Ask a Technician: Should I warm my car up before driving in winter weather?

The daily morning car-warming ritual is carried out faithfully in most parts of the country from late November to early March. But is it necessary?
 
Here's what the technicians at Williams Buick GMC have to say:

The purpose of warming up your car. The main reason drivers start their car and let it idle is to warm it up by getting the oil circulating through the engine. Modern fuel injection systems, however, with the elimination of carburetors and chokes, have made engine idling unnec
essary. After about 30 seconds, the oil is circulating and your car is ready to go. The Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer, in fact, asserts that idling forces the engine to operate in an extremely inefficient mode, which can harm the engine's performance and lower its mileage. If you're still skeptical, instead of idling, drive a little slower for the first mile or two.

Warming up the inside. Many commuters couldn't care less about engine efficiency at 6:00 a.m. in the morning when it's frigid cold. Instead, they just want a semi-warm vehicle to step into when it's cold. However, idling your car can be an expensive and ineffective way to warm up a vehicle. A more effective way to warm up your car is to actually drive it. If you really want to be on the cutting edge, electric cars allow you to pre-warm the vehicle via remote access without ever having to idle.

Idling and the environment. Still not convinced about the inefficiency of idling to warm up the vehicle? Perhaps you think engine inefficiency is a small price to pay for not freezing your fingertips when you enter your car. Maybe, a look at environmental effects will unfreeze your stance. Exhaust is harmful to human health, especially children. Certainly, exhaust is a necessary component of driving a car, but unnecessarily spewing exhaust adds to air pollution. Because idling often takes place close to curbs and sidewalks, pedestrians and children are especially at risk to the negative effects of exhaust.

The cost of idling. If air pollution and the potential harmful effects of unnecessary exhaust don't convince you to cut down on idling, perhaps the cost of gasoline will. Idling wastes gas. Gas costs money, therefore idling wastes money -- your money. Motorists are advised to turn off their engine when idling more than 10 seconds (traffic stops, excluded). You'll save money. You'll save the environment. You'll save your engine. A new engine, by the way, costs money too. A lot of money.

Proper car warming procedures. Don't stand by idly and let this information go to waste. If you're worried about your engine's performance, warm the car by driving it slowly. If you're worried about being cold when you hop in the car, bundle up, start the car, adjust the radio, turn on the heat and get going.

Have more questions? Don't hesitate to give us a call or contact our Service Department.