Last night we had 15-20 cm snow (6-8 inches if you don´t like the metric system), and I really did not feel like doing it, but I had to take my largest snow shovel and get to work. It was after 12 when I started, delayed doing it as long as possible :-). After an hour or two I had most of the snow removed from the ground at the front of the house, and around our Ford Focus Flexifuel that was parked there. As I was working my way toward the Audi A8, parked around the corner, I noticed that the snow covered the entire car - except the left front window. Looked really strange, so I waded over through the snow and took a look. The window was open! And that was not all, the right rear window (which was out of my line of sight before) was half open! And the car was unlocked! Plus of course that there was a LOT of snow inside the car.

Nothing was damaged, no tracks in the snow (execpt my own), nothing stolen. I know for sure that when I got home in the snowfall last evening I got my bag out of the rear seat, closed the doors and locked the car. Nothing out of the ordinary. When I walked the dog a few hours later I am pretty certain everything was still OK. So it must have happened during the night hours.

But why should the car unlock itself and also roll down one and a half window? I have a faint memory of a safety feature I have read about, possibly installed on Audi A8:s, where if you have an accident with your car when driving with the doors locked the car will automatically unlock its doors. But why (if so) would the car think it has been in an accident? Because it is entirely covered in snow? Anybody from Minnesota who can help me...?

It´s a 1997 A8, I have had it for a year now and driven it 30000 km, driven almost 180000 km in total. Great car, I really like it - except for a few minor things. And now this new "feature"...

Did you have your keys in your pocket?

I was shoveling my driveway and 3 of my windows were frozen shut. However the right rear window managed to get "unstuck" and opened. I couldnt believe it. Then as i was shoveling near the car i saw the parking lights flash and then the window opened again. When i bent down to pick up the snow i was holding the unlock button which triggers the windows to open.

Aha! Could it be that simple? Yes, I did have the keyring with the car key in my right hand trousers pocket. Furthermore, I was using a "snow sled" for most of the time, and when the going got heavy I was sometimes using my right leg to get some extra force on the handle. It seems reasonable that the key could have gotten in between my leg and the handle. Did not know that I could open the windows using the key though, I know I can close the windows and the sunroof when locking the car if I just hold the button down. But open the windows? Hmm, will have to test that.

Thanks a lot, sorry I was not able to deduct the most probable reason myself, certainly a humbling experience :-)!

Just checked, when I held down the unlock key one of the windows opened, and I could see another one trying to open but not managing to. So the mystery was not really a mystery at all. Thanks again!

Because it doesn't come from the factory with it coded to do that!

Glad that was easy.

Svempa, I've got a 2000 A8, and can open all the windows if I hold the unlock button down on my key fob. If you've got the ability to close with the lock button, it would make sense that you can open with the unlock button much the same as mine :)