Do you let your car warm up before driving?

[IMORTL]

I live in Cali and it usually never gets cold - but this morning I came out and it was 29 deg. (very cold for So Cal) and my door was frozen shut and I had to dump hot water on it to get it to open.

This led to a conversation about if you even let the car warm up before driving. -- I have always let the car run till it idled down. I did this under the idea of that the cat doesnt get hot till the car is warm and reduces pollution by not driving at high rpms until it was at operating temp and to let the oil thin out if it is cold out.

but there are a bunch of sites that say dont do that now....

do you let the car warm up before driving?

 

[MoparManiac]

Yep sure do. For about 10 minutes.

 

[nobutada55]

I do but i live in mass so the temperatures range I have remote start so it's no big deal.

 

[fscrig75]

I don't but I live in El Paso, rarely gets below 35.

If I was back in PA, I would let it idle for a few mins.

My wife doesnt either but she has heated seats in her ride, god that is a great option!

 

[XJensen]

I do just so I don't have to get into a cold car just to freeze while the windows defrost.

Josh

 

[beakie]

letting it idle for anymore than a few minutes is a waste IMO.

The car won't warm up until your driving it anyway, so once its going there's nothing left to do but drive it.

Normally I'll run out start it up, run back inside, get fully dressed (jacket/gloves/toque/tie boots, etc) than head back out and drive away. If its snowing I'll brush the snow off while its warming, but letting it sit for a long time... well I have never come out to a warm car just from letting it idle.

Granted this is when the temps hover around -30C so I guess its a little dif than a frigid 29F.

 

[Daedalus454]

When I worked in AK, we would all go out into the parking lot and start our cars about 10 minutes before our shift ended and crank up the heat and defrosters, we would then go back inside and finish the shift. By the time we were clocked out, the inside of the car would be nice and warm and the snow and ice would be melted off the windows. If your vehicle doesn't warm up from idling for 10 minutes, I would suggest that maybe your thermostat is bad? Even the FSJ guy with the Kaiser J3000 would start his truck and the cab would be relatively warm in 10 minutes. We did this in weather down to -20 F, approx -29 C.

 

[mavinwy]

I let mine warm up for as long bas it takes me to scrape the windows. So only if it is below freezing. If I knew it was going to be cold and remembered to plug it in....this process is even shorter

Othewise, I start it and drive as soon as the oil pressure gauge comes up to normal....figuring then there is oil to all parts of the engine.

Jim

 

[beakie]

See that could be my problem, I have never left a car sit long enough to see if it got warm.
I have a block warmer and that def helps, but mostly for starting. Since I never feel like leaving the car just sitting there for 10minutes burning gas and killing mother earth, I wouldn't know how long it takes to warm up.


Just kidding about killing mother earth... you monsters!

 

[besthaticouldo]

i do on occasion in the morning, usually so i can scrape the water and dew off my windows and mirrors so i can see.

 

[RTicUL8]

It was -18 here about 5 days ago.

===

It reminds me of when I was driving from MI back to CO.
We stopped in Des Moines, IA for the night - the temp hovered around zero.

In the morning we stopped by the gas station to fill up and I saw a guy standing beside his small pickup truck just shaking his head.

He was from California and had never run anything but 100% water in his radiator.

He had been traveling east and stopped for the night. I'll leave you to guess what that did to his engine.

.

 

[8Mud]

Idle up, idle down and drive, for the first couple of blocks I rarely drive any faster than near idle anyway.
To tell you the truth, the main reason I do it, is because I've been on the receiving end of that toxic cloud of half burnt fuel before. Even in the winter I leave a window or two cracked in the house for fresh air, it's really gross when the whole room smells like gas.
If my babies room gets full of gas fumes, because some arsehole is to girly to sit on a cold seat and drive, I'll tell him once.
If you live out in the country and your fumes bother nobody, it is mostly just wasteful and not annoying.

 

[woody]

Old iron here (79 M-B 300TD) even though we don't get really low temps here in NC (often), I still plug mine in every night, and let it warm up +-10 min prior to leaving. I had some battery issues a bit ago, and those minutes give me time to get plan B together if it decides not to crank. It usually fires right up, then I set the fast idle, switch the heat/defog on, get my junk together, and come back out to a toasty car. I also drive easy for the first few miles while the old bones get limbered up.

I would come unglued if I had to scrape windows or move snow more than a couple times a year.

 

[Dustin_XJ]

i dont it wastes gas. i just take it easy until it warms up

 

[bigalpha]

I let it sit for a few minutes and get all the fluids flowing.

 

[GSequoia]

The Jeeps and the Mini I let idle for a couple minutes while I get myself situated in the vehicle (or longer if it's damn cold, in which case I go out and start it to get the heater running and go back inside to finish up). The old truck just has to idle for at least five minutes or it'll run like shit (Old 390 with an Autolite 2100 two barrel).

 

[NickThePyro]

I have a remote start so I just press it 5 minutes before I get in if its cold out.

 

[The Armadillo]

I usually let my Jeep run for a few minutes before I leave for school. I will go back inside and fix a sammich for lunch and I'm off.

 

[FlexdXJ]

I let it sit for a few minutes and get all the fluids flowing.

same here usually its just 2-3 minutes for me though!

 

[KSXJ]

If you start your car and leave it alone the cops around here will take your keys and make you pay a fine to get them back.