My brothers recently bought a scoob and he mentioned the other day that scoobys sound like theyre struggling to start when you turn the key, ive noticed this myself but couldnt explain why. Does anyone know why this is? Is it an attribute of flat fours?

 

Chocolate is harder when it's cold

 

Get a better battery?

My first scoob turned slow and I thought that was what they did....... until I replaced the battery. What a difference

 

mine is perfect just turn key and within half a second its purring like a flat four should

steve

 

Mine was exactly the same, mind you I had an Aussie WRX so the battery was a lot smaller than the UK equivalent.
A bigger battery did the trick, but to be honest in the winter it's pretty normal behaviour for it to *sound* like it's struggling even though it's not really.

 

I've had three, and they all started slow.

 

mines fine but every now and then it stuggles, aparently if u touch the accelarator before turning the key it resets the ECU and wont start for something like 10 seconds, might be worth pointing out if you didnt know

 

I only press the clutch, i dont know what my brother does when he starts his.

 

do people still depress the clutch when starting? remember vaguely doing it when I was learning to drive but have never done so since

 

Your suppose to depress the clutch, it takes less effort to turn the car over that way (thus not using all your battery power).
Also has another function, it stops you flying forward/backwards incase you left your car in gear.....
I always do this and ive never had any battery problems or slow start problems with my scoobs

Tony

 

Won't this put a loading on the crank on start-up, I've read stories about something called 'crankwalk' on some engines.

Dipster

 

if you apply the lessons learnt when learning to drive, you should leave the car out of gear with the handbrake applied.

i always do in my car, but depress the clutch, cos you never know what the kids or the mrs has left it when they have been in it

Mart

 

Nope, you take the strain off the alternator if i remember correctly, and depessing the clutch is the correct way to start any car (read the user handbook )

Tony

PS, New Age STi's need the clutch depressing to start them up otherwise they wont start.

 

Well your taking the load off the gearbox.