This is my first winter with my 2004 3, so I'm unsure of what to expect; I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is. Now, it was cold this morning (13 degrees), but I let her warm up for a good 15 minutes. The windshielf was still covered w/frost and the temp gauge was still at cold. As soon as I started driving, however, she got warm almost immediately. I'm thinking the thermostat is going, but wanted to see if this is just a "thing" withmy pretty little girl. Also, if it is the thermostat, can this be a DIY job or left to the dealership? Thanks for any insight and advice!

 

I have a 2007 with a 2.0 and it does the same thing. At idle, does not warm up very quickly. Drive away, like your supposed to and it warms up rather quick. But, the dam frost. How do you drive away without sticking your head out the window, I have not figured out.

 

Just spoke to a girl at work that has the same year as mine, and yep, she confirmed the same thing...bummer...I was hoping to put a remote start on (great feature on my previous ride), but it seems quite useless. You can always get the windshield fluid that melts ice/frost as a work around, I suppose.

 

There is probably nothing wrong w/your thermostat. Most vehicles work that way. They simply warm up faster when under load and doing more work.

 

Your car is sitting outside, and its 20F outside ... of course its not going to give you heat instantly. No car provides instant hot air on a sub freezing day.

If youturn the defrost on immediately after starting the car, it may blast cold air, but it helps keep the your breath away from the windshield, and thus keeps interior fogging down. You can also direct your breathing downward until the car warms up - sounds silly perhaps, but it does make a difference.

Seems some of the posts arereferring tofogging/frost on the outside of the windshield- if this is the case, isn't the simple solution to wipe/scrape it off before driving? It takes maybe 30 seconds.

 

and even if it is on the inside, turn the defrost on max, and go inside for a bit, even if the air is cold, it's still going to be warmer than the frost.