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about the only thing that warming up your car before getting out on the road does, is use fuel, at a much reduced rate. as long as the car is in good condition, there is no issue letting it sit and idle to warm up.
that said, it is unnecessary to warm engines up these days with EFI engine management, etc.
it ..is necessary.. to ensure your defroster has enough warm air hitting the wind shield in order to keep your wind shield from frosting over once you cleaned it.
If any of you posters ever lived in cold climates you would know that !
about the only thing that warming up your car before getting out on the road does, is use fuel, at a much reduced rate. as long as the car is in good condition, there is no issue letting it sit and idle to warm up.
that said, it is unnecessary to warm engines up these days with EFI engine management, etc.
This was written for diesels, but I believe it translates over to some of the newer turbo gas engines.
To each their own though.
5. You’re not Letting Your Engine Warm Up Don’t be that guy who starts his cold engine and immediately revs it up. The only thing you’re showing off is that you don’t know your turbo and engine bearings won’t get lubricated properly with cold, thick oil. Let your engine warm up like you warm up in the morning. Let the glow plugs and intake heater do their job. Fire the engine and give it some time for the combustion heat to warm the engine evenly. This practice is very important on extremely cold mornings. Hot and cold engine parts expand at different rates, so gaps can form, which could cause leaks or gasket failures. Wait until your engine oil and coolant temperature gauges show you are in the right operating range. You do have these readings…don’t you? Also, if it’s really cold, don’t turn the steering wheel too much right away or you could risk blowing a hydraulic hose. The other thing that’ll keep your engine running longer is preheated coolant. The more cold-starts your diesel is subjected to, the shorter its lifespan will be. Inconsistent metal expansion and poor-flowing (thick) lubricants don’t provide protection from moving parts. Another thing to worry about is fuel washing the cylinder walls before compression ignition can occur. Here is a message we got from a reader from the North Pole: “I have both batteries heated, the block heated, and two heating pads on the oil pan. The transmission is not heated, because it’s a stick. The intercooler is totally blocked as well. I might just put a pad on the transfer case and front differential, but it warms after about a mile of driving in four-wheel drive.” Diesel-fueled auxiliary heaters are also an option. It’s also just as important to let your diesel cool off before you shut it down. A turbo timer will do this automatically for you, because if it gets shut off too soon, oil will overheat, break down, and destroy turbo bearings.
Many years ago, while growing up in an Auto / Truck Family I was always taught to NEVER do the "extended warm up idle" regardless of the outside temperature. A minute or two is acceptable then start driving in a non-aggressive manner until the engine has warmed up.
Nowadays it is even more critical due to all of the extras under the hood which limit air flow, etc.
There is actual data that backs it up, but spending the next hour of my life digging for some source you might accept/believe and posting it offers me no benefit and won't change your opinion anyway.
In the grand scheme of things, from best case scenario to worst:
Coolant/block/oil heater used to bring coolant, and engine/oil, up to 190*f before you start the vehicle. Start and let idle for 5~15 seconds, long enough for oil pressure to build, and then drive off in a mild/gentle manor. As a benefit, you also have instant heat/defrost in the cabin.
Car parked in a heated garage. Start and let idle for 5~15 seconds, long enough for oil pressure to build, and then drive off in a mild/gentle manor.
Car parked outside, even in -40 temps. Start and let idle for 5~15 seconds, long enough for oil pressure to build, and then drive off in a mild/gentle manor.
The next two are kind of a toss-up..
Start the car from any of the above and "drive it like ya stole it"
Start the car from any of the above and let it idle for longer than 30 seconds.
If you run through vehicles every 3~5 years, then why bother caring? Pretty hard for someone to tear up a modern vehicle in that short of time. Stop reading about this, thinking about it or worrying about it as this doesn't affect you in the least. If you're like me, tend to keep vehicles for decades and multiples of hundreds of thousands of miles (and enjoy not making car payments constantly), then this is a cause for concern as you Probably want to limit the number of mechanic issues you're intentionally creating. For you, go out and buy a Philips/Temco coolant heater and a heavy duty mechanical timer (about $100 in parts), and use them. It takes roughly 90 minutes for my Jetta to hit full temp from -40 with a 1000w heater... that's less than $0.10/morning on the coldest temps you'll likely experience. Much less time for Most of the country, most of the time.
I'm like you, I keep cars till they die. I'm 54 and until 2 months ago had 2 cars since age 26...an '89 Trans Am that I drove to 180,000 miles, and gave to my nephew only because it was too unsafe in the rain and snow and I didn't have a spot for 2 cars when I moved here....and a '98 Acura, which just died a few months ago at 315,000 miles. I am not a car person and did no work myself to maintain it (but I do only use Mobil One, if that matters to anyone).
Both these cars, I warmed up until they were toasty warm..the Acura I warmed up multiple times a day because I had a remote starter for it. Warm up before work, warm up before lunch, warm up before I drive home, warm up while I'm paying for my groceries. Yet I still got to 315,000 miles with no problems ever with the engine, except a very slow oil leak that started around 300,000 miles but IMO is not abnormal in a car that age, especially one kept outside 100 feet from the ocean for 13 years.
Just saying, it may not be ideal, but your smug attitude does not make your opinion the only right one. You can't just divide us into broad categories and assign us a neat little label because we don't see it as serious an issue as you and your article do.
I really do not care what others do as long as they are not driving in front of me at 30mph and frantically trying to keep their wind shield clear while warming up their car by driving on public road/street.
1-2 minutes for me which I use to set up the dash cam and GPS. Fortunately our neighborhood is off a fairly quiet road so we can take it easy. By the time I get to the freeway it's nice and warm even on the nights when it's only in the teens.
and then there is my neighbor who warms up her 5.7ltr vehicle for an average of 50 minutes every morning to haul her children 5 blocks to school. This occurs at 35F to -15f. Go figure. To each their own.
and then there is my neighbor who warms up her 5.7ltr vehicle for an average of 50 minutes every morning to haul her children 5 blocks to school. This occurs at 35F to -15f. Go figure. To each their own.
Reminds me of my neighbor. Used to let his truck (with modified exhaust of course ) idle for at least half an hour. I just loved trying to fall back asleep while listening to it. Then my alarm would go off and a few minutes later he'd finally leave. Oh and this is when it's 70+ out in summer
Reminds me of my neighbor. Used to let his truck (with modified exhaust of course ) idle for at least half an hour. I just loved trying to fall back asleep while listening to it. Then my alarm would go off and a few minutes later he'd finally leave. Oh and this is when it's 70+ out in summer
I have two neighbors like this. One has a really old Maxima - he lets it idle for at least 15-20 minutes and his engine is loud. Then I have this younger neighbor who has a little Japanese car that is probably less than three years old, and even when its in the 40's and 50's, she will let it idle for 10-15 minutes.
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) idle for at least half an hour. I just loved trying to fall back asleep while listening to it. Then my alarm would go off and a few minutes later he'd finally leave. Oh and this is when it's 70+ out in summer 
