Old Guy cold weather concern

[Smedley]

Thinking about taking my 740il to the ski lodge this winter, has a nice out side (heated) pool that is "purty" exciting in the dark. Have to keep ducking under water to keep my bald head from freezing. You can swim back under the wall to the lighted areas and hit the hot tubs.

My concern, I would have to leave the car outside, its normally minus 20 degrees (F) in the morning. Even my Subaru groans in this condition.

How will my well tuned 740il do in this environment??? Smedley

[Easylender6333]

Smedley,

I don't think I'd worry about an automobile built in Germany. It can be just as cold in those Alps.

[project37]

Thinking about taking my 740il to the ski lodge this winter, has a nice out side (heated) pool that is "purty" exciting in the dark. Have to keep ducking under water to keep my bald head from freezing. You can swim back under the wall to the lighted areas and hit the hot tubs.

My concern, I would have to leave the car outside, its normally minus 20 degrees (F) in the morning. Even my Subaru groans in this condition.

How will my well tuned 740il do in this environment??? Smedley

I use my 740il here in Alberta during the winters and we get down past -40 C. My car is parked outside when I am at the office and has never failed me yet. I have never had to use my block heater. You should have no problems leaving your car outside provided you have a good battery in the car.

[Oboyco]

Smedley, I live in the Co rockies, you will have no problem, as long as your battery is good. Last Feb. I was having problems with my battery going dead, had it tested and tested good. Still had problems, that's when I bought the interstate we discussed before, and voila, no more dead battery, or starting problems

[bstar]

Smedley, you're a dangerous dawg!!

[Smedley]

Woof, Woof.

[CobraBytez]

We hit near -30 in Toronto last year and my car unfortunately has to sit outside every single night. She handled it like a pro :), maybe even better than this summer haha!

[pizzaman09]

I rarely get blow -10F in Erie but I have never had any problems with it. Even after it sits at the airport in those conditions for 5 days.

Question: has any one ever had snow get sucked into their air system and blown into their car. It happened to me one day when I started the car at the airport to warm it up and then went to scrape the inch of ice off the north facing side of the car. I closed the door and looked inside the car and it was an absolute blizzard! It has strangely only ever happened once.

[Route 66]

I cannot comment on my E38 but my previous car had a snow screen which stopped the snow from going further than the airbox, which could cake up with ice and snow but no further than that.

[bstar]

I hate snow

[pkwon5]

i live in chicago and my e38 has no problem when its freezing out just when its heavy snow it can get stuck but its starts every time in the winter.

[heifetz17]

Up here in Montana we can get down to 20 or 30 below during the winters. My car is always outside and has no block heater, and I've never had a problem.

I love how well equipped these cars are to drive in winter conditions!

[Qsilver7]

Question: has any one ever had snow get sucked into their air system and blown into their car. It happened to me one day when I started the car at the airport to warm it up and then went to scrape the inch of ice off the north facing side of the car. I closed the door and looked inside the car and it was an absolute blizzard! It has strangely only ever happened once.

:D Great story and I bet that was a freaky thing to see...but I doubt that snow was actually sucked into the HVAC system...which one can easily understand why if you can visualize how air enters the HVAC system.

It was probably a rare situation where everything lined up perfectly for the creation of snow to be formed inside the cabin. It was obviously winter, so the temperature inside the car had to be below freezing. Snow is formed when water vapor in the atmosphere is exposed to freezing temperatures. If the water vapor is frozen BEFORE turning back to a liquid state...snow is formed (condensed vapor sticking to a frozen ice crystal). If the water vapor turns to a liquid state BEFORE freezing then you get a heavier or more substantial creation like sleet. When the HVAC system started blowing the "humid" air into the cabin that was below freezing...ice crystals formed and the surrounding water vapor attached to the ice crystals to create snow inside the car. :D

Back to the idea of sucking in snow...the only way anything (air) gets into the HVAC system is thru those two flap doors that get pushed open by the little arms that are attached to the hood (near the windshield)...when the hood is closed, the flaps are pushed open...but the opening is still covered by the design of the microfilter housing which is where the all the air that enters the HVAC system passes thru first. As fresh air is drawn into the HVAC system thru the grid on the top of the hood...it enters first thru the bottom of the filter and is sucked up from the bottom of the microfilter housing. This design prevents water or snow etc from being sucked into the HVAC system since it would have to rise up from the bottom of the microfilter housing (that's why the drain tubes are there)...the air once drawn into the microfilter housing rises up thru the filtering media then works its way into the HVAC system thru the two flap doors that can be seen when the hood is raised:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q/original/E38%20Fresh%20Air%20Intake%20Flaps%20and%20Arms.jp g

[sleepy740]

when my old e38 was parked at the dorms at CSU, i never had a problem starting her during the winter.
obviously, its colder in the mountains than in ft collins, but as long as your battery and alternator are in good shape, you will be fine.
oh, how i miss her so (CO and the 7er).
:(