My dad swore I'd wreck the transmission if I didn't warm up the car for 5 minutes before driving in winter.

Turns out modern cars don't need that and I was just wasting gas and polluting the garage for years. Who else has a family member who keeps giving outdated car advice that they won't let go of?

2 comments

2 Comments

wrenh6512d ago

Hold on, why are we so quick to call old man wrong? I let my 95 civic idle for like 5 or 6 minutes every morning when it's below freezing, and that thing has 280k miles on the original automatic. The oil gets thick when it's cold, it doesn't circulate right until it warms up a bit, and driving off instantly just sends cold sludge through the engine. Plus, the transmission fluid needs to get moving too, especially in a CVT or a slushbox, those things hate cold starts. Maybe your dad was right about his specific car even if yours is different.

the_max12d ago

Not gonna lie, I think you're half right and half off base here. The oil thing is real - cold starts definitely circulate slower, that's why 0W-20 exists. But idling for 5 or 6 minutes is way too long for a modern engine. Your civic has 280k because it's a 90s honda, not because you're idling it. Those things would run forever on used fry oil. Modern cars with direct injection and CVTs actually wear out faster from long idles because the oil never fully warms up and fuel dilutes the oil. I'd bet your old man's advice was perfect for his 1985 f150 with a carburetor but that's a totally different animal than a modern fuel injected car.