I was wondering if anyone here lets their car warm up before driving, each time when starting the car.

I have my car parked in my garage and in the mornings, and every other time i usually wait to put it in "Drive" untill i see the Navi screen discalimer when its says "OK" (about 10 seconds when turning the ignition for non-navi users) I guess it might be different for those parking outside in cold weather but i'd like to hear your input.

 

You put it in Drive in the garage? Do you back it in?

I'm a tremendous putzer... I'll turn on the car, put my seatbelt on, put my sunglasses on, adjust the radio, open the sunroof, crack a window, rearrange the CDs in the changer, plug in my iPod, stop to watch the grass grow, etc. before I actually put it in gear. Other people seem to just jump in the car and go. Oh well, that's why Captain Slow is my hero.

 

haha. backwards in my garage ALL the time so i can roll out like a wannabee Batmobile. Anyone else warm up their car? I was wondering if it actaully better for the car than to just jump in and take off.

 

I too back into my garage, don't most folks?

anyway...

what you do is bad, quite bad.

warming up you car is 100% unnecessary, read the manual.
what you're doing, actually is pumping carbon monoxide into the house.
and in no small amount either.

go get a CO detector and mount it in your garage, then you'll
be thinking twice about "warming up" your already ready car inside
your garage.

you're poisoning everyone in that home.
where do you think that exhaust goes anyway?
magically disappears? it doesn't.

so, warming up a car is not needed, especially if it's in a garage.
and if you're going to waste your gas and time doing it, do it outside your garage.

 

There's no need to "warm up" modern fuel injected cars in any season. Just give the oil a few seconds to circulate and go.

 

Criaig D : Thanks for the input.

 

There is no need to warm up the car. Just drive it easy for the first mile or so.

 

I'm still living at home and we only have a 1 car garage. I'm parked outside so i usually let it sit a minute before I take off. In the winter, the first thing I do is start the car and crank the heat to full blast. I'll clear the snow off the car and scrape the windows before I back out of the driveway. Thank god for heated seats. It will come in handy this winter

 

 

I don't back into my garage. I usually wait 30 seconds or so before I start going.. whether it's during the summer or winter. LIke someone mentioned, take it easy the first mile or so and you should be good.

 

I always wait 60 seconds at least before I go. I just feel like I need everything good and lubricated decently. Its a mental thing.

 

I start the car and drive it without putting feet on gas pedal untill temp needle is in middle.

 

I put a blanket on the engine to keep it nice and cozy.

 

the engine is always loud when i first start it up, takes a minute or so for it to quiet down, anyone else have that problem?

 

mine is loud for only a few seconds

fyi my car is garaged

 

Most car's engine control computers are programed to do that when first being started to circulate engine oil as quick as possible. It should start at a little above idle and then drop down to normal idle at less than 1000rpm. This process should take seconds, not minutes though.

 

okay well maybe it was a slight exaggeration, probably about 10-20 seconds?

 

As other posters have stated, there is no need to warm up the car. In fact, most of the wear and tear on the engine occurs immediately after the engine is started when it is cold. So the best procedure is to start moving to get all the oils to operating temperatures as quickly as possible.

 

mine also. when i first start it hits 1.5k RPM then a few seconds later it drop down to about 1k. That is the reason why i asked if you guys warm up your car for a few seconds.

 

10-20 seconds between inital start high idle and the drop to normal idle is normal. Your car is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.

 

thanks for clarifying this for me