[Closed] Leave your car warming up while you go back in the house?

Ad it's illegal to leave a car running unattended on a public highway.

I'm going to say stealing a car is illegaler

De-icing takes a minute or two. De-misting can take a whole lot longer, especially if it's been snowing recently and the inside of the car is (despite your best efforts) damp. It's been suggested that a sick filled with cat litter would help dry the car out.

Agreed you often see people driving around with their windows misted up or even wet inside because they don't understand how to use the heating and ventilation. The fan should be permanently on 1 so as to push fresh dry air into the car; I once got a freezing cold ride with a University professor who didn't understand this and kept leaning forward to clear a hole with his driving glove. Idiot.

Can they not be locked with spare keys?

The i40 I had couldn't - it wouldn't let you lock the car from outside if it detected a key inside.

Open garage door.
Drive car out.
Close garage door.
Turn around to find car has been pinched while I was closing the garage door
[s]Doddle[/s]
Crap 🙁

Heated screens defo FTW.

@nickc - you aren't stealing it, merely "relocating" it. Stealing is technically "taking property with intent to deprive ownership". OK, you might be doing that but in this instance we are discussing handing a lesson to those who break rule #1.

Yak - Member

It's horrible walking kids to school past cars 'warming up'

Well you should drive them, like a proper parent. What are you, some sort of communist?

Doesn't take long to scrape a car, not sure why that's a big fuss. Demisting can be a pain especially for a mountain biking car that's always getting filled with mud and wet, I got 2 of those big dehumidifyer bag things and they get rotated in and out every couple fo days, that made it a lot better.

i passed someone a while back leaning out the window and attempting to scrape ice off the windscreen. whilst driving....

I just love it when people pour water over their windscreens, which then freezes on the pavement or road

I'm more appalled they allow poor people who can't afford their own drive to own a car, you should think yourselves lucky.

My solution is to leave the car on the drive all day. When I get home from work it's usually defrosted, but it doesn't matter cos I don't need to use it anyway. Bike stays in the front room, so doesn't freeze 🙂

Turn around to find car has been pinched while I was closing the garage door

Without the keys?
Which I have in my hand because I need them to lock the garage door?
Unlikely.

martinhutch - Member
For a while I was using one of those plastic store discount cards to scrape the windscreen. Trouble is I only got 10% off.
Well I appreciated it, even if no-one else did.

Cheers dude!

Perchy outs himself as having a two garages both big enough to be used for their intended purpose.

Nothing make me chuckle more than driving round a new build estate where every house has an integral "garage" which, even if it hadn't been poorly converted to a "playroom", is so full of stuff that you couldn't put a car in it if you tried.
If you did actually try you'd be hugely disappointed to discover that the internal dimensions would only allow you to store a 1978 Mini in it and even then you'd need to climb out of the window.

Bloody peasants and their sub-optimal dwells!

Yak - Member

Just scrape the thing, get in and go.

With all of the cars I've owned, the issue has never been the scraping but the de-misting.
It is even worse with diesel engines.

My old Fiesta, my Wife's Ka and our current family wagon, the C3 Picasso are all petrol & the screen will de-mist pretty quickly.

But the car I use to commute in, takes ages to de-mist the screen. Sometimes you think it's clear & then as soon as you drive off it mist up, leaving you having to pull over & then wait longer for it to clear again.

I bought one of those de-mister bags from Amazon & leave that on the dashboard when I get out of the car in the evening. It definitely helps.
I have considered getting a hot water bottle & sticking it on the dash while getting all my stuff together. as well. I might just try that, actually.

But yes, people who leave their cars unattended with the ignition on are idiots.....

wwaswas

I was surprised by how little running the "warm up" cycle takes out of the battery.

The drain is relatively low for the car to become defrosted, only takes about 10 minutes, doesn't really bite into the driving range too much.

Luckily I didn't have to drive anywhere this morning as I suspect the ice would have been on the inside too as I had to clean up my daughter poo explosion from the car the other day.
My wife has a ford with the heater windscreen, I want. Not so much for the ice but demisting which is much more of an issue.

By the time you've scraped the ice off, the windows will be demisted anyway? Heated rear window sorts that, winding the side windows down then up again sorts those, wiping the windscreen with a sponge sorts that.

I use a more extreme version of DezB's method, where I don't have a driving licence or a car.

Was really smug in the new vw van a month or so ago.
Jumped in hit the windscreen demist button, put the side mirrors to demist, everything cleared and I drove away, right to the first junction where I could see neither left nor right. Jumped out and scraped the side windows feeling like a twonk. (there was enough ice to prevent the windows opening, thought I'd burnt out the window motor are one point)

My ex AA T5 had the handy button that allowed the engine to run without the keys in, but cut it when a gear was engaged.

