Car will not start in freezing weather?

[sfsorrow]

HI, I have a golf diesel, its 13yrs old now, and in freezing conditions I have trouble starting it. The colder it is the harder it is to start, until recently when it would'nt start at all. Now the temperature has risen slightly it starts again, it drags its heels a little, but fires up. Any ideas why?

[sara3]

how old is the battery?

[TWR]

Replace all the Glow Plugs ( 4 )

[AlBags]

My neighbours 23 year-old Golf Diesel has no problems .. Battery good .. Glowplugs good.
My money is on the glowplugs/relay if it turns over well enough in the cold.

[chas2008]

glow plugs are a common problem on this vehicle also batteries that are not 100% can cause problems as the engine wont crank fast enough. The chances are the battery is fine in the warm weather a cold snap shows up the poor condition of it,ask any car parts supplier how many batteries they sell on the really first cold spell of the year..100s

[sfsorrow]

Thanks people, I assumed it was the battery, but glow plugs is a possibility.

[razza]

Turn on till glowplug light goes out,then turn on again till glowplug light goes out then turn the engine.Only do this when absolutely necessary.