poor starting when really cold and rear heated screen not working

[Hurley1611]

hi guys got a couple a couple of problems with my 1.8t that i need some advice with,

first off is there a common problem of the mk4 3dr golfs with the rear heated screen not working?checked all the fuses etc and they all seem fine,any ideas?

secondly with all the cold weather we have been having i have noticed the car is struggling to start,to the point this morning when it nearly didnt,lost the clock and speedo displays(both went to 0) but it just about started.and with me going to work at 5:30am id rather like to know its going to start!
i only have this problem when its really cold.

any help would be greatly appreciated.cheers

[iforland]

Assuming fuses, switch and relays are ok, the heater not working could be because of a broken wire. Check the tailgate, 2 rubber gommits (one in each corner), one has the 12v supply the other has ground. Mine was broken on the 12v side, a soldering iron was enough to fix.

[batteryman]

Your starting problem sounds like battery voltage dropping right down when you turn over the car in very cold conditions. Does it spin over quickly or is it sluggish? Could be your battery is on the way out but check a couple of things first - (a) check alternator dive belt is correctly tensioned and in good condition, if it's slipping the battery won't be recharging to full charge when you have headlamps, heater, rear screen heater etc. all switched on (b) if your battery has removable plugs for topping up the water, take them out and look for the liquid level. If it's below the top of the plates, top up with distilled or deionised water to about 5mm above the plates. Run the car to charge the battery and mix in the water.

If you do bite the bullet and get a new battery, charge it up overnight before you fit it to get maximum lifetime out of it.

[herby0001]

That's sound advice!