People sitting in their cars in their driveway, engine running.

[cvjw]

I will do this sometimes because the iPhone I got last year barely works inside my house. Works outside just fine. And every other iPhone worked just fine in my house.

 

[sam_gordon]

But sitting with the engine running? Seems like an expensive choice given gasoline prices.
Yes, I did mention .....in a reply to lynxstch .....about how quickly modern cars get to full operating temperature so the heater is working. Of course. electric cars and most hybrids need no warm up time to get heat as they use electric heaters.

​

And I was replying to you. Thats how a message board works.

If you don't run the engine, you kill the battery. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[goooof1]

not just in driveways.....see it all the time in parking lots !!!?!!

 

[tvguy]

And I was replying to you. Thats how a message board works.

If you don't run the engine, you kill the battery. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Why would the battery run down if are just sitting in the car talking on a cell phone? Although modern cars tend to have battery savers to prevent you from killing your battery if you were listening to the radio, for example.

 

[neverlandsky]

Constant work calls or a break from work.

 

[Living42Day]

This reminds me, my neighbors used to do this when they were fighting. The wife was having an online affair, the husband found out and would get back home from work but frequently spend 2-4 hours in the car just sitting there on his phone and chain smoking cigarettes from what I could tell. They moved a long time ago, very odd people.

I have learned never to warm up my cars. I think it's better to just start up, and start driving after a minute or so. As long as you are not going over 45-ish mph in the first 5 minutes, the car will be just fine. My car sits in a garage now, but before when it was outside I would do this and never had issues. Another neighbor would puff his car for at least 30 minutes but usually an hour. It never made sense and he was lucky no one came by and took it.

 

[bcla]

Not an issue with an EV. I've borrowed one from a friend, and the heat is almost immediate because it doesn't rely on waste heat. Leaving it in park won't do anything other than maybe the lights, the radio, and environmental controls, which are a minimal drain on the battery. I've parked in the driveway on the phone or just listening to the radio. Whether or not I forget to put it in park isn't an issue since it will almost always do that automatically after 2 minutes not going anywhere.

 

[sam_gordon]

Why would the battery run down if are just sitting in the car talking on a cell phone? Although modern cars tend to have battery savers to prevent you from killing your battery if you were listening to the radio, for example.

If they're listening to the radio. Or using the AC or the heat.

You want to know why people would be sitting in cars for extended time. There's been multiple answers. If these answers aren't good enough, ask your neighbors.

 

[Allison]

And you're in CA, where the low is what 50? Try letting your car sit out when the low gets to the teens and see how long it takes to warm up the cabin. Lol

Right? When it is 1 degree, it isn't warming up that quickly.

Why sit in a car with it running? Because I want to at the time. I'm on a call, listening to something on the radio, finishing a podcast , whatever it may be.

 

[DeeBee3]

I don't care what others do, but I do see it a lot and it is TERRIBLE for your car to let it idle that long.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

After all these posts, I ask the question - as long as the car isn't sending emissions fumes your direction for 30 minutes, why would you even care what others are doing? Their business.....!

 

[TippyThomas]

As long as they stay off my lawn I don't care.

 

[Micca]

As long as they stay off my lawn I don't care.

I agree! As long as they aren't driving their car on to my lawn to warm it up, I'm ok with it.

 

[john7994]

I don't care what others do, but I do see it a lot and it is TERRIBLE for your car to let it idle that long.

I am with you - I really don’t care or give that much thought about what others do -

 

[hrhdhd]

True. But most cars today come equipped to link your phone to the car and call and text hands free.

It's the conversation that's distracting, not whether the driver is holding the phone (although that makes it worse).

 

[sam_gordon]

It's the conversation that's distracting, not whether the driver is holding the phone (although that makes it worse).

I guess you don't have conversations with passengers then?

 

[hrhdhd]

I guess you don't have conversations with passengers then?

I do. And if I am about to hit someone or something, they yell, "Look out!" The person who is not in the car can't do that.

Studies show passengers talk less to the driver when conditions require more concentration (it's raining, heavy traffic, whatever).

 

[sam_gordon]

I do. And if I am about to hit someone or something, they yell, "Look out!" The person who is not in the car can't do that.

Studies show passengers talk less to the driver when conditions require more concentration (it's raining, heavy traffic, whatever).

Personally, I'm not taking/making a call when I'm in a situation requiring extra concentration (heavy rain, traffic, whatever), but that's just me.

 

[hrhdhd]

Personally, I'm not taking/making a call when I'm in a situation requiring extra concentration (heavy rain, traffic, whatever), but that's just me.

I wasn't referring to those conditions during a phone call. I was answering your "gotcha!"

And it doesn't matter if conditions are ideal; phone calls while driving are distracting, whether holding the phone or on Bluetooth. They just are.

Have a good day.

 

[_19disnA]

Can't say I ever noticed (or cared) what one of my neighbors might be doing if sitting in their car with the engine running. Maybe they need to warm it up before going somewhere. None of my business. If you leave your car outside on a cold night, the windows my fog/freeze and you would have trouble seeing if you drive off without letting the car warm up. Some older cars don't have that remote start feature or maybe theirs isn't working.