Do you ever leave your car running? when say...

[copynpaste]

1) Youre going in to pay for your gas? cigs?
2) drop off movies at blockbuster slot?

I never understand why people think it's ok to leave the car running and unattended even for a second. It only takes a thief 5 secs to spot your unattended running car, hop in and off he goes.

I guess it depends on location but I live in what I consider to be a fairly safe community and even then I still wouldn't do it. It's not even just about safety, it's about efficiency - if you don't need to waste the gas idling, then don't do it.

The other day this guy left his car running when he ran into Wal-mart. He must have been inside for at least 10 mins! I thought damn, I'd NEVER do that. It was like a late 90's Nissan Ultima, so nothing special, but I'm sure worth enough for a decent size bag of crack!

[K3RMiTdot]

i only do it, if 'm parked infront of my house to grab something quickly. other then that hells no.

[slinkie]

i won't even leave the little back window in my truck cracked open in my driveway (can't even notice it's open from the sidewalk) so...no

read on beyond that the vast majority of thefts in calgary happen when the car is running unattended :rolleyes:

[topmade]

I usually only do it if there is someone in the car and I'll be back right away. But when I used to deliver goods in a company truck, I wouldn't turn it off for the entire day sometimes, but it was also diesel. I did the same thing when doing fast food deliveries with my own car around the shady tuxedo and highland area, but I would always lock the car when making a delivery.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Only if its locked, but very rarely

I know of a lot of my customers who had their cars stolen because of idling.

[JordanAndrew]

The only time I do it is during winter on a really cold day (-25 or below) and that's using my compustar car starter to warm it up while I brush the car. Thief can't go anywhere even if the car was open because I still have the keys with me. Otherwise, even if it was -20 outside I don't usually let it idle too long.

[J-hop]

.

[Maxx Mazda]

I bag the shit outta my car, so if I'm running in somewhere for just a few minutes I'll just set the turbo timer to keep it running for 4-5 mins or so. I still take the key and lock the doors obviously.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

If im scraping ice and snow off it in the morning I will let it run for a minute or so while I walk around it, if I need to grab something from my house I leave it running in the driveway for a minute maximum.

[Awd-Tsi]

When I go to school in the morning I'll leave it running for like 5 to 10 minutes so I can hop in and have some heat

[BrknFngrs]

I've never really thought about it before but I leave my car running when I'm dropping a movie into the return slot if I'm parked directly in front of it but wouldn't even consider leaving it running anywhere else. Not really sure why that is...

[The_Rural_Juror]

I left my hummer running once, while I went to grab a coffee. It got stolen but was recovered later. How dare they. Don't they know who I am?

[..*JDM Hatch*..]

I leave my car running all the time to warm up,or if i am running in somewhere quick.My doors are always locked,and the fact that if my keys are not in it and you hit the gas pedal,the car shuts off automaticly .But if this is a thread for someone looking to jack a car that someone leaves running then sh*t,feel free to come and try to take mine.But expect the worst i'll say that much,lol.

[DSM4LIFE]

i do it every once and while but i take the steering wheel off. :) quick release ftw

[Mibz]

I bought a little quick-release for my keys so that I can leave my key in the car and lock my doors at the same time. Problem solved.

I also don't live in the ghetto, that helps.

[ExtraSlow]

I use the car alarm to start it without the keys inside. So it's running, but it's also locked and the alarm is armed.
as far as I'm concerned, that's just as safe.

[slinkie]

Originally posted by Mibz
I bought a little quick-release for my keys so that I can leave my key in the car and lock my doors at the same time. Problem solved.

I also don't live in the ghetto, that helps.

genius im doing this for winter

[TE4MFaint]

I always do,
but its the command start that keeps it running.
doors locked, no keys inside, no problem ;)

[Mar]

It uses more gas to turn your car off and restart it a few minutes later because of the rush of gas required for ignition. Better for the environment just to leave it running.

[dj_rice]

I thought when your filling up for gas, for safety reason's the car isn't supposed to be running?

