# EOS not Winter Friendly!!!



## Domdog31 (Aug 30, 2006)

As some of you may remember, I was the one with the EOS that had to get the tailight replaced from a leaky seal the allowed water into the tailight assembly.
My saga continues.....
After the northeast got hit with a couple inches of snow and some frigid temperatures, I was weary to see how the car handled and let alone run.
The first issue isnt so bad as I assumed the car would be horrible in snow. I couldnt not even navigate my street after it was plowed, the wheels slipped and spun out, even with the anti-slip feature off.
Anyway thats no big deal, the real problem was that all of my power window buttons were frozen soild. They were really stiff and diddnt not work at all. I couldnt even pull them up or push them down. Its not like I want to open my windows but it would be nice to have that option!! Agreed the weather was cold, but the mechanism and buttons should be subject to freezing and totally locking up. I still after a 45 min drive to work with the heat on high am unable to use the power window switches......
UGHHHHHHHHH.......whats next??


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## WolfsburgerMitFries (Jul 4, 2005)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

Do you park your car outside?


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## Timokreon (Nov 13, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

Sorry to hear your continued troubles.
I, on the other hand, have had snow upwards of 12+" and have had zero handling troubles in this snow, ice, rain, etc.. and zero window issues. I did notice that when I washed off my car, to get the salt off, the water would freeze at the window sills. After the 1st experience, I just wiped off the sills and windows so it wouldn't occur again.
The snow handling is more characteristic of tires than the actual car itself. What type, model, etc... are you using on yours?
Take care all,


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## Domdog31 (Aug 30, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Timokreon)*

Yes, I do park my car outside. And My car is the base 2.0T with 17" tires. Only upgrade i have it the upragded stereo system. 
On the roads today the car was fine (slush and some ice and snow leftover) Just on packed snow the car handled like a rear wheel drive car) anyway....its not the window getting stuck its the actual buttons that control them....
they are stuck stiff and frozen.....ill check this afternoon again and btw..there still was snow on the inside of my car from when my botts dragged some in from about 15 hours before that.....
the interior of the car is subject to the cold air alot more than other cars.....convertible or no convertible... otherwise i cant wait for SPRING!!!


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## gilesrulz (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

I'm not having the same problems you are. I have also not heard of the same issues with our friends up in Canada, and they have far worse winters than us. I drove through all sorts of unpleasantness on Tuesday night and had no problems at all and actually had the opposite impression you did about how the car handles in winter conditions.
The only reason I can think that your window buttons would be affected, is that you somehow got water in them and it froze.


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## gdevitry (Jan 1, 2007)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

I keep my snow scrapper in my truck... in case the windows have ice around the edges.
Drove to work today (icey/snowy roads). Traction control only activated while leaving my driveway (steep incline). Was *better* than I thought it would be


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## ialonso (Aug 26, 2006)

I'm sorry for your troubles. here in Houston it seldomly ever freezes, so I really can't relate, but it occured to me that if the switches get wet (door opened in the rain, for example) and then the car freezes, ice cubes could form and jam the switches...
Then again if this was true it would happen on my cars, and not just your Eos, so my theory may be totally wrong.
Could it also be the plastic chnages its volume witht he temperature, and the tolerance is so close that the switched is "sandwiched" closed ?
I would be tempted to run a hair dryer to them ,just to see if they came back...
Best of Luck with your issues


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## just-jean (Sep 14, 2006)

235 is like riding on a snowboard in winter---they float----too late in the season to bother with winter tires but some narrow 15 or 16 inch H rated ones for next year is a must---on steelies








no issues with window seals---brushed them cold instead of warm melt too keep water from refreezing on edge of window---dropped nicely to allow door to open----now if I could only ride with the whole roof open








edit---don't think the breaks will fit with 15's..........


