My car's garaged at night and before I go to school in the morning, I back it out and let it sit for 3-5 minutes outside before I leave to warm it up and get the AC going nice and cool.

 

Letting your car warm up for more than 30 seconds is just wasteful. Start it up, put your seatbelt on, adjust the radio and go. For the first 20 minutes you're driving, take it easy, don't rev it over 3,000 if you can avoid it - at that point your car is warmed up. Most new cars warm up extremely quickly, but as with any machine, the hardest part of its day is when you first turn it on. There's very little lubrication which is what causes engine wear. Giving the engine some time to circulate the oil and warm it to optimal temperatures does a world of good - but letting the car sit for extended periods of time is just a waste. Today's cars are designed to get up and go after about 30 seconds.

 

3-4 minutes is ample time to let your car warm up.

 

You don't stand in the cold weather drinking coffee trying to warm yourself up. You do a little warm-up exercise, and start running to warm yourself up. Same for a car!

 

When I first got my 98 Camry, the car starts up b/w 1500 and 2000 rpms. Then after 5 minutes, the idle is down at 750 or so. My 00 Accord starts up just a little over 1000 rpms. After 2 min, I'm ready to go.

My car is always garaged so here's my every day procedure:
Unlock doors
Unlock "club"
Unlock Autolock
Start car
Plug in V1 radar detector
Plug in cellphone charger
Swap in head unit faceplate

By that time, I've already used up the 2 min and the idle is down, the coolant temp is above the line a little and drive easy for the 3 miles before I hit the highway.

 

You change your blood every 3,000 miles too?

Start the car up, buckle your seat belt, tune to your favorite radio station, check your mirrors, and drive off. Keep the rev's down for the first few minutes, then you're fine. Any prolonged idling wastes gas, and does no good.

/bill

 

y2ksignetex - why you gotta unlock car/club/autolock/and put faceplate on...if it's garaged, i can understand maybe unlocking it..

 

My garage is not attached to the house. So technically, though it's garaged, the car can still be prey. We here in Brooklyn have the highest auto insurance rates in NY, due to thefts and fraud. Better to have a little bit of hassle to be on the safe side.

Plus the car's a daily driver. Though I park in a garage at work, I still take the faceplate and radar detector with me.

 

btw idling is also hell on your cat. so don't warm up. just drive slow, make the world a lil green and wear long johns.


Me: I warm up the car <1 min and just take it easy till i get on the highway.