bagwell

so if I'm driving only 1.5 miles in the morning to a catch a bus (after parking in a warm garage overnite), does it benefit the car in any way to let it warm up for 5-10 mins or just start it up and go? I know short drives are hardest on a car.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

letting it 'warm up for 5-10 mins' is certainly not necessary for the vehicle, just for you. in sub-zero maybe 60 seconds max.

UZJ100GXR

In Summer it reaches around 138F over here. If you leave the car parked under the sun the temp gauge could easily read 140F +. So, i admit when it's super hot from May to September if i
m waiting in the car i do leave the car idling with my desert spec ac blowing. It's March and it is beginning to reach 90F +

It gets so hot over here during Summer that you can't even touch the steering wheel or even breath when you first open the car doors after it's been parked for a while.

yowps3

But what about the engine? It suffers.

UZJ100GXR

So far i haven't had any problems and anyway when i do wait in the car for whatever it is i am waiting for with the AC blowing it isn't for a long time.

jsanders

Cops and govt vehicles idle more than anyone. I see police cars idling for hours and hours at a time at my local police station parking lot. How about these enviro lunatics go after them instead of trying to brainwash private citizens.

mmarshall

I agree. I'm not a fan of auto start/stop systems, for precisely the reasons you mention. In some instances, it can also delay engine warm-up, though many vehicles have sensors that don't shut the engine down until it reaches a certain operating temperature. But with some extended-range hybrids, for example, where many short trips can be taken solely on the electric motor without the gas engine operating at all (and with heat-pump electric heaters for the cabin instead of a gas-engine heater-core), the gas engine has to cycle on and off enough to keep it lubed, seals moist, and the fluids warm and flowing. Otherwise, with extended non-use, the gas engine itself will deteriorate.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I've lived in hot desert areas my entire life. If i have to wait in the car for something, I'm going to have leave the engine running and the A/C on. Anybody who has heart burn over seeing that will have to take some pepcid and deal with it, lol.

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PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Emergency vehicles are a fraction of the vehicles on the road compared to the general public.

And in the event of an emergency, you want your local police, fire, and ambulance services to be ready. A few seconds can make a difference when out on a call...


On another note: being conscious about the environment doesn't make one a lunatic. Neither does education equate to brainwashing.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

post of the day.

but would be a waste of time. cops for example can't sit in a car with the AC not running in most states in the summer (or heat in winter).

jsanders

It's fine if they are sitting inside and need the ac or heat, or if it's a traffic stop or something and they are on duty. But that's not what happens. Go to your local police station, you'll see them just leave tons of cars there idling for hours on end, not on call. Talk about wasting gas and unnecessary wear. But who cares right? Fools will always say yes to higher taxes to support public safety.

mmarshall

If the donuts are good enough, they won't care.

keyframe13

Another thing that **** me off is those big Malls owners who purchase SUV's for the parking security. All day long the dude is burning thousands of gas and polluting unnecessary spinning in circle in that parking lot. It's just one guy so an SUV it's really not necessary. Why not an electric car.
I cannot imagine how dumb and unconsidered those people are.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

maybe where you are but i've NEVER seen that, anywhere i've lived/been.

if it's happening where you are i'd contact a local tv news reporter - they'd love to do a story on that.

FrankReynoldsCPA

Lol.

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