Thanks for all the advice - so far...
The handbook says - Hold the ignition key in position 2 until the orange 'preheating' light goes out.
Start the engine
At extremely low teperatures it may be necessary to operate the starter motor for up to 40 seconds.!!! ...kin hell - what were they thinking when the designed this, or do BMW also sell batteries?
I also have a Citroen Volcane Turbo (goes like stink) and have no similar problems. So I've been a diesel driver for some time. I also ran quite a big garage business for 12 years - some time ago - I'm not a total newby to motoring. BUT I've never come acorss anything like this before.
I suppose I just have to live with it but I hope the battery and starter can survive. I live in Poole, Dorset so the weathers never THAT bad.
On another subject - fuel economy. I've discovered that using the 'winter' driving switch I can 'cruise' along and get much higher returns. Normal position gives around 37mpg. Winter setting around 42mpg. I did compete nationally some time back and came third in a competition to get the max mpg over a 20 mile course... so if you see a huge queue following a dark blue BMW it's me! If there are any other 325TDS SE drivers around what do you get?
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Hi Sideways,
by "extremely low temperatures" they mean below -10 or -20 deg C. When I was in the south of Germany last January some areas around the Bodensee dropped to -35 deg C at night. I was south of Munich and the daytime maximum was sometimes -10 deg C. My 1994 turbo diesel G-Wagon started first time having been parked outside all night.
My Father-in-Law has had this engine in his BMWs for the past 8 years or so. Currently driving one of the half dozen 725's sold in Holland in 1999(?) He never has a problem starting in very cold weather (he has had some other annoying niggles like the windscreen washer pipe dropping off the nozzle which required about a day's work in the workshop stripping down the underside of the bonnet to refix it). I doubt he keeps any kind of fuel consumption record, though. Not that kind of guy.
I would also firstly suggest looking at the glow plug circuit.
Most "winter" positions on the gearbox eliminate the use of first gear and therefore reduce the possibility of wheel spin on snow and ice. It might also affect the revs at which the gearbox changes gear. There should be a little explanation in your owner's manual. Quite how this gives you better MPG I am not sure.
HTH,
CMark
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Our 325 Tds SE 96 model (also dark blue) has no problems starting neither did my Range Rover with the same engine (fantastic engine, crap car).
I think that your first port of call would be the glow plugs - check their resistance. If they turn out to be OK then look for and air leak into the fuel system, this will sometimes show as a slight fuel stain after the engine has been standing for a while.
If non of this works then buy Diesel Car magazine and email them a letter.
By the way Citroen C3 HDI 16 valve now upto 9500 miles and still giving 68 ish MPG, top speed clocked on the M62 as 118 mph using GPS.
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I have a 320d (2001) and the handbook also states '40 seconds'. In practice it has never been greater than around 2 seconds in present UK winter conditions.
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SAAB 9-3 tdi, with the GM 2.2 litre engine, doesn't have a pre-heater light that comes on, ever, in normal UK temps and it starts very well too. Since it hasn't been really cold for a few winters I have no idea what happens at -10C but I guess the light would then come on for a few seconds. The implication would appear to be that the heater plugs are there but they don't come on at all in normal UK temperatures, even in the winter.
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