Hypermile
Veteran Member
Couldn't have said it better!
2013 Passat Remote Start
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dzcad90
Rolex & gin
True, but I can climb into a nice warm car and drive away without shivering and seeing my breath for a few minutes.
Life is all about trade offs. A few minutes of idling on extra cold days is absolutely worth the few cents of extra fuel consumed, to me at least. I don't like cold. These Passats are not stripper GL Jettas - they are as close to a "luxury cruiser" as I'll see in the next 5-10 years given no lottery windfalls (and even then I think I'd still keep my Passat since I like it so much.). Most features in these cars are really more than is required for basic transportation, which is how a lot of folks see what their cars should be on this forum.
Let's face it - if we all bought TDIs for the supposed economy of it all, VW would be selling tons and tons more Golfs and Jettas, all with manual transmissions and hardly any options.
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Roishe Cheng
Veteran Member
Agreed. I don't really see a difference in me controlling my WiFi thermostat at home before I leave the office, so when I get home the house is at a more comfortable temp in the summer or winter. People dislike change, it's hard for them to understand that remote start is actually a useful convenience for people who want to save time and have small kids that they don't want to put into a chilly car. I don't watch my fuel mileage, don't care about it, all I know is every 2 weeks I put ~$60-65 diesel into the car so like you said, burning a bit of that doesn't matter to me.
tdilast: When I lived in Moscow, there was no remote start on the Ladas or Zhigulis. Instead, the majority of Muscovites in our compound would run out in the morning, start their cars and let them idle for a long period of time >30 minutes. I would say 80% of my friends in Moscow have remote starts on their cars. It's far from being a "self centered" American thing.
My Passat is absolutely a transportation tool. Why would I buy a Golf or Jetta that doesn't return the MPG or have the interior space of the Passat?
I guess I'm abnormal as I did purchase a Passat with as few options as possible.
A TDI owner who doesn't care about economy?????
Pods
Member
Jeeps new line up of diesel's can be started from app on a smart phone.... lets get with it VW Car Net.... Passat has the worst remote start in the industry...OnStar blows Car net away in features
Agreed... Onstar does blow.
I'm glad my 2013 didn't come w/ telematics junk. I have a VCDS cable and a smart phone. I don't need telematics.
Roishe Cheng
Veteran Member
More like it's not my priority. If I saw 20 mpg or something, then I'd know something is wrong. I'm getting around average 36-39.2 mpg in the winter season now and 42-44 in the summer months. I have a very heavy right foot so that's the main cause, but to be able to drive it and get these types of numbers is still incredible to me.A TDI owner who doesn't care about economy?????
Ohhhhh, so you do care about economy...it's just not your priority. Cool, got it!
Damn, I hope you would notice if your economy took a 50% hit.
LokiWolf
Veteran Member
Seriously...give the guy a break. I use my remote start regularly, and love it, so does the wife. I drive my car, take care of it, and also have a heavy right foot. I get far worse MPG than most of you report. If I had a less economical car it would be far worse. We care about economy, hence why we bought the car, but we bought it to be driven, and features used, even the remote start.
Facts:
1). It is annoying the car cuts off when you open the door. Aftermarket and other manufactures don't.
2). The remote range is mediocre at best. For me where I park at home, not an issue. My truck's aftermarket system remote is 1 mile, and with my smartstart module I can start it from anywhere with my iPhone.
The remote start could be better, MUCH better. Oh well, it is what it is, and VW is not going to change it retroactively. Maybe a VCDS setting or an aftermarket solution will come along to change the above.
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LokiWolf
Veteran Member
So you want the info, but you don't want to get it via an e-mail or website. I want both! I would love to have the basic info via the web/e-mail, AND the advanced functions of VCDS.
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Pods
Member
VW Car net
VW car net should be able to have the remote start feature... GM and Chrysler both have it... The range of the remote start is just lousy.... lets fix it vw car net and get the app working on the smart phone!!!
VW car net should be able to have the remote start feature... GM and Chrysler both have it... The range of the remote start is just lousy.... lets fix it vw car net and get the app working on the smart phone!!!
TDI2000Zim
Veteran Member
I didn't know that our DIESEL Passats were able to get warm in idle after remote starting.Love my car but the remote start has a short distance range... My wife not happy when everyone in the office she works in has the range to start their cars and she gets into cold car.. Dealer says its working just fine
I was under the impression that our cars only warmed under load in motion.
Anyway, our cars do have a SEAT WARMER.
BTW, the 2014 Passat does have a VW car net...
Roishe Cheng
Veteran Member
If I was getting in the mid 20's then yes, I would notice.
$62 every two weeks to fill it up, no big deal to my wallet compared to $67 a week on my previous Infiniti FX45. I commute 50 miles round trip every day (probably less than most members here). Drive left lane doing 72-75 mph which is what traffic runs at on Sunrise Highway here. I would say a good 85-90% of the drivers are at that 73-74 mph in the left lane, measured with pacing so that's the fuel economy I get and I am happy with it.
I notice that this car really likes to be driven, it's comfortable cruising at 80 mph and I try to take advantage of that when I'm in certain parts of NJ with slightly higher speed limits.
Roishe Cheng
Veteran Member
I get 63F air after about 4-5 minutes of remote starting from the 1500w heater (measured with IR temp).
dzcad90
Rolex & gin
There's a common misconception that the VW diesels do not warm when not under load. Not true. 10-20 minutes of idling will get me into a warm cabin, depending on the outside temperature. Even on my '97 Jetta, I could warm it up with 20-25 minutes of idling on the coldest mornings when the car sat outside. I'd wake up, start the car, then go back inside and get ready. I'd come out to a sauna.
VW has messed around with various forms of warming the car up faster throughout the years, coolant glow plugs, etc... I would assume comfort was probably secondary to reduced emissions back in those days. Now you have aux heaters - heat comes pretty quickly.
Roishe Cheng
Veteran Member
"Bought it to be driven." +1
When I take long trips from Long Island to East or South Jersey, I cruise at 80 mph, very comfortable, I'm not worried if I am 10 mpg under one week versus another, as long as I can connect it to my driving habits, I'm ok. Besides with a few threads about people blowing turbos at 6,500 - 30,000 miles, I would rather drive it in a spirited fashion than baby it and find a problem later on. According to many gurus here, the motor doesn't break in until after 10,000+ miles anyway and that's when some of the better mpg figures come up.
N4TECguy
Veteran Member
BINGO.
All modern engines have fast warmup methods. The TDI's use fast idle (should be 950+ RPM), higher EGR recirc, and an exhaust back pressure valve to put an artificial load on the engine. I have the car in a garage, but when it dips under 30F my truck's exhaust back pressure valve will raise idle EGT's from 200F to 400F (no EGR), comparable to warmed-up normal driving under light load. Does it warm up faster when driving? Yes, the TDI's manage 1200+ EGT even at light load, that sucker will get hot fast. But it will warm up some at idle too.