What I am going to write about today concerns a long-discussed debate among drivers, especially older drivers: should you warm your car up before you drive it, or should you simply get in the car, start it up, and drive away? Let's look at that now.
The standard wisdom states that whenever you start your car up, especially in colder climates, you let the car "warm-up" or idle in your driveway or parking spot for a few minutes to get the engine up to operating temperature. Once the car has warmed up for about ten minutes, the driver can just get in the car, and drive away without worrying about the condition of the car, because the warm up has gotten all the fluids up to normal operating temperature, and the car is ready to be driving as if it were any regular day. The logic behind this action is that the car and the car's fluids need that extra time at idle to warm up the fluids and make sure the car is not being driven on fluid that is so viscous (resistant to flowing) that potential engine damage results. That is the logic behind warming up the car.
The other camp is the camp that claims that cars don't need to be warmed up. The people in this camp state that the best way to warm the car up is to start the car, and then slowly, and carefully drive it away, being careful not to put too much strain on the engine. The logic here is that the car will warm up better by being driven, and also that driving the car will warm up the suspension and the tires too, whereas warming the car up while parked just warms up the engine. Who's right? Let's go to the video:
As you've just seen in the video. the clear winner is the side that warms the car up by slowing driving it away, rather than letting the car idle while parked. There are other things to be concerned about when warming a car up that isn't moving. One is that most people who warm up their car are essentially leaving the car running, with the keys in it. I don't think I need to tell you how tempting a target that could be to a car thief. Most police departments claim that car thieves will go for the easiest target, and while the odds are against the fact that a car thief is going to be walking around your neighborhood early in the morning at the exact time you are warming your car up, it could happen. What could also happen is that your car might not get stolen, but you might have things stolen from it. Of course if you had multiple sets of keys or fobs for your car, you could let the car idle and then lock it up, but then you have to deal with the fact that maybe the second set of keys is with a spouse or family member, or maybe you thought they were on the key rack in your front hall, but they have been missing for a couple of weeks, and you only noticed it now when you needed them. So the best thing to do is to not let the car warm up while you let it sit.
This is what I do in the morning:
I go out to my car, and I will look over the car. I check the tires to see if they look properly inflated. I check the parking spot itself for any tell-tale signs of fluid leakage. I check windows for chips or cracks, or frost that has to be scraped off. If there is anything that needs to be done: tires inflated, frost scraped, or anything else, I do it BEFORE I start my car. I know the video discussed letting the car idle just long enough for you to scrape the windshield, but I have never been too comfortable with letting my car idle without me in it. I'd rather brave the few minutes of cold I'd have to brave to either inflate the tires or scrape down the windshield than let the car run without me in it. For me, it's a safety factor, and one I think pays dividends simply in the fact that any potential situations, such as a car running off are made pretty much impossible by me not starting it and then walking away from it. It may sound a bit paranoid, but it has worked for me so far.
Ok, so now I know the tires are good, and the windshield and side windows are free of any obstructions. I now start the car. I do not rev the engine up at all, nor am I rough with movements of the steering wheel or the gearshift. The car's engine at start up is essentially a bunch of cold metal only being lubricated by a small film of cold oil. It would not take much in the way of a hard acceleration to make the thin film of oil potentially thin out or be pushed out by fast movement of the pistons due to hard acceleration. This would lead to metal-to-metal contact, and major engine damage. The moral of this story is smooth is money, as in money in the bank saved by not having to take your car in to the mechanics for costly repairs.
After I have started the car, I either back out of my parking spot, or pull forward, depending on how I parked the night before. At no time am I pushing the throttle pedal to the floor, and at no time am I mashing the brake pedal to stop the car. I essentially treat a cold car on a cold morning as if it were an icicle waiting to shatter. All my movements are smooth and designed to stress the car out as little as possible. I will drive like this for a couple of miles, or until I see the temperature needle start to move.
One other thing I do which a lot of people won't like is that I do not run the heater during these first couple of miles as well. It's the same during the summer. I don't run the air conditioning for the first couple of miles after starting the car. I do this because not putting accessories on before the car is warmed up will lessen the stress and strain on the engine. So yes, I will drive with frozen finger for a couple of miles, or a sweaty forehead for a couple of miles, but the pay off is in a car that lasts much longer and is in better shape because of actions like that.
So in the end, do not warm up your car by idling it while it is parked for a few minutes. As the video shows, it doesn't really impart that much heat in to the engine, and it's not as reliable, and economical, as just driving slowly and carefully the first few miles after startup. Besides, not idling or warming up means that your car isn't running, with the keys in the ignition, and you not watching it. I think that is one of the best arguments against the whole notion of warming a car up. Until next time...
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