_Modified by just-jean at 12:04 PM 2-15-2007_


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## Grinder (Feb 6, 2004)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

My car windows as well did not adjust to the cold temps especially when it was damp and then went cold quickly. According to my vw shop they had lots of models in with this issue, I don't think that they have a silver bullet though. Mine ddid move after 30 min of driving, so sorry to hear that yours never did move. Now that weather has been cold and dry for a while mine are operating normally.
On handling, I have winter tires but I thought that the ESP did a good job helping to keep it straight when I tried to get it sideways. Low speed traction I find good and comparable to my '03 Passat with traction control keeping both wheels pulling.
Maybe it is the tires?
Paul


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

I hate to say it but people putting 17in tires on cars and expecting decent handling in/on ice & snow are seriously delusional. This is no insult to you or truly anyone.
Car manufacturers love big wheels because (a) they're attractive and (b) they're an easy way to improve handling.
I would strongly advise anyone who drives in snow regularly to get some 16in snows.
Cheers and I sincerely hope the issues with your car are soon taken care of. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Any Minnesotans with an Eos? 

_Quote, originally posted by *Domdog31* »_Yes, I do park my car outside. And My car is the base 2.0T with 17" tires. Only upgrade i have it the upragded stereo system. 
On the roads today the car was fine (slush and some ice and snow leftover) Just on packed snow the car handled like a rear wheel drive car) anyway....its not the window getting stuck its the actual buttons that control them....
they are stuck stiff and frozen.....ill check this afternoon again and btw..there still was snow on the inside of my car from when my botts dragged some in from about 15 hours before that.....
the interior of the car is subject to the cold air alot more than other cars.....convertible or no convertible... otherwise i cant wait for SPRING!!!


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

I'm wondering if your window switch issue is related to your original leak problem?
If I recall your car became quite saturated with water and you had lots of condensation issues.
Moisture has probably made its way into every nook and cranny in the car, and it is often easier for it to get in than it is for it to get back out. Especially if the area does not get air circulation (i.e. inside door panels etc.)
I know this sounds like a pain in the rear, but I wonder if you got the car into a warm dry area for a couple days, opened up the door panels, etc., and ran a circulating fan to really dry things out, maybe that would get you back to square one.
If the leak is repaired, hopefully you would have no further difficulties.
But this is all guessing.
Kevin


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## Small5 (Jan 19, 2007)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

I'm sorry to hear about your woes, but I live in freehold about 45-1hr south of you.
yesterday I had a layer of snow, over a sheet of ice, over some more snow. It took me about 1:15 to clean off the car. But I didn't have any of the problems you mentioned.
My traction control did light up a few times but once I turned it off, i was fine. (living in syracuse ny for 6 years has also helped in knowing how to drive in the snow/ice [not saying you don't know how]).
The only "problem" i have is that I can hear the ice in the rims now that things have started to melt. But once it warms up that will go away.
While your EOS problems might be weather related, they seem to be more of a malfunction rather than a "it doesnt work because it's cold" problem.
I would suggest your dealership service agent being the best solution to your problem. you might also think about the idea of a "lemon"? while we dont want to think of our cars as falling under that category, they are first year models so there are bound to be some problems over all, and some problems with individual builds.
good luck.


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## neweosowner (Nov 25, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

Can't say I've had any issues with the windows. Car wash out to 0F weather, parked outside for 15 hours in sub-zero F weather (and used the automatic window as a terrible snow-clearing device). However, I do live in a rather dry climate (in winter it makes Las Vegas seem damp!) so that may have an effect. North Bay, Ontario, is MUCH more humid than Edmonton but can get just as cold; that's a better match to your conditions. 
Still, from all the posts today I'd suggest that you have a mostly-unique problem which, unfortunately, could relate back to your water episode. Sorry to hear that you're having more problems.


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## flheat (Sep 29, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (neweosowner)*

We are supposed to hit 32 degrees tonight for the first time in 4 years so I will let you all know tomorrow how my Eos is affected by this cold blast.


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (flheat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *flheat* »_We are supposed to hit 32 degrees tonight for the first time in 4 years so I will let you all know tomorrow how my Eos is affected by this cold blast.


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (flheat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *flheat* »_We are supposed to hit 32 degrees tonight for the first time in 4 years so I will let you all know tomorrow how my Eos is affected by this cold blast.

32 degrees is cold???
My gosh,... that's depressing.








