Leaving your car running unattended

[Strider]

Not sure if it's just because stolen vehicle posts have become more pervasive on social media, but it seems to be happening more frequently - cars stolen when left running.

Leaving the debate of idling your car to warm up aside - do you leave your car running unattended? If so, do you lock it?

On really cold days (-20 or colder), I start my car before I get my toddler dressed in her coat, boots, mitts, toque (3-5 minutes). I don't leave the key in the car, and I lock the door behind me - wondering now if this is enough, or if I should stop leaving the car running altogether.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I've never done this. Other than theft, the main reason is that EVERYTHING in your drive train needs to warm up, not just the engine. The best way to do that is drive it slowly and gently. If your engine is nice and toasty, you're far more likely to drive it as such, and that can be really hard on other components. I give it a couple minutes for oil pressure too before I start driving but that's about it.

In -20 or colder most cars take a long time actually warm up if they're just idling, certainly longer than I'd ever be willing to leave it unattended.

[A790]

Mom was warming up her truck behind the restaurant. Door locked, key in ignition.

Came out and the truck was gone. Recovered not far and (thankfully) undamaged, but still. I haven't done it since.

EDIT: On the last few keyless ignition cars I've owned, you're able to drive once the car is started whether the key is in the car or not...

[cet]

When I had my truck, it had remote start so I would start it from inside the house when I was getting ready to leave. The doors were always locked though. The car I have now doesn't have remote start. The most I will do is start it then get out to brush snow off or scrape the windows. I have heated seats and steering wheel that only take a couple of minutes to warm up so can never be bothered to head out and start the car and then go back inside.

[nickyh]

I would from time leave my car running while I took my daughter into her dayhome (car left on driveway), after all the reported car thefts i stopped doing this.

[Strider]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I've never done this. Other than theft, the main reason is that EVERYTHING in your drive train needs to warm up, not just the engine. The best way to do that is drive it slowly and gently. If your engine is nice and toasty, you're far more likely to drive it as such, and that can be really hard on other components. I give it a couple minutes for oil pressure too before I start driving but that's about it.

In -20 or colder most cars take a long time actually warm up if they're just idling, certainly longer than I'd ever be willing to leave it unattended.

Agree on all points. I never used to do it before I had a kid - now it's just a 5 minute head start on warming up the cabin (still cold for a little while, but a bit more bearable).

Originally posted by A790
Mom was warming up her truck behind the restaurant. Door locked, key in ignition.

Came out and the truck was gone. Recovered not far and (thankfully) undamaged, but still. I haven't done it since.

Any idea how they got in? I always figure nobody would break the window to take the car, but I suppose anything is possible.

[killramos]

On wifes SUV, Yes using remote starter with doors locked and no key in the car. Car turns off when you unlock the door.

On my car? I will occasionally let it run for a minute while I load the trunk up etc. Key stays with me and the car doesn't let you go into gear without it. This is a very rare situation and I seldom bother. I park in a garage anyways so... Have had a few comical times where wife has dropped me off, and I take the keys with me and she gets stuck sitting there car running and beeping at her.

In neither case would the car able to be stolen without a sophisticated enough thief that they would be able to steal the cars whether they are started or not. For those cases i just hope it never turns up

People who ever leave a car running, key in the ignition, locked or not, are a special kind of stupid in my books.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Winter driving makes me think about how nice it must be to lease your car, rather than own:

- No need to wash it regularly, or worry about salt, 3M film, rock chips, etc.
- Brush/scrape the snow off the whole car without worrying about putting swirls in the paint
- If you wash it, you can take it to a contact washer or hit it with the filthy broom/brushes at the coin washes without caring about the paint
- Drive it as hard as you want to warm it up when it's -25 out
- No need to plug it in to be nice to the engine
- Park wherever you want and not worry about small door dings

Not sure what would happen if a leased car was stolen while running using a dealer-installed keyless start system though. As long as insurance covered it there would be no real disadvantage to doing that either.

