Warming up your engine..

[valerie]

Hey a cars question and I didn't wait for cars to ask it!! Sorry, cars!

But maybe you can jump in here with some info...

A neighbor (boy, I do sure seem to have some gems now don't I) starts

up his older BMW/Volvo (ways away I can't see) with really high idle I

mean REALLY high... and lets it run. And run. And RUN. Like 23 minutes

the other morning. (I can hear it from most of the house!) Why he

does it I have no clue... but it's very annoying. And I wouldn't think even

a much older car needs that much warm up! Am I wrong? Inquiring minds

wanna know...

:driving:

[cars]

valerie wrote: Hey a cars question and I didn't wait for cars to ask it!! Sorry, cars!

But maybe you can jump in here with some info...

A neighbor (boy, I do sure seem to have some gems now don't I) starts

up his older BMW/Volvo (ways away I can't see) with really high idle I

mean REALLY high... and lets it run. And run. And RUN. Like 23 minutes

the other morning. (I can hear it from most of the house!) Why he

does it I have no clue... but it's very annoying. And I wouldn't think even

a much older car needs that much warm up! Am I wrong? Inquiring minds

wanna know...




A cars question that I didn't ask, Letha will be happy. :-2 When it's real cold outside, sometimes "older" cars heaters are not as effecient as they once were, therefore they require "more time" (15-20 minutes) to defrost the windows all around. Why not mail the neighbor a note suggesting that they have the car's thermostat changed.

(If that doesn't work, let the air out of the tires!! Ha-Ha- only kidding )

Cars :driving:

[Tombstone]

valerie wrote: Hey a cars question and I didn't wait for cars to ask it!! Sorry, cars!

But maybe you can jump in here with some info...

A neighbor (boy, I do sure seem to have some gems now don't I) starts

up his older BMW/Volvo (ways away I can't see) with really high idle I

mean REALLY high... and lets it run. And run. And RUN. Like 23 minutes

the other morning. (I can hear it from most of the house!) Why he

does it I have no clue... but it's very annoying. And I wouldn't think even

a much older car needs that much warm up! Am I wrong? Inquiring minds

wanna know...

:driving:
Cover the guy's car in your neighbors trash to muffle the sound. (J/K!)

[gmc]

It's a bit pointless, all it does is flatten the battery and waste fuel. I see people in winter doing that because even if not going anywhere they think you need to tirn over the engine to keep the battery charged or something. Sure enough they always end up stuck. Warming your car is a waste of time better just get in and drive or get it serviced properly in the first place.

[Bill Sikes]

valerie wrote: A neighbor (boy, I do sure seem to have some gems now don't I) starts

up his older BMW/Volvo (ways away I can't see) with really high idle I

mean REALLY high... and lets it run. And run. And RUN. Like 23 minutes

the other morning. (I can hear it from most of the house!) Why he

does it I have no clue... but it's very annoying. And I wouldn't think even

a much older car needs that much warm up! Am I wrong? Inquiring minds

wanna know...


It's actually likely to be bad for the engine. Does he do this to de-ice the windows? If so, there are better ways, such as a pail of cold water.

N.B. in the UK it has been known that a car being de-iced like this is stolen when the owner's gone indoors. A car stolen in this way is known as a "steamer".

[abbey]

Suppose it depends on how cold it is where you live, because i take the dogs out in my old car its always damp inside, so if its freezing out then its always freezing in the car, it takes ages to defrost the interior glass so i have to sometimes run the engine with the heater on, it normally takes about 5 mins but i dont rev it i just let the engine idle while i'm sat in it f-f-f-freezing my t**s off!! :driving:

[Bill Sikes]

abbey wrote: because i take the dogs out in my old car its always damp inside, so if its freezing out then its always freezing in the car, it takes ages to defrost the interior glass so i have to sometimes run the engine with the heater on, it normally takes about 5 mins


My old banger has a water leak so the near side carpet tends to get soaked - that makes the whole thing steam up. I'm going to get some black silicone rubber and go around the windscreen to seal it.... I wouldn'tve thought just a couple of damp dogs would make the inside *that* wet....

abbey wrote: but i dont rev it i just let the engine idle while i'm sat in it f-f-f-freezing my t**s off!!


Considered a mains fan heater?

[abbey]

[QUOTE=Bill Sikes]My old banger has a water leak so the near side carpet tends to get soaked - that makes the whole thing steam up. I'm going to get some black silicone rubber and go around the windscreen to seal it.... I wouldn'tve thought just a couple of damp dogs would make the inside *that* wet....



Its my own fault Bill, when they get on the back seat wet through i really ought to take the rug off the back seat in & dry it, but i can be a bit of a lazy bones..

Does a mains heater plug into the ciggi lighter?? must admit i've never heard of em, or was that sarcasm?? :driving:

[Bill Sikes]

abbey wrote: must admit i've never heard of em


Erm, a mains fan heater... put it in the car (careful where, to prevent it scorching) and connect it via an extension lead to somewhere indoors. I even know of someone who uses a timer to switch it in 10 mins before he goes to work! Having a wet car and condensation inside is a real PITA.

[gmc]

You bunch of wimps. My first car was a Citroen Dayne, Great car in the snow but an air cooled engine and the heater was just a feed over the exhaust, if you went too fast the draught rouns the plastic roof cooled the car faster than the heater could heat. You could tell the inside temperature was hotter than the outside when the icicles on the roof started melting.

Never mind all the gadgets I still get a thrill having a three speed heater fan, or indeed heating at all.

[valerie]

Tombstone wrote: Cover the guy's car in your neighbors trash to muffle the sound. (J/K!)

[Bill Sikes]

gmc wrote: You bunch of wimps.


Only talking about wetness causing condensation in cars (oo-err!), gmc! Wimps? I used to ride a motorbike in all weathers with open face helmet + MK8 goggles... my then long beard/tash used to freeze solid on long trips....

[minks]

valerie wrote: Hey a cars question and I didn't wait for cars to ask it!! Sorry, cars!

But maybe you can jump in here with some info...

A neighbor (boy, I do sure seem to have some gems now don't I) starts

up his older BMW/Volvo (ways away I can't see) with really high idle I

mean REALLY high... and lets it run. And run. And RUN. Like 23 minutes

the other morning. (I can hear it from most of the house!) Why he

does it I have no clue... but it's very annoying. And I wouldn't think even

a much older car needs that much warm up! Am I wrong? Inquiring minds

wanna know...

:driving:


Well I would have to say what has already been said, it depends on what the cold temperature gets to.

Today here where I live it is minus 42 celsius and we have to let the cars run to warm up quite litterally everything. I ran mine for about 15 minutes and when I went to drive it was still reluctant to go and I have a 2003 ford minivan and that baby was protesting. So I would have to say if it is this bloody cold then it is to the cars benifit to run, if it is above minus 30 C then likely it only has to run for about 5 minutes. Running at such a high idle can't be good either. No matter the temp outside.

[Bill Sikes]

minks wrote: Today here where I live it is minus 42 celsius and we have to let the cars run to warm up quite litterally everything. I ran mine for about 15 minutes and when I went to drive it was still reluctant to go and I have a 2003 ford minivan and that baby was protesting.


That sounds *very* bad for the engine - don't you use a pre-heater???

[minks]

Bill Sikes wrote: That sounds *very* bad for the engine - don't you use a pre-heater???


oh it isn't particularly good for the old engine your right there and yes we do have "block heaters" but you have to plug them in and not all of us have access to plug in's all the time. I am blessed with fuel injection which is a bit easier. Thankfully we don't get this cold all the time.