We are suposed to get *up* to around 32 degrees this weekend, with freezing rain,..... just to make sure we don't enjoy it too much.
Kevin


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## Bster67 (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (just4fun)*

I disagree that the Eos is not winter friendly. I drove home Tuesday afternoon with about 3-4 inches of slush/snow on the roads and had very few problems. From a complete stop at a red light I felt the wheels spin for a couple of seconds but easing on the gas seemed to propel me forward with little slipping.
My driveway has quite a steep incline and when I arrived home the plow had thrown about 8 inches of snow across the end of it. I hit the accelerator and rolled right over the snow and up the driveway - no problem. I do have 16" tires - maybe that helps. Maybe driving a Jeep Wrangler for years makes me overly confident in the snow. I just gas it and go.








It has been below freezing for over two weeks, and my windows have only had a problem once. It was after my car was parked outside at work and was snowed on, sun melted snow, got colder and refroze. My passenger side window wouldn't go down, but when I got home, I scraped the ice off of the bottom edge of the glass and all was well. 
I just can't wait until we get temperatures above freezing so I can put the top down again. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## ChicagoVW (Sep 10, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (flheat)*

We haven't been up to 32F in nearly three weeks! And have spent most of those three weeks between -10F and 15F. My car is garaged at night, but is parked outside all day, so with my commute it's outside for about 11 hours every weekday.
I also can't say that I've had any of the problems mentioned here. I've driven my car in temps as low as -11F, and in 0F or below for several days without any freezing problems. Windows worked great, sunroof worked great, even my heated mirrors worked great! 
I've seen the traction control come on *once* after a snowfall. But I also purposely have left my car garaged and taken public transportation when we've gotten considerable snow because I'm too afraid that someone else is going to slide into me.
Didn't your storm in the northeast contain a lot of freezing rain and sleet? 
COME ON SPRING!!


_Modified by ChicagoVW at 7:21 PM 2-15-2007_


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## GTIScottie (Dec 18, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (liquid stereo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *liquid stereo* »_I hate to say it but people putting 17in tires on cars and expecting decent handling in/on ice & snow are seriously delusional. This is no insult to you or truly anyone.
Car manufacturers love big wheels because (a) they're attractive and (b) they're an easy way to improve handling.
I would strongly advise anyone who drives in snow regularly to get some 16in snows.

I just moved to Pittsburgh from Erie, PA. Erie is one of the areas that gets dumped on from "lake effect snow". I've been driving for 21 years and been through some bad winters in Erie. Never ever have I used snow tires, and have never had a problem with getting through any snow with all seasons. 
Through this discussion and many others on the MKV forum, I've learned alot about tires. When I bought my GTI, it had the 18" Huffs with Continental Sport Contact 2's on it. I was well aware of the fact that they were a season specific tire when I bought it, and tried dilegently to have them swapped out before buying the car. The dealership was unwilling to do so, and I just wanted the car, so I got it with those tires on. I swapped them out with 18" Bridgestone Potenza 960's last week which are rated as a "high performance all season". So far they perform well, but this weekend we are headed to the North Central Mountains of PA and may run into some snow there. We will see what happens. 
I guess my point is that my GTI is my first performance based vehicle, and although I love it to death, I'm very disappointed in the fact that you really need to go two wheel sizes down to make the vehicle perform at it's best in the snow. We haven't had much snow in Pittsburgh, and although the new Bridgestones worked well in what we got the other day, I still do not feel confident in its ability to conquer snow. 
Just so you know, I know I'm in the EOS community, I've just been lusting over them and thinking it may be my next car. This topic really interested me because of the area of the country I live in, and it sounds as though the majority of responders have had no problem in the snow.


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## ShaoChi (Nov 28, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (liquid stereo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *liquid stereo* »_I hate to say it but people putting 17in tires on cars and expecting decent handling in/on ice & snow are seriously delusional. This is no insult to you or truly anyone.
Car manufacturers love big wheels because (a) they're attractive and (b) they're an easy way to improve handling.
I would strongly advise anyone who drives in snow regularly to get some 16in snows.


