How To Properly Warm Up Your Car

Mature man traveling by car during the winter

Mature man traveling by car during the winter

You aren’t the only one that has some trouble getting going in the winter. It turns out your car needs a little extra time to get up to full speed when it’s cold outside. A warm car is more efficient, plus it’s a lot more comfortable to drive. Fortunately, you can use these tips to properly warm up your car in the winter. Then, it’ll drive like a dream, and you’ll be toasty during your commute.

Move Your Car to an Open Spot

You don’t want to warm your car up in the garage since that will put you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Park it outside so the exhaust won’t build up in your garage.

Start the Engine and Defroster

Next, fire up your engine and start the defroster. It only needs to idle for 30 seconds before you hit the road. However, you might need to run it for one to two minutes if it’s covered in snow and ice. The ice will melt quickly once the engine is warm. However, don’t let it idle for longer than needed. If you do, you’ll waste fuel and increase the pollutants you put in the air.

This might go against everything you think about warming up cars. In the past, you needed to warm up cars longer, or you could end up with engine damage. However, now, cars use electronic fuel injectors. These injectors can detect cold air and compensate for fuel evaporation when the temperatures are low.  Thus, excessive idling is unnecessary.

Defog the Windows

If your windows are still foggy after your car warms up, you’ll need to take some steps to improve visibility. After running the defogger, turn on your heater. Then, switch to your air conditioner for a minute to remove the moisture from the air. Next, turn off the air conditioner and open the windows just a tad. After that, you can close the windows and turn back on the heater. Your windows should be free of fog, so it’ll be easy for you to see.

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Get Off to a Slow Start

While you don’t need to idle your car for long, you do need to give the engine time to warm up while driving. Take it slow during the first 5-15 minutes you’re on the road. This will give your oil and components time to warm up before you push your car.

Is a warm car the last of your concerns? If your car is past its prime, warmth isn’t going to be enough. Instead, you need to upgrade your wheels to enjoy an optimal driving experience. Head to Bob Brady Honda in Decatur, Illinois, to check out our lineup of new and pre-owned Hondas. Plus, we have used cars from other manufacturers.

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