Any idea if this is possible? is this a computer issue? or is it a switch that doesn't allow the manual to be started without the clutch being depressed? Could I bypass the switch?

Is it possible to override this somehow?

better question is, why would you want to?

boots on. It is nice to just reach across, throw it in neutral and turn the key...then change, car is warmed up a bit by the time you jump in.

Any chance of by-passing the interlock?

Question is: why have this as a safety feature? Driven sticks for my 11 years of driving, and don't think i've ever started one with it in gear. Seems like a good tool maybe for valets, and that's about it.

and leaps forward.

Much as we on AW like to think we're a majority, most Audi drivers lack our talent and intelligence.

I'd still date a cute girl that drives an Audi and isn't on AW, though.

Audi does things to protect themselves. In Europe, our cars have optional self-parking. Fat chance we'll ever get that in NA. I remember my jeep didn't have the interlock, and there was a huge recall to install it (which I just avoided, for the same reasons as you're looking for).

I think you'll just have to ski-boot that pedal. Or train your wife/gf/beer-bringer/sandwich-maker.

start it right before driving away.

no matter how cold it is, letting the car idle while warming the engine is dumb, and it wears the engine prematurely.

read your owner's manual

understand that they have to have the feature...i'd just like to turn the damn thing off.

there are much worse things i do to my motor and car than that...i would rather be warm.

I'm not one to take great care of my cars, i drive them to the end of warranty and trade them in so I don't have to worry about any of that...I wash my car every 18 months, the outside of it looks like a 1985 ford truck at the moment...don't really care. I apprciate the opposite end of the spectrum of taking care of the car, and modding and all, but it's just not for me...i have the car for practical purposes, and that's it...

I appreciate all the feedback...but what i'm really looking to do is shut the damn thing off...that's it....it's gotta be doable.

There's a reason why that safety is there. So that you don't try starting the car in gear. You can insist all you want that you won't try starting the car with it in gear, but then one day you'll be distracted and you'll do that's that.

Hell, even with the safety there have been a handful of times over the years that I've forgotten to take my car out of gear before letting up on the clutch. Without the safety I honestly don't know what would happen trying to start the car, but I assume it wouldn't be good for the starter trying to make the engine turn over while it's in gear. All I know is that pretty much every automaker out there considers it a good idea to have that safety in place.

If you are adamant about doing this, well I have a few suggestions. First of all, this has nothing to do with the ECU. There should be a switch connected to the clutch pedal. In some cars it might sit on the floor in others it's probably mounted somewhere on the clutch lever. Basically, all that does is create a circuit so that power flows from the battery to the starter.

So you'd likely have to take that apart and make a connection that skips the button. Basically power would always be flowing to the starter, or at least it would be when you turn the ignition.

You're welcome to give it a try, but I suspect it will void your warranty.

Not that worried about the safety issue. I've had about 14 other stics pre-mid-90's without the safety issue and I don't think I ever had an issue. If it's just bypassing a switch, I'm pretty sure i can do a clean bypass that i could change back if a warranty issue came up.

thats about the only way to do it, but the clutch switch needs to be operational when driving, so you'd need to have a toggle switch in the car. But in the end, I don't really see that being much of an improvement over simply putting your foot on the pedal while turning the key.

jwa9681: considering your outlook on cars (having them for practical purposes only), it seems like an Automatic would be a better fit for you. I don't know why I'm even bothering to type this, though, since you have demonstrated that you only want us to hand you an answer.

That is funny that you say that about manuals, I guess I see the practicalty of a manual is much higher than that of an automatic, didn't say i was lazy :) They are much safer, and you have much more control as far as i'm concerned.

Sorry if I jumped the gun on some of the other posts, I think the one that got me was the one that called me "dumb" and told me to "read my owners manual" and didn't even address the question. Sent me in the wrong direction. I appreciate the advice, but when it's put that way, it doesn't sit well with me. If you want to throw it out there, and then also answer my initial question, that's great, which most of the other posts did.

Thanks for the input.

I don't think so because the switch seems to have that single function and would only be active if the clutch were all the way down.

I suppose it's possible, it depends on when cruise control deactivates. In my old car, for example, cruise control would deactivate almost immediately when I pressed the clutch so I doubt that switch had anything to do with it.

Where do you live and work to get a 120 days a year. I ride the snow most days of the week, but I don't quite get 120 days a year.

telecommute, work at night, ski 6-7 days a week...actually just got back in from a 2000' vert. untracked full moon (or almost) ski, was pretty incredible. We got 15-18 last night, perfect timing.

Haven't gotten less than 100 days in the last 7 years.

I work at The Canyons in Park City as a Systems Analyst and ride most days.