It's almost entirely the compound and the tread that matter. The wheel diameter is insignificant, and the section width is no big deal; this does require some common sense though - unless you go from a 175mm width to a 305mm width or something else substantial (and ridiculous) like that, you will unlikely see any issues due to the tire width. I'm amazed at how many theoretical experts like to "inform" the forums at large about how my tires will "float" too much, and typically this comes with little or no experience. I currently run 235mm width Michelin Alpins on 17x8 alloy wheels on a 2.0T DSG Jetta and it starts, turns, and stops wonderfully in the snow, sleet, slush, etc. Then when you consider the Eos is a good 300 pounds heavier, it should even feel *more* stable in the snow with the same size wheels and tires. Remember people, it's the type of tire not so much the width and certainly not the wheel size. Of course, the bigger the wheel diameter, the more *expensive* the winter tire will be, but that applies to any type of tire. Just get yourself a set of wheels in whichever size you prefer (that fit over your brakes) along with a set of closely-sized good winter tires and you will be just fine. AFAIK, there is nothing particular to the Eos that makes it handle extra poorly in winter.
This ain't brain surgery folks.








Pardon my somewhat off-topic rant.











_Modified by ShaoChi at 10:10 PM 2-15-2007_


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## BigFoot-74205 (Jan 26, 2006)

I've got 16" winter tires on my Eos and it handles just fine in snow. OTOH I can see how 17" summer tires would suck on snow.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Domdog31* »_... I assumed the car would be horrible in snow. I couldnt not even navigate my street after it was plowed, the wheels slipped and spun out, even with the anti-slip feature off.

What kind of snow tires are you using? You *are *using snow tires, I assume - it does snow in New Jersey during the winter, right?
I had a blast in the snow yesterday - actually got up at 04:00 to go drive around aimlessly and enjoy myself before the plows came out. I bought a set of snow tires last year (went through the first winter thinking that all wheel drive would be a replacement for snow tires - *NOT!*), and wanted to see how they worked out. The answer was "just perfectly". I was doing a bit of traffic light racing with a Touareg who was also out playing - I beat him by huge margins 'zero to 50 MPH', and the only reason I can think of is that I had dedicated winter tires on my car, and he was using the so-called 'all season' tires that came on his truck.
Michael
*Snow Tires*

*Results of using snow tires*


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Domdog31* »_ ...the wheels slipped and spun out, even with the anti-slip feature off...
...whats next??

I don't think you are supposed to turn the anti-slip (ESP) off if you are on a slippery surface such as an icy or snow-packed road. You are supposed to leave it on. This will allow the engine and ABS controller to work together to give you maximum tractive power - the engine controller will limit power if it detects wheelspin, and the ABS will modulate the brakes as needed to prevent either wheelspin or brake lockup.
Perhaps the problem was that you turned it off.
There is a W (Winter) button on the 3.2 Eos. In the German language manuals, this button is described as 'mountain driving assistance'. I am not exactly sure what it does, but the owner manual suggests that you press it if there is snow on the road. But, you are not supposed to press the ESP button if there is snow on the road.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (just4fun)*


_Quote, originally posted by *just4fun* »_I wonder if you got the car into a warm dry area for a couple days, opened up the door panels, etc., and ran a circulating fan to really dry things out, maybe that would get you back to square one. 

Kevin:
That is a really first-class idea.
Dominick : 
Perhaps contact your VW dealer and ask them if you can park the car inside their service bay over the weekend (from Friday night to Monday morning). Leave the windows down, and the top down, and the trunk lid open, and park the car in such a location that it gets the blast from the heating system in the shop whenever the furnace turns on. It will be dry as a nun's fart when you pick it up on Monday. In theory, your dealer should offer you a no-charge loaner for the weekend while yours dries out (at least, that's what my VW dealer would do, anyway).
Michael


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## cb391 (Mar 12, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (PanEuropean)*

Some people just have too much fun. But seriously, dedicated snow tires can make an awfully big difference. Growing up, Dad would have his snow tires on by mid autumn and take them off around April. We lived out where you were likely to beat the snowplows out on snowy mornings so the roads were pretty bad. If the snow got too deep or there was packed or snow/ice, on went the chains. Also driving style and technique were important.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (cb391)*

Snow tires are free.
If you plan to drive your car more than 40,000 miles before you get rid of it (lease ends or you trade it in, either way), you are going to have to buy a second set of tires.
You might as well buy that second set right up front when you take delivery, and then have the benefit of enjoying dedicated winter tires during the winter season for the (average) 3 or 4 years that you have the car.
There is nothing more disheartening that bringing the car back at the end of a lease, being told that the tires are worn down to the limits and that you now have the privilege of buying four new tires for the next owner. Heck, you could have bought snows when you first got the car, and enjoyed the benefits of the money instead.
Michael