[kevie88]

Originally posted by Mar
It uses more gas to turn your car off and restart it a few minutes later because of the rush of gas required for ignition. Better for the environment just to leave it running.

100% urban myth and incorrect info.

[baygirl]

I always leave my car running... I live in a decent area and tend to be a little too trusting with shit like that.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by baygirl
I always leave my car running... I live in a decent area and tend to be a little too trusting with shit like that.

So you actually never shut your car off ever? even when fuelling ;)

[leftwing]

with my summer car I usually turn it on and leave it running outside my house for 5-10 mins while i finish getting ready so it can get up to proper operating temps.

That is the only time i leave my car running.

[Tik-Tok]

The only time I leave it running unattended is at my work on a cold fucking day, to let it warm up. However NO ONE ever comes into my work parking lot, it's a dead end.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

^^why would you let your car idle to warm up for 5 to 10 mins in the summer? The majority of engine wear occurs when the engine is cold, and idling a motor is the slowest way to warm it up, it would be better to start it, idle it for maybe 10 seconds, and then drive normally in the summer.

[kvg]

ya, I just lock my car door.

[Cos]

I do once and a while. Usually when I need to grab a coffee from starbucks or something. I have a remote start that you hold the button and I can remove my keys and lock it.

I start my truck when I come downstairs in the morning, 3 minutes and I am out of the door. Gets the juices flowing just a bit so I can drive it a bit more comfortably. Gets about 25 to 35% operating temp. Or if I am walking towards my truck from somewhere else (work, mall, friends) I fire it up. Only runs for 20 or 30 seconds but then I can just put her in gear and take off.

[psycoticclown]

Originally posted by Mar
It uses more gas to turn your car off and restart it a few minutes later because of the rush of gas required for ignition. Better for the environment just to leave it running.

Wrong. 10 seconds of idling is equivalent to turning on your engine.

[4lti]

Instead of risking losing your car one day, why not invest in a auto starter/alarm kit?

A one way starter isnt that expensive at all.
If you dont have 200.00 for that why not just get two keys?

Better safe then sorry.

[psycoticclown]

On a side note, my car is weird, I have a quick release thingy on my keys so I can start the car and have my keyfob remote with me also. But my car doesn't let me lock and unlock with the remote while the car is on, wtf, anybody have this kinda problem also?

[AaronK]

I would never leave my car running without anyone there, that is just retarded.

[No_Cash]

Originally posted by psycoticclown
On a side note, my car is weird, I have a quick release thingy on my keys so I can start the car and have my keyfob remote with me also. But my car doesn't let me lock and unlock with the remote while the car is on, wtf, anybody have this kinda problem also?

My Honda was like that. the only way I could lock it and let it run was manually locking the door with a spare key.

[Rui M]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
^^why would you let your car idle to warm up for 5 to 10 mins in the summer? The majority of engine wear occurs when the engine is cold, and idling a motor is the slowest way to warm it up, it would be better to start it, idle it for maybe 10 seconds, and then drive normally in the summer.

i hate when people think they are giving good advice on forums but really they know nothing...

[boarderfatty]

When I was working up north in the winter with my diesel truck I would leave it running 24 hours a day 7 days a week, the only time it would be turned off was to fill. when it's minus 40 diesels don't like to start, so with gas being free, having security on site, and most people recognizing my truck I felt pretty safe.

Here I am pretty forgetful. I will often leave my car running. I live in the burbs, crime rate is fairly low, my car is pretty recognizable, and I am pretty well known so I haven't really had a problem. Plus when you leave your keys in your car you never lose them.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by Rui M


i hate when people think they are giving good advice on forums but really they know nothing...

:rofl: and then you come in with absolutely nothing to offer. He actually had some of the most valid information in this entire thread. But thanks for coming in and saying nothing worthwhile at all.

I never leave mine running ever. Don't like taking that risk. Plus having a Jeep stolen a month ago didn't make me any more comfortable about it.

