Idling Gets You Nowhere

Myth 1:

An engine should be warmed up before driving.

Reality:

While the engine must be warmed up, idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than about 30 seconds of idling before driving away, even on the coldest winter days.

Myth 2:

Idling is good for your engine.

Reality:

An idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, which means that fuel does not undergo complete combustion. This leaves fuel residue that can deposit on the spark plugs and increase fuel consumption by up to 5%. Also, water condensation in the exhaust system can reduce the life of the exhaust system.

Myth 3:

Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine.

Reality:

Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money likely to be saved many times over due to fuel savings.

Myth 4:

Shutting off and restarting your vehicle uses more gas than if you leave it running.

Reality:

The bottom line is that over 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. An idling engine gets exactly zero miles to the gallon. As a rule, if you are going to stop for 10 seconds or more - except in traffic - turn off the engine. You'll save money, and you’ll produce less carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas.