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Wasting gas is the big one (ok for some people will be the air pollution) and it really isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. In extreme cases is the possibility of the car overheating (less common today).
How long? Ten minutes, no issue from me. Two hours? Shut the damned car off and go get the person in gear.
Rule of thumb is 1 gallon per hour of idle. Financially, that is ~$2 per hour at todays prices. If it is worth it to you to keep the car cool, go for it. I do it sometimes just so I don't have to get sweated up again getting back in the car after I run it to get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.
Rule of thumb is 1 gallon per hour of idle. Financially, that is ~$2 per hour at todays prices. If it is worth it to you to keep the car cool, go for it. I do it sometimes just so I don't have to get sweated up again getting back in the car after I run it to get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.
In many jurisdictions it is illegal to leave your car running unattended (car puffer laws). So if you're in the car = OK, otherwise turn it off.
I had a friend of mine lose power in her house during the winter a few years ago. No fireplace either, so it was extremely cold. The whole city was covered in ice, it was impossible for most people to get out, so she went into her garage (which is detached, not sealed so no worries of carbon monoxide poisoning) and turned on her car and slept in her car all night with the heater on.
Now under different circumstances this might have harmed the car, but when it's 20 degrees outside, the car wasn't going to overheat just sitting there, plus running the heater. Went through about half a tank of gas, or 7-8 gallons.
Police cars pretty much idle all day long. Newer ones have an engine hours meter and do oil change on hours, vs miles. A lot of commercial types of trucks also have hours displays for engine run time because they idle for hours on end when workers are using them for work.
When I did construction, we used to idle the trucks pretty much 8 hours per day with the A/C on in 90+ degree heat (while we worked outside around the truck). The cops in the detail cruisers would do the same.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 07-14-2016 at 10:10 AM..
There have been a few times where I had late nights and would nap in my truck during lunch with the truck and a/c on for an hour. Gas needle never moved.
There is a reason they install radiators in vehicles.
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