[greywolf]

I posted the same article in my motorcycle forum with the same result. People felt they had to throw in their car experience of warming up the interior in winter even though it was even more off topic than here.

 

[long_road]

Well, I used to always warm up my car in winter but after reading these articles and this thread I just get in and go now.

So, you guys have educated/converted at least one guy.

 

[Closed Case]

Well, I used to always warm up my car in winter but after reading these articles and this thread I just get in and go now.

So, you guys have educated/converted at least one guy.

LOL. Pinch yourself, you may not be human.:icon_lol:

Good story. Back in the 80's there was this 4 Star restaurant every teenager wanted to work for, even some who were under age. Washer, server, table crumb brusher, you name it, best gig in town. The highlight was the evening winters when the not so sobber elderly gentlemen would impress the hottie with the "bleep bleep" remote starter button they'd expose at the end of their key chains laid across table cloth. "Oh my, the car will be warm...." she'd say.

That was during the days of carberators. This poor guy hit the button, perhaps was a little late on maintenance, and the b*tch backfired. Yup. Burned right there in front of the main window.

Back to the regularly scheduled programme. Those, now those were the days.:icon_e_biggrin:

 

[SkinnySethRogan]

Fellow Denver dweller, can confirm every morning is freezing!

 

[Ice]

Great read, and I don't know what you're all talking about - the internet is the perfect place for information! lol

I've always warmed up for a few seconds after getting into the car, sometimes a little longer in the winter but usually not more than a minute or so. I'm referring to me - I need an extra bit to warm up in the winter!!! As for the car, I usually take a few seconds to get my seatbelt secured, then like to make sure the quick self-check is all GREEN, then I'm on my way.

I remember when it was important to warm up your engine, and then when we got our first vehicle with EFI... Electronic Fuel Injection! That was seriously a very impressive feature when it first came out! Wow!!!

Related to this discussion is an advice I heard about buying used limo, taxi, and other service vehicles. Don't buy them because they spend most of their time idling and therefore the mileage on those car are no longer a good indication of actual engine life.

I'm sure this is very true, though I do know that a lot of taxis are starting to turn off their cars when "idle" due to increasing fuel prices and in some places, idling bylaws.

I have read a few things about this. ... But warming up your car for 10 to 15 minutes can be a bad thing since the rpms aren't as high as when you are driving and the oil won't be flowing as much.

Plus, the vehicle will simply warm up faster with you driving than just sitting there!

Well, I used to always warm up my car in winter but after reading these articles and this thread I just get in and go now.
So, you guys have educated/converted at least one guy.

:thumbs_up: Saving 1 Crosstrek at a time...

 

[djriful]

Winter here, start the car wait 30sec and move it. Cold Engine light will be off in a couple of 1-2min. This makes Remote Starter now pointless. I was wondering why on earth did I add that $500 option...

Now I feel dumb.

 

[Ice]

Honestly, I still wish I had remote start. It's not great for your engine, but I'm not convinced that it's that bad either. I had remote start on my last car that I used every winter for years and the engine was still going strong after 330k clicks.

I've also used the remote start feature as an anti-theft feature as well. For any variety of reasons, if I have to walk away from the car as it's running, the "remote start" feature kept it going while I could walk away with the keys.

 

[opel70]

It used to bug me more than it does now... Now I think: Meh. If you ask me, I'll tell you what I think about idling, but do whatever you want, it's not my money...

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Though, while not my money, it is my air. So maybe I should go back to caring a bit more. Hard to say.

 

[RallyeBourne]

I live in SoCal (read: the coldest I've seen it in the morning is 29 degrees, and that's rare). But I do warm my engine a bit some days, and not others. The difference? Which direction I'm traveling. If I go west, I don't really warm up the engine, because there's some city driving before I have to get going. But if I go east, I almost immediately have to make an unprotected left onto a very busy street in which people normally travel 55+ (despite the 45mph limit). Due to the immediate strain, I do let my engine warm a bit on those days, because punching it on a cold engine is even worse.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Butch_Coolidge]

Don’t recall my car taking more than about 3 minutes ever, for the blue light to go off and the idle to kick down. I had an 04 last, that I let run for the idle to kick down also. Used less than a half quart of oil in 235k. Never had any issues. Would I let it idle for 10 minutes, ridiculous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[orndog]

Good bump. My sister bought a Forester about a year ago and I just found out she's been letting it idle every day until the blue light goes out... because the dealer told her to. Apparently, they said it's because of the transmission.