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## Shaka (May 20, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

My wife drivers her EOS daily. Her stock OEM all season 17" tires were not really up to the high demands of Cleveland, Ohio. We currently have 25+ inches of snow on the ground, and saw an extra 18" of that in just a 24 hour period. (Tuesday night blizzard).
We had put on snow tires (225's instead of OEM 235s) and the car drives amazing. Its way better than a 1.8T w/ASR -- the 2.0T w/ESP is just amazing. It goes in the snow almost as good as my R32 and Touareg did.
Much of your issues with winter driving, as noted above, is probably the right tire combo. Skinnier and smaller tires would be ideal, too. so as Tire Rack says... "dress appropriately"...


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## ChicagoVW (Sep 10, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*

You may want to take a look at this article (it sounds like what's happening to your window):
http://news.windingroad.com/ma...os-32/
Alex


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## Domdog31 (Aug 30, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (ChicagoVW)*

Great Article.... To answer some of the many quetions and respond to the comments....
My windows controls were not frozen shut they actually felt like they were disabled. The buttons were totally stiff and soild like they were locked.
Second, they did actually "warm up" and on my ride home from work after about 20 min of driving, they functioned. Although seeming a little rusty I had to open them and close them a few times. 
Traction:
The car was not so bad in the snow as i thought it would be. 
Thaw-Out:
I do not have the time nor patience to let the car "thaw" out for a few days. That article above exaplains alot. How come noone knew about that safety feature before? or did i miss something??


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (ShaoChi)*

Contact patch which really translates into actual force to displace snow/slush is extremely important.
Tire compound is extremely important as well.
In your particular case, your snow, your car, your tires, it may be "fine" as you define "fine" but its about the transmitting of force. The factors that go into this are thread pattern (as it affects surface area), contact patch (as it affects surface area), tire compound (as it affects surface area via deflection and friction coefficient.)
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

_Quote, originally posted by *ShaoChi* »_
It's almost entirely the compound and the tread that matter. The wheel diameter is insignificant, and the section width is no big deal; this does require some common sense though - unless you go from a 175mm width to a 305mm width or something else substantial (and ridiculous) like that, you will unlikely see any issues due to the tire width. I'm amazed at how many theoretical experts like to "inform" the forums at large about how my tires will "float" too much, and typically this comes with little or no experience. I currently run 235mm width Michelin Alpins on 17x8 alloy wheels on a 2.0T DSG Jetta and it starts, turns, and stops wonderfully in the snow, sleet, slush, etc. Then when you consider the Eos is a good 300 pounds heavier, it should even feel *more* stable in the snow with the same size wheels and tires. Remember people, it's the type of tire not so much the width and certainly not the wheel size. Of course, the bigger the wheel diameter, the more *expensive* the winter tire will be, but that applies to any type of tire. Just get yourself a set of wheels in whichever size you prefer (that fit over your brakes) along with a set of closely-sized good winter tires and you will be just fine. AFAIK, there is nothing particular to the Eos that makes it handle extra poorly in winter.
This ain't brain surgery folks.








Pardon my somewhat off-topic rant.









_Modified by ShaoChi at 10:10 PM 2-15-2007_


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (ChicagoVW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ChicagoVW* »_You may want to take a look at this article (it sounds like what's happening to your window):
http://news.windingroad.com/ma...os-32/
Alex

While what they say might be true, they are not very professional and quite flippant in their explanations for not reading the manual (aka RTFM).








Not having time to read the manual when they have the car for a week or more - inexcusable. Granted a lot of the manual is boilerplate and is sometimes tedious to read, it does contain a lot of information about the car. And, they probably could have had their questions answered if they came here


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## semaphore (Jan 20, 2005)

agreed.


