When winter comes around it becomes a fairly common practice to warm up your car before you go to use it.
When You ‘Heat Up’ Your Car You’re Doing THIS Wrong
By
Editorial Staff in
Facts
On 28th January 2016
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#1
Sure, the convenience of a warm car to travel in is definitely a perk of the morning's, but did you know that in doing so you're actually damaging your car? According to a study done in 2009, most Americans don't!
#2
Thanks to some interesting journalism done by Business Insider, Stephen Ciatti spoke out against the common practice. Being a former drag racer himself as well as PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he knows a thing or two about what you should and should not do with your car. Well, he states that idling your car in the cold weather only goes to shorten the lifespan of your engine.
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#3
The practice actually started with older model cars still running with carburetor's, where the carburetor wouldn't be able to get the proper mix of gas and air to the engine due to the lower temp of the gasoline itself. This hasn't been an issue since the 1980's, with newer vehicles automatically accounting for the drop in temperature.
#4
Ciatti also states that even though you shouldn't preheat, you also shouldn't lay heavily on the pedal until at least 5-15 minutes after you start it. Don't forget to pass this along, so no one you know continues to destroy their car.