 

[richslezak]

Someone mentioned that with low rpm the oil is not fully circulating and that could be bad for the engine.
When I start up my crosstrek it idles at high rpm for a reason. However if I drop it to drive right away the RPM instantly goes down. So based on the above theory, cold engine with low rpm may cause more wear.

I always allow the crosstrek to settle down to its default idle before taking off.
I did the with all my cars. I will never start and take off right away

 

[greywolf]

The oil is fully circulating within a few seconds of starting. An engine starts with a higher rpm because it is cold and the fuel doesn't vaporize as well. Part of the cold start circuit of engines going way back to the the early use of carburetors is a higher initial idle. The extra fuel provided can wash the oil film off the cylinder walls and cause increased engine wear, especially at the higher rpm. That's why it is important to warm up the engine quickly and an engine at idle warms up slower than one under a light load.

 

[gkorjax]

I'm researching getting a remote start for my 2018 Crosstrek premium and this is an interesting read. Something interesting that I do note is that when one has a REMOTE start, I think most (if not all) of the remote starts on the market have a security feature built in, that causes an engine shutdown in case of key not present. That said, the reason I"m considering purchasing a remote start is for the days when we get some ice sheets while I'm at work, and my car is covered in ice and snow. Certainly all the nay sayers for engine idling...do they actually leave their car turned OFF as they are scraping away? I doubt it. I suspect they scrape the snow off their door, get it open, start it up, hit the defrosts on the windows, and then start working away. I don't think the occasional engine idling while one does this is any big deal.

 

[rlouie]

I'm researching getting a remote start for my 2018 Crosstrek premium and this is an interesting read. Something interesting that I do note is that when one has a REMOTE start, I think most (if not all) of the remote starts on the market have a security feature built in, that causes an engine shutdown in case of key not present. That said, the reason I"m considering purchasing a remote start is for the days when we get some ice sheets while I'm at work, and my car is covered in ice and snow. Certainly all the nay sayers for engine idling...do they actually leave their car turned OFF as they are scraping away? I doubt it. I suspect they scrape the snow off their door, get it open, start it up, hit the defrosts on the windows, and then start working away. I don't think the occasional engine idling while one does this is any big deal.

There will always be exceptions for every rule where safety (ie. the ability to clear the windows so that you can see) overrides other things. However, you can take your situation to the extreme where the car idles while the driver sits inside waiting for the HVAC and defroster to melt the snow from the windows for them without scraping!

 

[Drakeniir]

After reading the article it actually makes me wonder if having a bit of something like lucas UCL in your gas in the winter might actually help a small amount. There are always days when you are tempted to idle your car in order to run defrost while you clean the snow off.

 

[rlouie]

After reading the article it actually makes me wonder if having a bit of something like lucas UCL in your gas in the winter might actually help a small amount. There are always days when you are tempted to idle your car in order to run defrost while you clean the snow off.

If you are thinking of a UCL, don't necessarily look at Lucas... when it gets cold, Lucas UCL is thicker than molasses so it's not easy to pour and I would think that it would take some time to mix in.

According to the oil nuts on BITOG, MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) and two cycle oil outboard oil will do about the same thing at a much lower price - the recommend dosage is 640:1.

 

[HadABaja]

I've been using ACES IV from BND Automotive.
I do not work for them, just a happy customer.

 

[greywolf]

I stick with top tier fuels to make sure I get a good additive package with regular and wouldn't touch fuel or oil additives other than fuel stabilizer when I put an engine away for the winter. Home | Top Tier Gas

I get the same excellent results as anyone touting any additive without having to buy any additive.

 

[rlouie]

Here's an AAA research report on Top Tier Gas - http://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/Fuel-Quality-Full-Report.pdf.

While it does offer many benefits, please note that it does fail according to the AAA report in controlling cylinder head deposits (Top Tier products create MORE cylinder head deposits than non-Top Tier products).

But we are getting off topic as Top Tier is really about the detergent package and not about controlling/reducing friction on startup.