Cold snap in forecast-2013 November

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Kansas City / Midwest USA area....

We have not been below freezing except for a few hours so far this fall season.

Monday night 11/11/2013 is forecast for a low of 21F, a substantial change....

Dose your TDI fuel tanks with your favorite brand of ANTIGEL tomorrow at the latest. The first time of each season, I dose at a double rate, then at the single rate until cold weather is firmly established.

The fuel being pumped at your local station MAY NOT be adequately treated to meet the forecast lows because of how quickly the temperature is about to change...

Soon, all fuel being sold in the affected area should be OK... but when the first cold snap happens, the odds of experiencing a fuel gelling issue are increased.

No need to panic, simply act in a proactive manner.

Good diesel fuel anti-gel additives may be found at your local Wal-Mart as well as truck stops, farm supply stores, and where-ever you buy your diesel fuel.

Drive more, worry less.

Bill
 

Lensdude_com

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Location
Edmonton, AB
TDI
99.5 MK4 Jetta (ALH) "Betty" (sold), 2005 MK4 Jetta (BEW) "Stinky-Pete"
Kansas City / Midwest USA area....

We have not been below freezing except for a few hours so far this fall season.

Monday night 11/11/2013 is forecast for a low of 21F, a substantial change....

Dose your TDI fuel tanks with your favorite brand of ANTIGEL tomorrow at the latest. The first time of each season, I dose at a double rate, then at the single rate until cold weather is firmly established.

The fuel being pumped at your local station MAY NOT be adequately treated to meet the forecast lows because of how quickly the temperature is about to change...

Soon, all fuel being sold in the affected area should be OK... but when the first cold snap happens, the odds of experiencing a fuel gelling issue are increased.

No need to panic, simply act in a proactive manner.

Good diesel fuel anti-gel additives may be found at your local Wal-Mart as well as truck stops, farm supply stores, and where-ever you buy your diesel fuel.

Drive more, worry less.

Bill
I hope it all worked out for the best :)
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
About 6 ounces in 11 years and 300k miles with my '00 Jetta!

I'm excited about this cold snap that's in the making for tonight and this coming week. It will test my ALH Vanagon which has been a PITA with starting due to a number of reasons..... mainly a bad ground from the tranny to the chassis (chassis side was the issue).
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
It's about 0F here in northern MN and dropping fast after sunset.
No worries.
Winter isn't even started yet.

That's like -17 degrees C, I think the worst we ever get is maybe -20 at a push and that's pretty rare. Must admit though, I do like it, certainly is dry anyway. I replaced one of my tie rods in -15C and that was enough to make my face go stiff lol
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
Speaking of cold snaps, has anyone tried one of these Winter Fronts?



http://www.idparts.com/catalog/adva...104652085&mc_cid=07e233c4a8&mc_eid=e19ee2c0ff
I have one, as do many others.
They are ineffective for anything other than cosmetic, keeping rock/sand chips off the front. Cover the radiator completely with plastic corrugated board if you want to keep the coolant temp up a bit (or the pipe insulation in the grille).
They do make it look like a winter driver though.
 

KAT90

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Location
Mass
TDI
99.5 Jetta
I have one, as do many others.
They are ineffective for anything other than cosmetic, keeping rock/sand chips off the front. Cover the radiator completely with plastic corrugated board if you want to keep the coolant temp up a bit (or the pipe insulation in the grille).
They do make it look like a winter driver though.
Thanks for the info you just saved me a bill, I'll think I'll pass on the buy.:)
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
It's about 0F here in northern MN and dropping fast after sunset.
No worries.
Winter isn't even started yet.

The temp was about 18f here this morning! ScanGauge showed Intake air temp at 17f and the coolant temp was showing 18f. Seems the local forecast was saying 19f.

The Vanagon started just fine!:D
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
10F here in the NW burbs of Chicago @ 5:30 AM. I drove 14 miles, but with the heat on low and the radiator completely covered with the plastic, my SG only reached 174F.
 

Ski in NC

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Location
Wilmington, NC USA
TDI
2001 Jetta ALH 5sp stock
Forcasting 22F tonight here on NC coast. Folks here don't prepare for this cold, especially this early. Lots of stuff is going to be F#$CKED tomorrow am, I fear. I better drain the dock water pipes.
 

Kevinski4

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Location
Nebraska
TDI
.
I have one, as do many others.
They are ineffective for anything other than cosmetic, keeping rock/sand chips off the front. Cover the radiator completely with plastic corrugated board if you want to keep the coolant temp up a bit (or the pipe insulation in the grille).
They do make it look like a winter driver though.
Huh? A winter front cut my warmup time nearly in half on my daily commute and the gauge doesn't drop anymore when driving slow in town.

Temp was 5F here this morning. No fuel additive, no blended winter fuel, no problems! In all my years of TDI ownership in WI, the only thing I've ever added to my fuel is 2 cycle oil and I've never had a problem.
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
Huh? A winter front cut my warmup time nearly in half on my daily commute and the gauge doesn't drop anymore when driving slow in town.

