r/VWiD3Owners

Hey fellas,

Bought a second hand ID3 back in March, 58kwh version, 1st Max, loving it so far despite its flaws. 😇

Although the car has been pretty efficient for my kind of driving style so far, winter is around the corner and I am not feeling too comfortable.

Whoever has been driving this car for a long time, what’s your suggestion for maintaining a decent consumption with this car during the cold season ?

For context: I live in central Europe, where winter temperatures average between - 5 and 2 Celsius (we get a few days of -10 here and there).

I have a wallbox at home, so I can precondition the car when needed.

AI says: Whenever I charge the car and planning a trip the day after, schedule the cabin heating to 20 Celsius, optionally activate the heated seats and steering wheel, then unplug before I leave so the car doesn’t need that much of energy from its own battery to heat up the cabin.

Does that sound about right ? I know the battery can’t be preconditioned (shame) and I’m fine with that, so just wondering what’s your real life experience with cold winters and tips for maximum efficiency when it comes to consumption for both urban and highway drives.

Any advice would be much appreciated! 🙏🏻

Recently bought a 26 plate VW ID3 pure match and there were odd noises turning at low speeds that felt like a vibration in the front of the car with a low groaning sort of noise. Had it on diagnostics at VW and showed fault 0044 which is incorrect software in the power steering so we rejected it. Just picked up a replacement and same thing!! Anyone else had this ?
UK

Bit of a weird one, but advice / experience would be appreciated.

We bought a used 2021 VW ID3 in March 2025 from a large non-VW dealer with an extended warranty (let's call them dealer 'A'). 16 months later (warranty having elapsed), the HUD and infotainment system was delivering messages saying 'warnings and information unavailable' and, basically, most info was missing and some functions inaccessible although car was drivable.

I booked it into a VW dealer (call them dealer 'B') and they told me it was subject to two recalls from VW from BEFORE we owned it - a software update and something relating to a battery cell. Long story short, dealer B still has the car 6 weeks later because the software won't update and they can't work out what's wrong with the car. They have been back and forwards talking to VW in Germany. We have a loan car in the meantime from dealer B (who have been lovely). We are being warned it may be an expensive repair in the end.

So: Should dealer A have known there were recall notices on the car they sold me? They are non-VW and it may originally have been a trade-in to them. And, if the answer is 'yes', are they liable for the costs for this repair? The car is out of warranty. Finally, is this something the motoring ombudsman could potentially help with? Thanks for your time.