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Warming up your car 1st thing before you go?

3,195 1,585 April 23, 2025 at 11:51 PM
So I was wondering... Is it really necessary to warm up your car before you go drive in the morning? How long do you need to warm up your car for? And once you've already driven it, is it still necessary to warm it up any other time you use it during the day?

Does it depend on how old your car is? How cold in the morning it is? Are there any other factors that influence how long you have to warm up a car for?
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SnakePlisken
04-24-2025 at 01:52 AM.
04-24-2025 at 01:52 AM.
Not for my X5.
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serving cakes since 2005
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procope
04-24-2025 at 09:51 AM.
04-24-2025 at 09:51 AM.
I always warm the engine until the revs drop below 1000, no matter the weather. Takes longer in winter. Dontknow
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serving cakes since 2005
> bubble2 6,729 Posts
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procope
04-24-2025 at 09:54 AM.
04-24-2025 at 09:54 AM.
Quote from SnakePlisken :
Not for my X5.
I bet my car's older than yours. Tongue
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My # is bigger than yours
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SnakePlisken
04-24-2025 at 10:07 AM.
04-24-2025 at 10:07 AM.
Quote from procope :
I bet my car's older than yours. Tongue
How many more payments do you have?
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Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
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komondor
04-24-2025 at 10:23 AM.
04-24-2025 at 10:23 AM.
Well it depends on where you live and what kind of driving you do:

For me I am driving residential streets for a while and the speed is less than 30 MPH then I hit a larger road speed limit is 45. If it was 10 below and I stayed at a hotel just off the interstate and was going to hop in and start going 75 MPH I would let it warm up for a little bit.

Short answer is no.
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> bubble2 6,729 Posts
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procope
04-24-2025 at 10:34 AM.
04-24-2025 at 10:34 AM.
Quote from SnakePlisken :
How many more payments do you have?
In my neighborhood, people don't make car payments. Where do you think I live? in the trailer park?
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SnakePlisken
04-24-2025 at 10:52 AM.
04-24-2025 at 10:52 AM.
Quote from procope :
In my neighborhood, people don't make car payments. Where do you think I live? in the trailer park?
So you own the land your double-wide is parked on? Impressive!
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Joined Sep 2005
serving cakes since 2005
> bubble2 6,729 Posts
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procope
04-24-2025 at 11:09 AM.
04-24-2025 at 11:09 AM.
Quote from SnakePlisken :
So you own the land your double-wide is parked on? Impressive!

nonmovable!
[fema.gov]

Where I live, people pass cars from father to son for generations. That's what you have when you properly warm your cars all the time
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SnakePlisken
04-24-2025 at 11:17 AM.
04-24-2025 at 11:17 AM.
Quote from procope :

nonmovable!
[fema.gov]

Where I live, people pass cars from father to son for generations. That's what you have when you properly warm your cars all the time
They made pt cruisers way back then?
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Schrödinger's Frog
> bubble2 19,412 Posts
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Frogstar
04-24-2025 at 11:23 AM.
04-24-2025 at 11:23 AM.
If the temperature is below 10º fahrenheit, sure, I'll warm it up for 30 seconds before I drive off. Beyond that it's a waste of fuel (if you have anything resembling a modern automobile). Most of the wear occurs at initial start-up, and cars warm up faster when they're being driven versus idling.
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teenbean
04-25-2025 at 07:26 AM.
04-25-2025 at 07:26 AM.
I used to in the winter when the weather was 20 degrees or lower. But the main reason for that was to warm up the inside of the car because I don't like being cold. Cold My current vehicle has heated seats and a heated steering wheel so the cold doesn't affect me as much.
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Spaceman6969
05-17-2025 at 05:02 AM.
05-17-2025 at 05:02 AM.
Quote from teenbean :
I used to in the winter when the weather was 20 degrees or lower. But the main reason for that was to warm up the inside of the car because I don't like being cold. Cold My current vehicle has heated seats and a heated steering wheel so the cold doesn't affect me as much.

Yes. Driver's health comes first before car. I just take off after 10 seconds
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proskatersf90
05-17-2025 at 09:58 AM.
05-17-2025 at 09:58 AM.
Quote from procope :
I always warm the engine until the revs drop below 1000, no matter the weather. Takes longer in winter. Dontknow

This is kind of how I look at it too. It especially helps on my MIL 2000 Avalon it will not shift into 4th untill is warmed up or you're going 45+
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