[Dilmah]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I use the car alarm to start it without the keys inside. So it's running, but it's also locked and the alarm is armed.
as far as I'm concerned, that's just as safe.

This. And if someone gets inside it shuts down when the brakes are hit.

[revelations]

Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror
I left my hummer running once, while I went to grab a coffee. It got stolen but was recovered later. How dare they. Don't they know who I am?

Good one Phaneuf.

[e31]

Originally posted by boarderfatty
When I was working up north in the winter with my diesel truck I would leave it running 24 hours a day 7 days a week, the only time it would be turned off was to fill. when it's minus 40 diesels don't like to start.

This happens often in the transportation of heavy equipment in the winter, after loading it onto the trailer you just leave it idle so that you can move it once it is at the destination. Sometimes things just have to work, and if the price is leaving it idle for a couple days, so be it.


Also, people complaining this early into the season about temperatures better harden the fuck up.

[Sil80_D]

I never leave my car running aside from the turbo timer.... I'm paranoid about leaving it running... although I'f I'm just grabbing something at macs, I'm pretty much always back in the car before it shuts off.

Man, it boggles my mind how many people believe in the whole "uses 15 minutes worth of gas" for every startup myth.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by psycoticclown


Wrong. 10 seconds of idling is equivalent to turning on your engine.

No reason to ever let a car warm up for 5-10mins even in the winter. Too much idling is bad for the engine and puts too much wear and tear in the long run.

According to my mechanic an engine only needs to be warmed up for max of 30secs at most before putting it into drive even in the freezing winters/

[revelations]

Lots of different opinions around regarding engine idling.

My car (4 cyl, 2L engine) uses 0.9 L of gas per HOUR of idling so unless I am waiting for a long time, I'd rather idle for a few minutes.

When the temps are well below freezing, I idle and wait until my car coolant shows 15c. This can take 30s or 120s depending on how cold it is.

I dont use a block heater, but I do use a good, fully synthetic, type IV, oil.

[topmade]

Originally posted by No_Cash


My Honda was like that. the only way I could lock it and let it run was manually locking the door with a spare key.
Here's a trick that a lot of people don't know. Lock the door and hold the door handle when closing the door and it will stay locked. No need to lock it with the keys.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by revelations


When the temps are well below freezing, I idle and wait until my car coolant shows 15c.

.

You mean the gauge on the dash right? usually on the left of the speedometer?

[revelations]

Originally posted by copynpaste


You mean the gauge on the dash right? usually on the left of the speedometer?

I have a device which connects to the ECU to give me specific readouts which are unavailable on my Honda cluster.

Many newer vehicles also show more ECU information, but its sometimes buried in menus.

[ddduke]

I leave mine idling and unattended daily. Don't see a problem, unless I'm in the hood which isn't often.

A couple winters ago I actually left my truck running 24 hours a day for 44 days. didn't even turn it off when I slept or fueled up. But that was in High Level so kind of a different story.

[revelations]

Originally posted by ddduke
I leave mine idling and unattended daily. Don't see a problem, unless I'm in the hood which isn't often.

A couple winters ago I actually left my truck running 24 hours a day for 44 days. didn't even turn it off when I slept or fueled up. But that was in High Level so kind of a different story.

Diesel I'm assuming...

[psycoticclown]

Originally posted by ddduke
I leave mine idling and unattended daily. Don't see a problem, unless I'm in the hood which isn't often.

A couple winters ago I actually left my truck running 24 hours a day for 44 days. didn't even turn it off when I slept or fueled up. But that was in High Level so kind of a different story.

Until the first time it gets stolen. And what a waste of gas, why would you need to idle your truck for 24 hours for 44 days. I can see somebody idling their truck for 12 hours due to work or something...

[boarderfatty]

Originally posted by psycoticclown


Until the first time it gets stolen. And what a waste of gas, why would you need to idle your truck for 24 hours for 44 days. I can see somebody idling their truck for 12 hours due to work or something...

