In The Winter Do I Have To Warm Up Your Car Before You Start Driving??

 

I have been asked this question many times at the start of the winter. I have never seen a study published about this topic in any of my automotive magazines. So what I give you is what I do, it is my opinion based on what I have seen.

 

Above 32 degrees F. I do not bother letting my car warm up. I start the engine and go. Below 10 degrees I let me car warm up for three minutes before I put it in drive. Once in drive I slowly accelerate for the next few minutes. Between 10 degrees and 32 I let my car warm up for a minute or two, and once again I will slowly accelerate for the next three minutes.

 

Engines are very expensive to replace, and in cases where I don’t have not seen any evidence one way or another, I err on the side of caution-I let my car warm up.

 

Does it work? I drive one of my loaners in the summer and another in the winter (too long to explain here) and both of them have over 200,000 miles and they drive like new.