Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!

[Charles Wiggins]

There. I feel better.

Just venting...

My wife works 1/2 mile from home, which is great in most respects. To be loving husband I go out to start her car and warm it up because she HATES the cold.

Well today, there is frost on the car. Normally I would scrape it, but I am trying to nurse a 'crick' in my neck; so I'm trying to stay in from the cold as much as possible and avoid repetitive motions (like scraping car windows). So today, because of the frost, that car sat there running for almost 15 mins. to prepare for a five minute commute, while gas is climbing over $3 a gallon. She hates 'wasting' the gasoline more than I do, but she hates the cold a little more.

Just one ' them thangs.

[Bob Childress]

My wife feels the same and has the same 5 minute commute.
Last year I discovered the aerosol de-icing stuff and for simple frosts it really does the trick. Prestone make one and there are some others.

[Joe Pelonio]

Same her, mine works at a school a long two blocks away. She normally drives in, walks home for lunch and back unless raining hard. I go out before she leaves and scrape but really it's out of guilt, since I have filled up the garage
with tools and supplies.

[Matt Meiser]

Regularly warming the car up to proper operating temperature may save you a lot more than the gas used to do it is costing you. When I was in college I lived 1 mile off campus my senior year. I rusted out an exhaust system in 6 months that year. When the car doesn't get warm enough to get the moisture out of the oil and exhaust system, bad things can happen.

I would buy her a remote starter if I were you.

[Al Willits]

I'm with Matt on this one, oil and exhaust systems that don't get warm/hot enough allow moisture to condense and stay in the system, not good.

We both drive only a few miles to work, so we have that problem too.
We let them idle for a bit, I'm thinking it does more good than harm.

Al

[Jim Becker]

On days like this, I'm glad my "commute" decision is "back stairs or front stairs"...

Frost on the pumpkins here today, too...

[Glenn Clabo]

I've been fooling with cars and have hung around mechanics all my life. This is also a subject of conversation...but the vast majority (including Clic and Clack btw) say there's really no need to warm up a car for more than 30 seconds...especially when it's above freezing...except to make the engine warm enough to put out heat as soon as you get in it. The best...which means quickest... way to warm up a car is to drive it gently. Idling is bad in all respects. When idling it not only burns more fuel longer...and puts out more toxic fumes longer...it also warms up too slow to clear out the moisture.
All that said...I do understand the need to make a certain someone happy. I always error on the side of her personal comfort. I start her car when it's real cold...for my own personal comfort.

[Rich Stewart]

I got wifey one of them remote control starters. Now we both stay warm inside. Just push the button and it starts up. If you forget and don't go out, it shuts off after 10 minutes. If someone gets in and tries to drive off it shuts off when they go to put it in gear with no key in the hole. Works great. It also locks the doors so nobody is tempted to get it but if they broke a window to get in, they wouldn't be able to move it. So, five minutes before she is ready, she pushes the button, gets her coat and stuff, and by the time she gets out there, the car is reasonably warm and the windows are defrosted.

[Charles Wiggins]

I got wifey one of them remote control starters. Now we both stay warm inside. Just push the button and it starts up. If you forget and don't go out, it shuts off after 10 minutes. If someone gets in and tries to drive off it shuts off when they go to put it in gear with no key in the hole. Works great. It also locks the doors so nobody is tempted to get it but if they broke a window to get in, they wouldn't be able to move it. So, five minutes before she is ready, she pushes the button, gets her coat and stuff, and by the time she gets out there, the car is reasonably warm and the windows are defrosted.

Such a device would probably cost more than the car is worth. It's a 1990 Camry.

[Keith Outten]

Get one of the small portable electric heaters and an extention cord. Minutes before you are scheduled to leave plug the cord into an outlet in the garage and your vehicle will be warm and defrosted without running the engine.

Its not a perfect solution but it works.

.

[Gary Keedwell]

Funny you mention that Keith....My ex FIL had one of those over 30 years ago and loved it.
Gary

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Toss a bucket of hot water on it.

[Doyle Alley]

I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned the obvious answer. If I lived only 1/2 mile from where I work, I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).

[Charles Wiggins]

I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned the obvious answer. If I lived only 1/2 mile from where I work, I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).

I would too, but we're talking about my wife, who HATES the cold. Besides, she usually doesn't go straight home after work.

[Al Willits]

""""""""
I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).
""""""""

Must not live in Minn...??

Not sure about clic and clack heard them once and that was enough, but idling may indeed be a waste if your going far enough to warm the motor and exhaust, not good to just drive a few minutes and shut off, idling in this case will generate more heat for the system.

General consensus is to run the vehicle till it comes off high idle and then for the first mile or so take it easy, this doesn't take into consideration engine and exhaust heat at that mile or two is not up to operating temps.

Other alternative is to increase oil changes and go with a aluminized exhaust system.

I think this is one of them Ford Chevy things....

Al