Autostart options for 2015 Audi Q5 TDI

[vincent-h]

I'm looking for some autostart information for a 2015 Audi Q5.

Before going into some general questions I guess some recommendations of places I could contact would be great. Lots of the information through other forums I found have been for places outside Canada.

It would seem almost all options require giving up a key to hide within the vehicle. Is there any security concerns with this? Can a valet key be used for this as opposed to a full on key fob?

Audi now provides a install directly thoguh the dealership but it's a subscription package and seems to cost a ungodly amount ~$2000 and it just seems to jsut use a aftermarket system anyways.

Thanks for any help and input!

[nismodrifter]

Curious as to why you would want this? It's not going to warm up.

Best way to warm a diesel is get in and drive.

I'm not familiar with the Q5 specifically, is a recirculating coolant heater an option?

[Mitsu3000gt]

As with any car, the best way to warm it up is to drive it gently. There's more than just the engine that needs warming up in the extreme cold.

If it's a lease, just get out there and rev it until it's warm like I see some people do

[vincent-h]

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Curious as to why you would want this? It's not going to warm up.

Best way to warm a diesel is get in and drive.

I'm not familiar with the Q5 specifically, is a recirculating coolant heater an option?

To be fair I've never had a remote start on any of my past cars and I've generally always garage parked so I had no issues. Though to answer your question as simple as possible is that I now have two kids under 2 and loading them into a -30C freezing cold car and waiting for it to warm up while driving isn't ideal. I've tested this and it just does not warm up fast enough and the only reason I generally don't mind is that the driver/passenger has great heated seats. Car seats don't warm themselves and it's generally very unsafe (and incredibly difficult) to strap a fully bundled child to a car seat.

I believe I read in a few forums that European cars have some sort of Auxillary heater that heats the cabin of the Audi, but I could not find any details or information on that to be acquired in Canada.

[spike98]

I went DIY on my wifes Q5 before i sold it. Idatalink has an idiot proof module that is 100% plug in play with the right T-harness. Then you add a RF/Cell module of your choice and you are done. These aren't the hard to install 30 tap starters of years ago. They use CANBUS to start/stop and work flawlessly.

I would eco the concerns though with the diesel taking a bit of time of load before they warm up so i would look at a coolant heater first.

[vincent-h]

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I went DIY on my wifes Q5 before i sold it. Idatalink has an idiot proof module that is 100% plug in play with the right T-harness. Then you add a RF/Cell module of your choice and you are done. These aren't the hard to install 30 tap starters of years ago. They use CANBUS to start/stop and work flawlessly.

I would eco the concerns though with the diesel taking a bit of time of load before they warm up so i would look at a coolant heater first.

What was the install like/taking apart an Audi to get to the right areas to install it. I've taken apart my old Subaru before and it was like lego haha. Would you know if idatalink sells the t-harness?

[sabad66]

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What was the install like/taking apart an Audi to get to the right areas to install it. I've taken apart my old Subaru before and it was like lego haha. Would you know if idatalink sells the t-harness?

I pulled apart pretty much the entire dashboard (center controls including heat vents/controls, radio, screen, glove box) of my 2013 Q5 a couple of times to access the CANBUS port now and it's not too bad. The first time was tricky and ended up breaking one clip on the heater vents, but now that i've done it's a piece of cake and could do it again without needing to watch the youtube video any more. I think 2015 SQ5 should be pretty similar.

You'll need the audi radio removal keys (i actually have a spare if you want to borrow it):
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0007TC9M6/..._gK1PDbEY32BM8

and highly suggest proper removal tools like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01L8GHB7O/..._kK1PDb54KJ27D

EDIT: now that i think of it, if it's JUST the CANBUS port you need access to, you might be able to get away with just removing the glove box and not needing to take apart the middle of the dash. You will still need the radio removal keys to remove the AMI module before you actually pull out the glove box.

[vincent-h]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I've settled on a idatalink module as they do seem to be the easiest ones with the best integration with VW/Audis. I am however having a shop install it as after researching the effort and requirement for tools it seemed to offset the cost significantly.

The final solution is the idatalink module and giving up the valet key which isn't really a big deal.

Thanks all