Let a car run before driving?

[tvguy]

My cousins in Canada have engine block heaters, electric interior heaters, put a beach towel on the windshield, towels on the front side windows and mirror mittens on the exterior mirrors. Love those mirror mittens*. They start up and go.
*

 

[Squirlz]

I just want to add a reminder; if your glass needs to be cleared, your head and taillights do to. I have seen morons driving in the dark with snow covered lights. Frightening.

 

[JanaDee]

The idea that modern cars need to idle in cold weather for the sake of the engine is completely false. As another poster said, modern means 1990ish or newer. This is a great article that explains it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...hat-you-need-to-idle-your-car-before-driving/

Some people idle for comfort, but I personally don't think the waste of gas and unnecessary emissions are worth it. It only takes a car a few minutes to warm up when driving.

I don't care if it is a waste of gas. At -20 degrees, our cars are getting warmed up before we get in them.

 

[lauradis]

Yes, and mine sits in a garage all night. I want a nice toasty car.

 

[tvguy]

I don't care if it is a waste of gas. At -20 degrees, our cars are getting warmed up before we get in them.

Is it legal where you live?

 

[marmalade]

Is it legal where you live?

Is it not legal where you live? It would be a joke if they tried to impose a law like that where I live. We have winter like conditions 6 months out of the year, people warm their cars a lot around here.

 

[JanaDee]

Is it legal where you live?

Yup

 

[bcla]

Is it not legal where you live? It would be a joke if they tried to impose a law like that where I live. We have winter like conditions 6 months out of the year, people warm their cars a lot around here.

Like I said, if it's that cold in the winter, then install a block heater. I don't really need all that, but when I priced my last car, I saw options for a block heater (really just a small heating element on the block plug to drain coolant), and a battery warmer.

I thought that parking lots in cold areas have outlets to plug in block heaters.

 

[mommasita]

Like I said, if it's that cold in the winter, then install a block heater. I don't really need all that, but when I priced my last car, I saw options for a block heater (really just a small heating element on the block plug to drain coolant), and a battery warmer.

I thought that parking lots in cold areas have outlets to plug in block heaters.

I don't know a soul with a block heater,. and have NEVER seen an outlet to plug them in, and it has been artic cold for 2 months.. EVERYONE has the remote starter..

 

[cfriend416]

I don't care if it is a waste of gas. At -20 degrees, our cars are getting warmed up before we get in them.

Conserving fossil fuels is important to some people. It's clearly not to you. Whatever. Just because you like a warm car doesn't make it necessary.

 

[bcla]

I don't know a soul with a block heater,. and have NEVER seen an outlet to plug them in, and it has been artic cold for 2 months.. EVERYONE has the remote starter..

My dad had a block heater in his Mercedes diesel years ago. It wasn't standard, but there was a coupon in the owner's manual for free installation at any dealer. Diesels have particular issues when it's cold, although I thought it was mostly the fuel thickening.

I was under the impression that winter-specific tires are required in Quebec, although I'm not sure about block heaters. Here's an article about a local utility giving away timers to help reduce power consumption with block heaters in Saskatchewan. Is it that much colder there than where you live?

http://regina.ctvnews.ca/saskpower-giving-away-50-000-block-heater-timers-1.730150#

This was the photo in the article:

I heard that parking lot outlets tend to be timed, with the on-off timing dependent on the ambient temperature.

 

[gwynne]

Is it not legal where you live? It would be a joke if they tried to impose a law like that where I live. We have winter like conditions 6 months out of the year, people warm their cars a lot around here.

It is not legal in some places. You are fortunate you don't live in a place with winter inversion struggles. It's kind of shocking just how bad the air gets. (And you can actually see it, from birds eye photography.)
Not a good thought that people are kind of stuck, and have to breathe the "soup" in.

 

[mommasita]

My dad had a block heater in his Mercedes diesel years ago. It wasn't standard, but there was a coupon in the owner's manual for free installation at any dealer. Diesels have particular issues when it's cold, although I thought it was mostly the fuel thickening.

I was under the impression that winter-specific tires are required in Quebec, although I'm not sure about block heaters. Here's an article about a local utility giving away timers to help reduce power consumption with block heaters in Saskatchewan. Is it that much colder there than where you live?

http://regina.ctvnews.ca/saskpower-giving-away-50-000-block-heater-timers-1.730150#

This was the photo in the article:

I heard that parking lot outlets tend to be timed, with the on-off timing dependent on the ambient temperature.

Yes, the law is by Dec 14 or 15th?? we must have Winter tires with the specific pictogram, and that is until March 15th.. ALthough, you SHOULD have them on wayyy before that, and after that as well.. Always a fool without them, ticketed, you see them skidding out somewhere..
Block heaters, no.. Honestly, Have never seen them..

 

[marmalade]

My dad had a block heater in his Mercedes diesel years ago. It wasn't standard, but there was a coupon in the owner's manual for free installation at any dealer. Diesels have particular issues when it's cold, although I thought it was mostly the fuel thickening.

I was under the impression that winter-specific tires are required in Quebec, although I'm not sure about block heaters. Here's an article about a local utility giving away timers to help reduce power consumption with block heaters in Saskatchewan. Is it that much colder there than where you live?

http://regina.ctvnews.ca/saskpower-giving-away-50-000-block-heater-timers-1.730150#

This was the photo in the article:

I heard that parking lot outlets tend to be timed, with the on-off timing dependent on the ambient temperature.

I have never seen anything like this before? I have also never even heard of a block heater?

 

[JanaDee]

Conserving fossil fuels is important to some people. It's clearly not to you. Whatever. Just because you like a warm car doesn't make it necessary.

As you can tell, I'm not too concerned with whether you believe it is necessary or not.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I have never seen anything like this before? I have also never even heard of a block heater?

It's been common option for diesels for a LONG time. Gas, not so much.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I love my remote starter and heated leather seats. I do not want to leave the warmth of home and get in a cold car.

TC

 

[bcla]

I have never seen anything like this before? I have also never even heard of a block heater?

They're pretty simple. Most engine blocks have a drain plug for the coolant. A block heater substitutes for this plug, but with a small liquid heating element and a connector to an electric source. Typically there's another connector that sits near the grill where it's convenient to connect to an extension cord.

They can't get the coolant temps up that hot, and they really only heat up a small localized portion of the cooling system. It won't get the radiator hot, but can indirectly heat up the engine block and oil.

The result should be easier starts and almost instant heat. One basically gives the engine a head start on getting up to regular operating conditions. I've heard that many like that the heater puts out heat immediately.

 

[bcla]

I was reading about variations, and one of the more interesting deals are some cars with a built in system to siphon hot coolant into an insulated "bladder" on shutdown. The coolant stays warm for up to a few days and helps improve startup efficiency and perhaps helps in cold weather. The Toyota Prius apparently had this from the second generation, and it was primarily designed to meet emissions reduction targets.

 

[bookgirl]

I warm up my car for me, my car does not care if it's cold or not. I do live somewhere that it's illegal to leave a running car but I've never seen it ticketed. I have a car starter so no keys in it. It won't go into gear and shuts off if you touch the brake so I'm not worried about it being stolen or a kid accidentally going for a ride.