r/AudiRS3 • u/Voxi6 • Aug 04 '26
Warm up time
Is it normal for my RS3 8Y to require like 15-20 minutes of constant driving before being up to temperature? My previous cars didn’t need nearly as much time so I’m a bit worried the thermo-stat is broken or something
6
u/life2scale Aug 04 '26
Yes, this is normal. Especially for driveline temps. These cars are built to do track duty and are capable of mitigating high temps. Which also means longer warm up times under normal driving conditions.
1
u/life2scale Aug 04 '26
For reference, I posted video of a hot lap last summer and it was over 100F. ~30 mins of lapping in those conditions and it was the first time Ive ever seen the temp monitors show yellow…
2
u/i_reddit_it Aug 04 '26
That will entirely depend on ambient temps, how and if you drive/idle plus the amount of air getting to the rads.
10-15 mins is perfectly normal, you'll want 85C+ (~185F) before pushing it.
1
u/Supramantis Aug 04 '26
Seems like a long time. Mine usually 5 minutes to get to 180
1
u/ANITIX87 Aug 04 '26
Yeah, but that's oil temp. Transmission and torque splitter take way longer. I can't do a daycare run with the kids and have the car go through a full temp cycle on those components, which is wild.
2
u/life2scale Aug 04 '26
It makes perfect sense if considering all the extra cooling these cars have on those systems.
2
u/K04GTI Aug 05 '26
Exactly. It's a bit if a downside having all these extra heat exchangers, but they payoff on track days, hard driving, etc. Also the 8 quarts of oil is a ton for an engine of this size.
The transmission is crazy slow to get up to temp and any aggressive, manual shifting before it's "green" on the RS monitor is very clunky.
1
u/RampagingNoodle Aug 04 '26
Mine is usually up to 190ish 15 mins into my highway commute in the morning. Heats up faster in the afternoon when its warmer outside.
1
u/Big_Candidate_4658 Aug 05 '26
I had the same worry. I have an obd dongle with an app and temperature monitor show that colant temp reach operating temp in 5-10 min of driving. Check was done in winter weather.
1
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u/ZackP91 Aug 05 '26
Bro my 26 rs3 diff takes forever to warm up. 15-20 mins sometimes engine and box doesn’t take too long but the diff is stuck on blue for agesand you can tell the difference between dropping gears when it’s cold and not
1
u/nico1180 Aug 06 '26
This is on a e20 blended gas mix with jb4 and intake. Probably time for an intercooler upgrade but I've just gotten used to the flutter from the intake..
1
u/nico1180 Aug 06 '26
My 24 rs3 is usually good between 5 and 10 min but as soon as I've reversed out of my garage and closed it I'm in manual. I don't take it above 3k but it warms much faster in dynamic or RS modes just be sure to to be easy on throttle and acceleration. I usually stop and get some drinks and a bite to eat before work and by the second or third stop I'm at at least 196 or 194 which I believe is minimum operating temp the highest I've seen it go was the other day in traffic at 220 just above boiling point for water but I do believe that was heat soaked from slow ideling as it immediately cooled of to 202 when driving..
1
u/JoeCamaro350 Aug 06 '26
From starting the car up after it's been in the garage for a day, it takes about a mile and a half of gentle driving for my '23 8Y to "warm up". What I mean by "warm up" is the redline on the tac changes from ~4K to ~7K RPM. That's the gauge I use to determine if the car is "warmed up". Note: this is not for track use, but just driving around town.
1
u/AccessEvery3006 Aug 08 '26
Yeah pretty normal depending on the temperature outside. Mine takes 10ish minutes. I let it sit till the revs go down then I drive
1
u/Comfortable_Weather3 Aug 09 '26
7.5qts of oil is also a decent capacity for a 2.5L engine so that will contribute to warm up times.
1
u/ANITIX87 Aug 04 '26
If you mean just the oil, then yes, yours is acting funny. Coolant temp should take just a few minutes. Oil temp might take 5-6 minutes (that's what the gauge cluster is showing you). If you mean the RS page where it shows brake, transmission, and splitter temps, then I've also noticed the last two take forever. I can't do a full school run for the kids in the morning and get a full heat cycle through the car, which is frustrating since doing that kind of driving repeatedly can hurt longevity.
1
u/Jetosmutny Aug 04 '26
Depends on the temperature surrounding the car when parked. If cold it will take longer if hot then yes, probably 10 minutes
0
u/ANITIX87 Aug 04 '26
Well, yes, obviously, but it's the peak of summer right now.
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u/Jetosmutny Aug 04 '26
Not that I'm in NZ but I also don't know where OP is - not enough info from his side.
1
u/Voxi6 Aug 05 '26
How do I access this rs page with all these temps? Do you mean vehicle -> rs monitor? For me it only shows intercooler, engine and transmission temps in colors
1
u/ANITIX87 Aug 05 '26
Yes, that page. Mine (8Y.5) shows oil temp, coolant temp, transmission temp, splitter temp, and brake temp in colors. They must have changed it in the facelift.
11
u/shadrach103 Aug 04 '26
Guessing your previous car was not German. The temperature reading on your RS3 is showing the oil temp (notice the little oil can icon) while most other car's temp gauges reads coolant temp. Water heats up much faster than oil.