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## Peter_Rabbit (Aug 9, 2005)

*Re: (Banoonoo)*

well sucks that the windows are stuck. That shouldn't happen. period.
winter tires for winter driving and I'm sure the eos will be as good as our tdi or gti w/ winter tires. for comparison, all my neighbors suv's w/ all-season tires got stuck in the recent snow. our cars didn't. TDi has 16" blizzak ws-50's gti has 17" Pirelli sottozeros.


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## Peter_Rabbit (Aug 9, 2005)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_
I don't think you are supposed to turn the anti-slip (ESP) off if you are on a slippery surface such as an icy or snow-packed road. You are supposed to leave it on. This will allow the engine and ABS controller to work together to give you maximum tractive power - the engine controller will limit power if it detects wheelspin, and the ABS will modulate the brakes as needed to prevent either wheelspin or brake lockup.
Perhaps the problem was that you turned it off.
There is a W (Winter) button on the 3.2 Eos. In the German language manuals, this button is described as 'mountain driving assistance'. I am not exactly sure what it does, but the owner manual suggests that you press it if there is snow on the road. But, you are not supposed to press the ESP button if there is snow on the road.
Michael

ESP works great, once you are moving. But under extreme slippery conditions you will necessarily need the wheels to slip on a VW product because ESP would reduce so much power that the engine would bog and stop running. Tires, not ESP is how you keep from slipping. But, once going the esp keeps the car headed where your aiming.


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## ramsecon04 (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Timokreon)*

Greetings, don't see many people from the QCA in the forums. Still haven't seen an EOS on the road here, other than the one's at Lujacks. Enjoy it. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Domdog31)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Domdog31* »_My windows controls were not frozen shut they actually felt like they were disabled. The buttons were totally stiff and soild like they were locked.

Hi Dominick:
I'm going to guess, just based on the description that you have provided, that water has somehow got into your window switch assembly on the driver door and frozen in there. I don't think you have a situation where any kind of "electronic over-ride" has stopped window operation.
You can determine exactly what has happened by taking the following steps:
*1)* Start the car.
*2)* Try to operate the passenger window, using the control button on the passenger door. If you can operate the passenger window from the passenger side, but not from the driver side, then your problem is specific to the driver side switch.
Another possible test would be as follows:
*1)* Turn off the car.
*2)* Put the key blade in the driver door lock external cylinder, turn the key blade to the full unlock position, and hold it there for a few seconds. See if the windows go down.
I am presuming that the NAR spec Eos allows windows to be run up and down by holding the key in the driver door lock cylinder at either the 'full lock' (windows up) or full unlock (windows down) position. This is a common feature on most other NAR Volkswagen products.
If it turns out that your problem is specific to the driver door inside window switches, then drying the car out over the weekend at the VW dealer is probably the best way to solve that problem. Plus, you will get the benefit of having a totally dry car everywhere else - thus, no window fogging due to residual snow in the footwells, etc.
Michael


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## bougy (Nov 21, 2006)

a bit of 
http://www.webasto.us/oem/en/oem_auto.html#1685
and no car wash may prevent the problem ...


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## Gunship (Jun 18, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (ramsecon04)*

As I sit here I am starting to freeze on behalf of you guys.
My EOS / TT ROadster will be in SA before our "winter" starts in SA.
Oh and our Winter is min 15 Deg C (59 F)















Sorry but just had to say it ...


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

*Re: (bougy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bougy* »_a bit of 
http://www.webasto.us/oem/en/oem_auto.html#1685
and no car wash may prevent the problem ...
 bougy im kinda confused what a webasto" would help them from getting water in the door? also if youd read you manual it does say car washing is ok, its just the PRESSURE WASH that isnt recommended, i agree with the one comment on how tire size doesnt really help in snow 16 vs 17 actually a taller skinny tire will go through more snow than a 16 inch wide one, seems like you people got some snow out east and have to learn how to drive in snow? our eos handles just find in ice and snow, it seems you cant expect a sport car to go through snow like a 4wheel silverrado, you should of bought one of those instead


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (Gunship)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Gunship* »_Sorry but just had to say it ...
















Hi Cassie:
Yeah, sure, you had to say it. Go ahead and rub it in. I woke up this morning in a hotel near Chicago, here's what I saw out the window.
Maybe when you get back to nice, sunny ZA you will find out that a lion has crapped on your Touareg while you were gone.








