5 Reasons Warming Up Your Car is a Bad Idea

Warming your car up on a cold morning in the winter seems like a good idea. If it has ice and snow on it, idling it will help melt it away and allow your engine a chance to warm up before you drive it. With today’s modern cars, you don’t even need to go outdoors in the freezing cold to heat up your car with the car remote. Sounds good, right? Actually, warming your car up during the winter can do more damage than it does good.

So, why is it a bad idea to warm your car up?

1. Uses Extra Fuel

Your car will not only use more fuel up when you idle it, but it also runs the risk of the fuel getting into the cylinder walls. The fuel could wash the car’s oil away, reducing numerous engine components effectiveness. In the end, you:

• Use up extra fuel
• Add wear to the engine
• Have a greater impact on our environment

2. Bad for Your Engine

Warming your car up in the wintertime before you drive it is actually bad for your engine. It increases wear and tear on your engine. Popular Mechanics says driving your car right away actually prolongs your engine’s life instead of having it just sit there idly before you drive it.

3. Warms Up Faster Driving It

Your car’s engine actually warms up quicker when you drive it. In fact, it’s better to turn off your engine and restart it than leaving it idling.

4. Pollutes the Environment

You’re not only wasting fuel when you leave your car idling, but you’re also giving off greenhouse gas emissions as well as other pollutants. Energy Policy published a 2009 study that calculated the consequences. According to the researchers, not just idling in the winter, but all types of idling (in traffic, waiting for someone, etc.) contributes an astonishing 1.6 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

5. Someone Can Jump in and Steal Your Car

Leaving your running with the keys in the ignition is not a good idea since it’s an easy invitation for thieves to come and drive away with your car.

Invest in a GPS Tracking Device

To help protect your car if it is stolen, whether warming it up or not, you should invest in a GPS tracking device. A GPS tracking device will be able to track and locate exactly where your car is at all times so police can retrieve it safely and make an arrest.

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