I absolutely baby my car at the moment, but the more I think about it, I'll probably lease my next one haha.

[spikerS]

Both the F-150 and Focus have remote start, and both require the key in the ignition to drive. I start them up all the time from the house, and the doors have to be locked, as hitting the door lock button first is the requirement in the button sequence to start them.

The F-150 will keep running until it times out, or you insert the key, but you can't even unlock the steering wheel without the key, let alone drive it. The focus will shut off as soon as you open the door.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Winter driving makes me think about how nice it must be to lease your car, rather than own:

....

I absolutely baby my car at the moment, but the more I think about it, I'll probably lease my next one haha.

With convenience pack, I sometimes leaving it running... just touch the door on the way out to lock it, key is in my pocket. If anyone wants something bad enough they will take it... nothing to lose sleep over. It's why we have insurance

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by killramos
One wifes SUV

And this folks is how 1 letter can make a big difference.


Does it count if I leave my truck idling unattended beside my neighbors idling cop car?

[botox]

Never leave cars unattended while running with keys inside. Both vehicles have remote start and we start them for a few minutes with doors locked before heading out. My MDX won't remote start if the doors are unlocked, they need to be locked

[Swank]

I go from garage to garage now, but prior to this I'd start the car and let it run while working on doing the proper amount of snow removal, window scraping etc from the car, then driving it slowly to let it warm up like Mtisu3000gt mentioned

[killramos]

Originally posted by NoPulp

Does it count if I leave my truck idling unattended beside my neighbors idling cop car?

Only if you think hes actually keeping an eye on your car

[Strider]

Originally posted by killramos
Key stays with me and the car doesn't let you go into gear without it.

People who ever leave a car running, key in the ignition, locked or not, are a special kind of stupid in my books.

Interesting ... pretty sure mine will still let me shift out of Park. Gonna have to go try it out tonight.


Looks like we have quite a few special stupids who answered the poll.

[TomcoPDR]

With the newer vehicle that comes with remote start, most I've experience require hitting LOCK before it'll remote start. So that's a simple one.

With the beater, I would carry those detachable keychains, start the vehicle but use the club to lock steering wheel, detach the ring with the club key along with factory door lock remote fob (pending on the beater, some let's you lock with fob with ignition started, some doesn't but then instead of having detachable fob, you just get a second set of keys)


I wouldn't completely leave keys/start vehicle unattended without some sort of safe guard.

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by killramos
Only if you think hes actually keeping an eye on your car

lol I rarely do it though.

I don't understand people that leave their vehicles running in public areas like restaurants, shopping or work. No way!

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Winter driving makes me think about how nice it must be to lease your car, rather than own:

I absolutely baby my car at the moment, but the more I think about it, I'll probably lease my next one haha.

Personally I take care of leases and cars I own the same way. Better shape means it's more likely you will be able to sell it and recover some money.

Tundra has a remote start that's used every day now, Odyssey is finally getting one soon too.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by ercchry




With convenience pack, I sometimes leaving it running... just touch the door on the way out to lock it, key is in my pocket. If anyone wants something bad enough they will take it... nothing to lose sleep over. It's why we have insurance

BAG IT WELL, BAG IT HARD.


» Click image for larger version

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Aleks


Personally I take care of leases and cars I own the same way. Better shape means it's more likely you will be able to sell it and recover some money.

If that's your end game, and you're positive you can make a significant sum of money by buying it out & selling private vs giving it back to the dealer, then that certainly makes sense. 2-4 years of high-effort care for $1000 or something though, no way (IMHO). It's also why I would never in a million years buy a lease-back. Even so, chances are after 4 years, the buyer isn't going to even notice swirl marks in the paint, or know about how badly it was abused in winter months.

Not having to worry about any vehicle care at all beyond basic maintenance and getting to look forward to a new car every 2-4 years seems like the dream, so long as you're OK with always having a car payment of course. I'll be giving it some serious thought when it's time for a new car.