Many of us warm up our cars in cold weather, not only thinking we are warming up the engine, but also to let the engine heat up in order for the car eater to work.  Like most people, I don’t like getting into an extremely cold car. 

Modern fuel injection and oil distribution in the engine has really eliminated the need to let your car idle.  Within thirty seconds, oil is moving freely in the engine.  A number of sources say that a long period of idling (a gas engine) can cause damage over a period of time. 

In addition to possible damage, it uses extra fuel. So, if you are green conscious, it probably isn’t the best habit. Following are some tips and facts on the subject:

1. Warming Your Car Interior
If getting the car temperature up to warm the interior is the issue, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission states that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it." Of course if you have heated seats, it helps.  Electric cars will have a feature that allows the owner to call the car (when the cars are tied to both electric power and a communications link) initiation either heating or cooling prior to arrival. 

2. Turn Your Car Off After Ten Seconds.
Andy Darrell, deputy director of the Environmental Defense Fund Energy Program, tell people to "switch the car off at the curb and you'll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community."  The Environmental Defense Fund produced a campaign called Idling Gets You Nowhere.  It advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds. "After about ten seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said

3. Idling Damage.
As we stated in the lead in to this article, idling can damage a gas engine.  The Hinkle Charitable Foundation (developer of the Anti-Idling Primer), says that idling forces an engine "to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine's performance and reduce mileage."

4. Idling Equals Money.
The "Anti-Idling Primer" estimates that a V-8-engine will use 20 gallons of gasoline over the course of one year if the driver idles five minutes a day (on average).  This not only costs approximately sixty dollars but also produces close to 440 pounds of CO2

5. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. 
We have all heard these stories; idling cars in closed spaces can be lethal.  Even with garage doors open, it can be fatal, and in attached garages, the fumes can enter the house having deadly consequences. 

6. Remote Starters or Block Heaters?
In Canada, Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force states, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for five to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary. A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving does the trick in very cold climates.”

7. Quick Errand Idling.
For those of you that live somewhere where you can leave your car running while you do some shopping, Natural Resources Canada points out that "quick errand" idling is another way to waste fuel and cause pollution.  The agency says that "Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions and is an invitation to car thieves”.

8. Idling is Bad for Your Health (and Your Neighbor's Health).
Minneapolis has an ordinance against idling.  It states;"exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies." Isabelle Silverman from the Environmental Defense Fund states that car idling "is the second-hand smoking of the outdoors. One of the problems is that cars idle close to the curb, where pedestrians are walking. And when you have a child in a stroller, they are particularly close to the tailpipe. Studies show that children's IQ levels are lower when they live near major roads with lots of traffic."

So, think about changing your behavior to save money, your health, and the planets.