I know I’ve always been told by my parents to warm up my car
for about 10 minutes on cold days before I drive off. I never knew exactly why
they told me to do that, but I figured it had something to do with the engine
or battery that way it doesn’t die on me while I’m on the road.
Come to find out, you don’t need to let your car “warm up.”
It is actually better if you DON’T have it sitting there for 20 minutes!
The only reason you would need to let your car warm up is to
get the oil circulating, which only takes about 60 seconds or less (therefore,
you don’t need to be sitting there for 10 minutes letting it warm up!). The
exception to this is if you don’t drive often, then a few extra minutes will
help warm up the cold, thick oil.
Letting your car sit and warm up will actually harm it more
than help it. Idling your car can lead to gasoline seeping into the oil which
breaks down the oil’s lubrication, causing more wear and tear, and no one wants
that.
So just start your car up, scrape the windows free of ice
and snow if need be, and be on your merry way!
