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Apologies for slight hijack but a related question if I may.

Cold start, and then leaving it on tickover for a couple of minutes while the front and rear screen heaters clear and I de-ice the sides.

No problem with cranking or starting, -4C just a few seconds wait and then off first time, all seems fine.

While I'm outside doing the sides after a while, (minute?) the engine note changes suddenly as if a load has been removed from the engine, a slight rev and then immediately settles. I assume this is the electrical load from the glowplugs ending. Or?

Anyway so far so good.

But if the side window scraping takes a while then the engine speed starts to vary, a shade like the old diesels idling on the governor. Noticeably slows, then a little blip of revs, settles, slows, little rev and so on about every 15 seconds or so. (bit of a guess on timing again tbh) It never stalls, at least so far. As soon as drive away there is no issue and it's completely normal.

So what is the cause of that? Is it electrical load on cold mornings causing voltage drop and the anti stall kicking in.

I believe it could be the followings:
First issue, indeed, glow plugs disconnecting.
The second one is generated by the (big) load of the two heated screens (especially if you have heated front screen) and the fact that the engine is cold.

NPinks posted a video of his with an erratic idle like you describe a couple of years ago.

It could just be when cold though, off hand I remember ours idles slightly high when as cold as you decide. Ours is also rough as chuff for 5 seconds or so until the oils fully circulating when this cold. Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Better memory than me &sns=em

Is it that one from this thread http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic7246.html?highlight=pulsing+revs

Went out this evening, started the car and it coughed like crazy, never known it before, obviously doesn't like the cold

No it's not like in that video. More like the poster who described it as an old truck engine, as prev mentioned cycling on the governer but not as noticeable as the old timers.

Will see how it goes tomorrow, not been out all weekend, dose of man flu.

At least it's got me off decorating all weekend, every cloud and all that.

There's all sorts of rubbish floating around up there Pinks! That was the one I meant. Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Well I'll answer my own question if I may, and after a bit of experimentation, as predicted, it's simply a case of a bang cold engine on a really cold morning reacting in different ways to high loads imposed by switching on various items which take varying amounts of electrical power.

The more you switch on the more the alternator loads up, and the answer, as in so many things, is simply have a bit of mechanical/electrical sympathy.

In the end I was surprised just how much electrical load it would support without any significant measured voltage drop. Impressed.