The first one is kinda strange. I'd defiantly look for fault codes and also see if there is something in the windows controller coding that isn't right with VCDS (Vag-com) As I recall, there is a long coding helper for the windows controller, so figuring out the coding would be simple. just make sure you write down what the settings are before you change anything.
Also, there is an electrical load shedding relay that drops some of the electrical loads when you go to start. If you have the heater fan on high and go to start, does the heater fan cut out and not come back on for those 10 seconds, as well?
What is the condition of your battery? Could it have a low charge or be ready for replacement? Sometimes low battery voltage will cause some pretty strange problems.
The second one is probably normal. If you turn off the heater, recirc as well as the A/C won't work. Try leaving the fan on 1. Also, the recirc will not work if you are set to defrost. Do you have climatic or climatronic? Climatronic has left and right temp read outs and can be individually set for the left and the right.