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In winter, many start their cars earlier so that they can "warm up". But did you know that modern cars actually don't like that! Here's the explanation...
It's winter, it's freezing cold, your windscreen is a wall of ice and your car is basically a refrigerator: what can you do?
As usual, you let the engine idle for a few minutes to scrape the windscreen and warm up the interior. This is nothing out of the ordinary, we've all done it. It also "warms up" the engine before you start driving. Like an athlete warming up before a race.
Except that this is a bad habit and the practice is no longer recommended these days. On the contrary, in winter, "warming up" the car while it is idling can rather shorten its life.
Thank you, Grandpa!
The reason why this practice is so persistent is that it was really useful in the days of our parents and grandparents. Back then, engines could not yet adapt to the weather as well as they do today. As a result, when the car was cold, it was advised to preheat the vehicle in order to make the air-fuel mixture richer and thus achieve complete atomisation of the fuel.
Nowadays however, engines are quite capable of adapting to winter conditions. If you let these modern engines warm up in the cold, you can therefore damage them. In a cold engine that is idling, the fuel will evaporate less well, so the engine automatically helps itself by adding more fuel to the mixture. Over time, this excess can affect lubrication and the life of parts such as piston seals and cylinder housings.
What to do instead
In short, this practice not only burns fuel for nothing, but is also harmful in the long run.
Instead, it is advisable to start the vehicle when you are ready to hit the road. There is also no need to drive aggressively immediately after starting, as this is equally harmful: be gentle with the accelerator.
In summary, although it is not pleasant, it is advisable to do the dirty work a.k.a scratching the windscreen cold and start the car only when you are ready to go.
Yes, you will freeze for a few minutes until the radiator warms up again, but you will have a happy engine. And when you consider how much something like this costs, it's better to chatter with your teeth ... than with banknotes.