I found personally with my 5.9L Cummins modified with a high and low Idle that I would waste very little gas letting it idle 24 hours a day. When it is below minus 40, diesels don't like to start very nicely and take forever to heat up. It is so nice waking up and getting into a warm truck at 5 in the morning, since the company I was working for had diesel tanks on site that I could fill on for free I had no reason to turn my truck off. In the back of my truck I also had a lot of electronics, I had my toaster oven, microwave, george foreman grill, electric cooler, coffee maker, kettle, and a buch of chargers for my electronic equipment. If I forgot to turn everything off my batteries would drain reeaall quick, its easier to keep truck running and the batteries charged versus turning everything off.

[psycoticclown]

Hmm, I see. Good to know! Guess I've never owned a diesel car/truck so I have no idea how much gas they consume idling. Just from a gasoline perspective, it sounds ridiculous.

[boarderfatty]

Originally posted by psycoticclown
Hmm, I see. Good to know! Guess I've never owned a diesel car/truck so I have no idea how much gas they consume idling. Just from a gasoline perspective, it sounds ridiculous.

Ya my low idle was somewhere between 2 and 300 rpm I believe, with no load on the drive train it just sipped gas

[ddduke]

Originally posted by psycoticclown


Until the first time it gets stolen. And what a waste of gas, why would you need to idle your truck for 24 hours for 44 days. I can see somebody idling their truck for 12 hours due to work or something...

Some days it hit -45 that winter. We also worked 7 days a week, if the truck didn't start then you werent going to work, it's a welding rig so you can't work without it, it just became a habit. When you pull up to camps in northern alberta and nwt you notice tons of running trucks in the parking lot.

Also, most diesels burn almost nothing idling all night.

[revelations]

:werd:

Diesels are far more efficient at idle than gas engines.

[copynpaste]

interesting read

There are many people who speculate that allowing your engine to idle is bad for your car, though it is up in the air for debate. When your car is idle, it is going 0 mpg. You aren't moving; you are simply burning fuel. When you are sitting at idle for long periods of time, it can actually do bad things for your car. Keep in mind that vehicles were designed to move, not to just sit and run. Often you might hear people say that turning off you car at idle won't actually save any gas. But with fuel injection technology, if you are going to have your car idling for more than 10 seconds, you will save fuel by turning it off. Depending on where you live, you might notice that someone is stopped at a light and their car is apparently inoperable. However, just before the light turns green, you'll suddenly hear them turning the ignition to put the car into 'drive' again. Again, this is not recommended if you live in a high-traffic area such as New York or Atlanta.

[ExtraSlow]

I'm no diesel genius, but I have heard of "wet stacking" issues when runnng in cool temps at low idle.

Anyone able to shed any light on that subject?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by copynpaste


No reason to ever let a car warm up for 5-10mins even in the winter.

Sure there is, comfort.

Another reason I don't drive my summer car in winter, I don't want to subject my nice car to such harshness as warming it up for 15 minutes idling in -30, just so I can have a nice warm ride home :D

[kevie88]

In lower than -20c temps I plug my car in for 1 hour before I leave home in the morning. It will start no problem without it, but it's so much easier on the engine and it warms up in about half the time.

[narou]

I carry my spare key and lock the door if im not gonna be gone for long. I miss having an auto-start.. But in the winter ill probably set my turbo timer to leave the car running more often.

[Tomaz]

I will idle out at my house (20km from other living creatures) or at work if it is cold out. Only for about 5-10 minutes while I go to the bathroom and make a coffee for the ride to work/home.

If there is no time for my usual warm-up, I will run the car for 30 seconds before moving, then keep from straining the car, usually shifting 2500 - 3000PRM.

I have a heated garage too that I should use from time to time...

[Proyecto2000]

Do any of you have cars with push start engines?

I have an IS and I cant lock the doors manually or with the remote while the car is idling in park.
Normally in the winter I would start my old car and lock the doors while it warmed up. Now I fear that some one is going to jump into my car try to steal and maybe make it a few meters from my house.