Temp was 5F here this morning. No fuel additive, no blended winter fuel, no problems! In all my years of TDI ownership in WI, the only thing I've ever added to my fuel is 2 cycle oil and I've never had a problem.
Well sorry, I guess. According to the SG temps it didn't do much of anything for me in cold temps. So, that's when I started covering the radiator w/coroplast. The winter front I have does a poor job of covering up the lower center opening in the bumper cover. Now I don't even put that part on and just use the upper grille covers and use the coroplast. I just put the covers on yesterday for the rest of the season.
I guess everybody has to do what they find works for them. Since I have the winter fronts I use them in addition to the plastic, but I wouldn't buy them again.
They might be just the ticket for some areas, depending on winter temps and driving route/distance.
Cannt beat the heated fabric seats if you can keep them from starting on fire.
 
Last edited:

curtludwig

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Location
Winchendon, MA
TDI
1998 Jetta, 2005 Golf
Huh? A winter front cut my warmup time nearly in half on my daily commute and the gauge doesn't drop anymore when driving slow in town.

Temp was 5F here this morning. No fuel additive, no blended winter fuel, no problems! In all my years of TDI ownership in WI, the only thing I've ever added to my fuel is 2 cycle oil and I've never had a problem.
Uhh, by this time of year isn't pretty much all of the US getting #1 diesel instead of #2? We sure are, I documented the yearly drop in MPG...
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Uhh, by this time of year isn't pretty much all of the US getting #1 diesel instead of #2? We sure are, I documented the yearly drop in MPG...
Doesn't the retail pump still say Diesel #2? You might be buying a blend of the two types, but I don't think it is straight #1.

Around here it is referred to as WINTERIZED #2 Diesel.

Bill
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
Uhh, by this time of year isn't pretty much all of the US getting #1 diesel instead of #2? We sure are, I documented the yearly drop in MPG...
Most all pump diesel in colder climates will certainly be "winterized" by some means. It used to always be a blend of #1 and #2. The amount of #1 depending on the location and expected low temp for that time of year. Most of the fuel in Mn where I'm at, since we are a 5-7% bio-diesel mandated state, there isn't much blending any more. Most of the winterizing of the fuel is done with additives at the bulk dealer. Not much mileage drop due to the fuel, just because its colder. Burn this "winterized" fuel in the summer and you won't notice much of any mileage drop.
Some truck stops and specialty fuel stations will have choices. Winterized fuel, straight #2 and straight #1. But not real common. The only time I have ever used mostly straight #1 was a cold spell in excess of -30F through some pretty rural area and didn't want to take any more risk than needed.
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
So much for global warming ......... :D
Yeah, you would think. The lakes are freezing over a bit more than a week earlier than average this year, and had a very late spring. Short "summer" this year.
But.... The year before we had record highs and ice out was in late March. A month early.
The polar ice and glaciers continue to melt at faster than projected rates.
Who knows for sure? More extremes than average, it seems.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
Yup, I noticed a 10% hit in mileage like a switch about two weeks ago.
My anecdotal observations: A drop from about 46-48 mpg to 42-44 after the pumps were labeled winterized in early Oct (temps in the mid forties to low sixties). Now with temps in the low 20' to mid 30's using the same tank of fuel as was used in warmer temps the week before has shown a drop to 35-38 mpg on the same daily drive the only thing that changed were environmental (a little snow and lower temps)This is all based on the MFD numbers. So I feel there is much more to this than than the dreaded "winterized" fuel thing. Temperature and conditions I believe plays more into this than the fuel. Same happened for the last four years with my Jetta SW.
 
Last edited:

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
My anecdotal observations: A drop from about 46-48 mpg to 42-44 after the pumps were labeled winterized in early Oct (temps in the mid forties to low sixties). Now with temps in the low 20' to mid 30's using the same tank of fuel as was used in warmer temps the week before has shown a drop to 35-38 mpg on the same daily drive the only thing that changed were environmental (a little snow and lower temps)This is all based on the MFD numbers. So I feel there is much more to this than than the dreaded winterized fuel thing. Temperature and conditions I believe plays more into this than the fuel. Same happened for the last four years with my Jetta SW.

Exactly, that's what I maintain. I have two TDIs, the '01 and the '03. I usually park the '03 in the fall and drive the '01 until spring. So the '01 gets "winterized" fuel almost exclusively. On the occasions I fire it up and drive it in the warm weather it's running winter fuel and mileage is on par with the other car.
You don't lose a bunch of mileage because of a minor change in fuel. It's tire rolling resistance, cold engine, longer warmup times, greases/oils being thicker and all the things that turn use more energy to get it done. It's colder, it takes more fuel.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
JettaWreck, I agree 100%. Once the engine and all those moving parts are warmed up due to heat from combustion and friction, the car out on the road at 70 mph shouldn't have a drastic drop in MPGs due to winterized fuel. Sure, the cold air is thicker but that helps the Turbo and engine.
 
Top