For those of us who grew up in places with cold winters, we all know that feeling of having to get into a freezing cold car in the winter. To avoid this, many people will turn on their cars in anticipation of driving, so that the car is warm when you go to get in and drive. Experts say, however, that warming up your car before hitting the road could shorten the life of your engine. Here’s why.
Warming Up Your Car Before Driving Is Bad For The Engine
Whether you are warming up your car in the winter because you heard it was better for the car or you’re doing so just to avoid those first uncomfortably cold minutes of the drive, experts say you should stop. It turns out that letting your car idle is actually quite bad for the engine and can significantly shorten the lifespan of your car. This is because of the oil that gets wasted and used up while your car is sitting there not moving. (1)
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When you first start your car, it needs to lubricate the engine. This is what the engine oil is for. Engine lubrication, however, happens very quickly after starting the car. It is ready to drive long before the engine reaches full operating temperature. When you start the engine, there is an oil pump that pumps the oil throughout the motor to lubricate all the parts of the engine that move.
When your car sits idling for longer periods of time, the oil drains to the bottom of the oil pan. This strips the oil away from the parts that need it most. This will cause these parts – particularly the engine’s pistons and cylinders, to wear early, shortening the lifespan of your engine. (2)
Warming Up Your Car Before Driving Is Dated Advice
Some of you might be sitting there thinking, ‘Wait, my parents/grandparent staught me to let the car idle to warm it up before driving, though!’ The truth is, if cars were still made the same way they were prior to the 1980s and early ’90s, then that would have been sound advice. Vehicles used to be made with carburetors that regulated the air-fuel mixture within the engine and could not accurately adjust the air-to-fuel ratio in cold weather. They needed to sit and warm up for a bit before driving off.
Cars built today, however, are made with an electric fuel injection system. This helps maintain the air-fuel mixture needed for a combustion reaction (what happens in the engine when you start your car), no matter the temperature outside—for this reason, idling while waiting for the engine to warm up wastes fuel and potentially damages your engine over the long term.
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So How Should You Make Sure Your Car Is Ready In The Winter?
Experts agree that as long as you are driving a combustion engine vehicle with an electric fuel injection system, letting your car sit for five, ten, fifteen minutes, or more, is unnecessary and, frankly, a bad idea. Most cars, they say, take only about 30 seconds to a minute to be ready to drive. That being said, it is not advised to turn your car on and then take off like you’re in The Fast and The Furious. Rather, turn your car on, and after 30 seconds to a minute, max two minutes, begin driving at a gentle, neighborhood pace. Slowly ease onto the gas so that you’re not shocking the car into sudden speed.
“Fluids get thicker when it is cold, so to lubricate properly they need 60 to 120 seconds of the engine running,” said Joseph Henmueller, president and COO of the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association. (3)
Technical Advisor Shannon Simmons agrees.
“While it does take longer for motor oil to pump in extreme cold temperatures, we are talking milliseconds, not minutes. Your engine will warm up the oil much faster when driving at full speed — not to mention idling wastes gas.”
So the next time you head out to your car on a cold winter day, bundle up, scrape your car off, turn on the engine and once the windows are no longer foggy, start driving gently. The long-term health of your vehicle will thank you for it.
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Sources
- “Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving?” Consumer Reports. Devin Pratt. December 26, 2021.
- “Yes, warming up your car before driving in cold weather can damage the engine.” WFAA. Erin Jones and Mauricio Chamberlin. December 21, 2022.
- “Experts weigh in: Do you need to warm up your car in cold weather?” Accu Weather. Katy Galimberti.