When you were a kid, your dad probably told you that it was important to warm up your car for a while before you drive it. Guess what? These days its not a good idea.

Idling your car for a few minutes wastes not only your time but also wastes valuable fuel. Crucially letting your car engine idle at freezing temperature has the potential to wreak havoc on your engine and shorten its life.

Since the 1980s, car manufacturers moved away from using carburetors to a more advanced system – the electric fuel injectors. As such, the car is fitted with sensors that measure the outdoor ambient temperature. This system allows the electric fuel injector to adjust the air-fuel mixture to account for the cold weather. Typically, an electric fuel injector will create a fuel-rich air-fuel mixture by releasing more gasoline, compensating for low evaporation levels.

With this in mind, when you idle your car, you are burning more fuel with little to no benefit. After all, your car’s engine has been optimized to operate in cold temperatures without the car stalling. The only reason to idle your car is to warm up the cabin and defrost the windshield, which should take about 3 minutes.

Idling your vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes before starting your journey will increase pollution. With a lot of the fuel exiting the engine unburned or partially burned, your car will release a lot of toxic fumes. Moreover, idling your car will increase the engine’s wear and tear, reducing its longevity. For starters, the extra unevaporated gasoline will attack the lubricating oil in the engine, decreasing lubrication and increasing metal to metal rubbing. Consequently, it will shorten your engine’s life significantly.

Lim’s Auto Body is a full service auto body and mechanical repair shop locally owned and operated in Largo, Florida. For more information, go to our web site www.limsautobody.com or call (727) 422-3232.