger car with twice the mileage is a far better bet. This isn't my opinion, it's a fact based on common sense, something that seems to be seriously lacking in our tabloid fed, big brother watching, dumbed down, litigious, castrated society that used to be called the UK.
Are we clear?

Also look out for the latest info on the following:
1. Pouring boiling water on your head - the definitive proof this is not a good idea
2. Good looking, ****** up girl in a bikini, alone in the park at 2am - what could possibly go wrong?
3. Wiping your **** after a **** - is it really necessary?

 

[aragorn]

Andy i dont think anyone in this thread was actually disagreeing with your points bar bong?

Adam just seemed to be asking for advice and information on what damage it can cause to his car, as thats how he uses his car, and what he can do about it...

Which is what i was attempting to provide.

 

[Adam-D]

Andy i dont think anyone in this thread was actually disagreeing with your points bar bong?

Adam just seemed to be asking for advice and information on what damage it can cause to his car, as thats how he uses his car, and what he can do about it...

Which is what i was attempting to provide.

yup exactly that,

cheers for your help.

 

[AndyMac]

Sorry I was responding to the scare mongering theory that Bong made above and in various other posts. Apparently anyone who disagrees with him & can put together a valid argument is an internet troll which is an interesting if slightly childish viewpoint.