Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Lies That Became Truth #2

"You should warm your car up. Otherwise you'll screw up the engine."

Lie! Maybe you've heard this from your dad. (I didn't; my dad retired after 30 years as a mechanic. He always told me the best way to warm up the car was just to drive it.) But this lie persists being passed down from generation to the next. Maybe instead of an Old Wives Tale, it should be an Old Husband's Tale.

Truth: Most modern cars don't need to be warmed up at all! AT ALL! Maybe a whole 30 seconds if it's -10 degrees. That's it! Don't believe me? Read your owner's manual. Or read Click and Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) on the subject.

Then there's the issue of wanting an nice, toasty interior before you begin driving. OK, I appreciate that. You don't want to put a baby in a cold car seat. But remember, you and your passengers should be dressed for the weather regardless of the warmth of the passenger compartment. What if you get stuck? What if your car breaks down?

In these times when we all should be concerned about global warming and the size of our carbon footprint warming up a car for 10 or 15 minutes before you actually drive it is NOT environmentally responsible. And annoying as hell to your neighbors.

If you're that worried about it, build, rent or borrow a garage for the winter. Install a block heater. (A block heater is an old-timey device that device that plugs into your house current to warm and circulate the fluids in your engine. Very inexpensive -- it will cost you much more in labor to have it installed.) Or make sure your next car is black and/or has a black interior.

But stop saying that you need to warm it up for the sake of the engine! Liars!