Michael


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## cb391 (Mar 12, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (PanEuropean)*

Michael,
Welcome to Chicago!
Andy


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## flheat (Sep 29, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (cb391)*

Well, the predictions for our first freeze in 4 years did not come true, but my Eos is holding up well in this Wintry weather. I did not have the top down this morning since it was just too cold. I did get a car wash today and I had no issues with the windows not working. Earlier this afternoon it did warm up to 60 so braved putting the top down and everything worked fine. I noticed no issues with handling despite not having snow tires on my car. As others have suggested, I found no reason to turn off the ESP. I give this car a http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif for being Winter Friendly.


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## mark_d_drake (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (flheat)*

Winter, Orlando ... come on Bruce, you are just asking to get flamed.....







, hell I'm up in Tahoe, left the EOS at home, and we don't have any signs of real winter up here


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## bougy (Nov 21, 2006)

*Re: (minnvw)*

Well, as written in a link up in this thread, after being in a car wash, the problem begins ... So just don't use car wash (apparently in the European EOS manual, it says "avoid" or "don't use" , I don't know, mine is not ready and not delivered yet, they just reply this when I asked not to use a car wash for it's first wash they will have to do before delivering it to me sooooooon).
The webasto can help if condensation makes the problem and could replace "a night at VW dealer".
For the snow stuff, I'm in Europe, and I drive with snow tires from november till march every year ...


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

bougy, all can go by is the owners manual that came with our car, and ill repeat it does NOT say no car washes,, only says no to HIGH presser washers , like i use on my deck, we use to do the snow tire thing here in Minnesota 40yrs ago, but since the snow plows , and the chemical they use has improved, and the all season tires, with high precent of vechiles being front wheel drive, havent seen much snow tires for years. Youll be getting yours at the right time , to use the convert part, your going to love the car.


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## Small5 (Jan 19, 2007)

I gave my EOS her first non-dealership carwash last weekend. (yeah stupid me since there was a blizzard wednesday.
It was an all cloth wash with no high pressure sprayers...still all sealed up still....


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

small 5, i do mine also, i use those too with the cloth spinners, andthe pressure isnt that hight on them. that way i get the underbody wash too, really important here with all the chemical use, no ihavent had any problem either, i still think that one lady must of had her back window part way down, to get all that water in the back? Oh yes on the blizzard next day ha never fails ha doug


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (cb391)*


_Quote, originally posted by *cb391* »_Welcome to Chicago!

Well, at least I am not in as much trouble as fellow Phaeton forum member Kevin, who lives in Syracuse, NY:


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

pan, you got that right the only thing kevin is missing now , is for a big snow plow to go by and plug him in there good, ha


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## aflaedge (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: (minnvw)*

I had frozen windows this morning. The buttons moved up and down just fine though. After about 10 minutes the two rear windows were functional. Another 10 minutes and the left hand side window worked. I never got the right hand side to work after a full 25 minutes of driving with the heat on at 75 degrees F. The strange thing is that the temp was only 24 degrees F and I've taken the car out in colder weather without window problems.


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

*Re: (aflaedge)*

aflaedge, yes that is very strange when they have worked fine all winter? humi guess i never drive with my windows down when its that cold, but i guess thats besides the point they should work, guess im never that hot? ha i love the heated seats


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## Small5 (Jan 19, 2007)

*Re: EOS not Winter Friendly!!! (PanEuropean)*

i lived in syracuse for 6 years while in college there...

those were some harsh, long winters....but i kinda miss them.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: (aflaedge)*


_Quote, originally posted by *aflaedge* »_...The strange thing is that the temp was only 24 degrees F and I've taken the car out in colder weather without window problems.

My guess is that you had a freeze/thaw cycle - perhaps due to driving the car, or maybe washing it, or even parking it in the sun - and that is what has 'grabbed' the right hand side window.
I washed my Phaeton in Detroit on Friday of last week, it's Monday morning now, and the front passenger side window is STILL frozen shut. I am pretty certain this was caused by water from the car wash freezing around the fabric window guides (top, bottom, sides) of the front passenger window.
As soon as I get back home and store the car overnight in my garage, which is normally above freezing (about 55°F), the problem will go away.
Michael


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