Driving Tips for Winter Mornings

Dec 9, 2016

It’s that time of year again! No, we’re not talking about the holidays. We’re talking about our frozen morning commutes. You know the ones. Every morning from December to March, you had out a few minutes early to your car to de-ice, defrost, and maybe even de-shovel your vehicle. Many of you let your vehicle warm up before hitting the road, so we’re here to answer some pressing questions about getting your car ready in the morning.

Almost everyone who lives in Upstate New York would agree that starting your car and letting it idle on a cold morning is not only convenient, it’s good for the vehicles. Contrary to popular belief, letting your car warm up in the morning is actually harmful to the engine, experts say. Your engine needs air and gasoline to work properly, but when it’s cold out, your car adds more gasoline than air to the engine. This flushes out the engine oil it needs to run, which can be damaging to the engine. If you really love using your automatic car starter, not to worry. It’s safe to let your vehicle idle for a few minutes, but don’t let it go any longer than that.

If you’re wondering what to do to warm up your car instead of letting it idle, the answer might surprise you. Experts agree that the best thing to do to warm up your car on an especially cold day is to get in and go! But don’t push it – an engine needs at least 5-15 minutes to get warmed up, so take your time and go easy on the accelerator. Going faster will put unnecessary stress on the engine.

If you have any other questions about proper car maintenance in the winter, stop by and see our Service Department! We’ll make sure your vehicle is running in perfect shape for the cold months ahead of us.

Dee, Sarah. “Warm up Your Car Correctly on Cold Mornings.” Autoblog. Autoblog Open Road, 28 Oct. 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Orwig, Jessica. “Stop Hurting Your Engine by Idling the Car When It’s Cold out.” Business Insider. Business Insider, 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.