Perchy outs himself as having a two garages both big enough to be used for their intended purpose.

[img] [/img]

But the car I use to commute in, takes ages to de-mist the screen.

Might be worth checking the pollen/cabin air filter for moisture or water leak?

nobeer is correct ^^^

I despise the poor. 😉

😆

Was in a hotel recently. Clearing the windscreen before breakfast. Guy next to me starts his car and walked back in (BMW M3, so a hell of a lot of cash to lose). Ended up sitting next to him at breakfast.

Thought about moving his car to a difference space, but being British, I just mentally told him off.

it fills the air with fumes

It fills the air with condensing water vapour. What you can't see won't hurt you, right?

Guy next to me starts his car and walked back in (BMW M3, so a hell of a lot of cash to lose). Ended up sitting next to him at breakfast.

Thought about moving his car to a difference space, but being British, I just mentally told him off.

it will be keyless and would be sitting running, locked...

Antisocial stupidity tax, at least the owner should be looking out of the kitchen window whilst "hoodyboy" slams it in reverse.

Scraper & de-icer, 5mins.

You could have a fag whilst doing it.

miketually - Member

By the time you've scraped the ice off, the windows will be demisted anyway?

Not in my experience. It's always the windscreen that just takes ages to get clear. You can wipe it as well, but it just re-mists....
Sometimes having the blower going full pelt over it seems to make it worse.

HoratioHufnagel - Member

Might be worth checking the pollen/cabin air filter for moisture or water leak?

I don't think it's that; I think it's just the way it is. But I'll get it checked at the next service, which isn't too far away...

3 pages and I don't believe anyone's mentioned heated seats to make everything extra toasty? Poor show

been done and on an electric car to boot

miketually - Member
By the time you've scraped the ice off, the windows will be demisted anyway?

Leaving your car unattended with the engine running is just stupid. I use the ford quick clear windscreen, so turn engine on, switch on heated windscreen, scrape off side windows (usually only have to do one side as the other is close enough to a row of big bushes so ice doesn't form), by the time I've scraped side windows the windscreen is clear and so you drive off.

If you do want to run your car unattended on the drive why not use the spare keys? set car off running, close door, lock door with first set of keys in the ignition. When you return to your car use second set of keys to unlock door. It really doesn't take a lot of brain power to think of these things.

It can't be illegal to leave your car running unattended anyway - the top of the range cars these days come with apps for you to remotely start your car so its warm in the winter or cool in the summer due to a/c before you get to it. I don't believe the nonsense about warming your car up is bad for the engine. It might be in theory, but how many cars actually break down as a result? It used to be said it was bad for your engine to do short journey's and a lot of starting up of the engine due to oil drain down into the sump, but now we have stop/start with no apparent detriment to engine reliability or longevity.

[i]now we have stop/start with no apparent detriment to engine reliability or longevity[/i]

think they use electric oil pumps to keep the flow going.

[i] I don't believe the nonsense about warming your car up is bad for the engine[/i]

I Think it's things like gearboxes, brakes and hubs etc - people believe the 'car' is warm so don't limit revs, control braking etc for the first few miles

[i]Leaving your car unattended with the engine running is just stupid[/i]

I think I could leave mine running on my drive all day and it'd still be there when I got home. Bit like when I left a bike leaning against the garage all night..
Bloke in the next road has some silly looking Mitsubishi Evo thing. He starts it up and leaves it running even when it's not frosty - so loud! thing sounds like a massive fart brrrrrrmmmmmmmmrrrmmmm shakes every house in the street. Irritating twonk. Be funny if someone drove off in that. Proper joyride.

It can't be illegal to leave your car running unattended anyway

It isn't if it's on your drive. It's illegal to do it on the public highway.

set car off running, close door, lock door with first set of keys in the ignition

Some central locking systems won't let you do this.

I don't believe the nonsense about warming your car up is bad for the engine. It might be in theory, but how many cars actually break down as a result?

It probably comes from advice/bro-science/knowledge that gets touted about ex police cars and the like which will have sat idling with the engine running for long periods of time leading to high engine temps cooking the oil.

Warming the car up on the driveway is not the same. There are plenty of older cars and more recent performance cars that really benefit from warming up before driving and from a mechanical sympathy pov you should wait till they are fully up to temp before using the full rev range.
So it really varies quite a lot.

DezB
Bloke in the next road has some silly looking Mitsubishi Evo thing. He starts it up and leaves it running even when it's not frosty - so loud! thing sounds like a massive fart brrrrrrmmmmmmmmrrrmmmm shakes every house in the street. Irritating twonk.

And that's exactly what I used to do in my GT-B for reasons I just mentioned. 3" stainless exhaust, cold start...sounded awesome. I know it pissed my neighbours off too, so all the more enjoyable to do it. The evo probably has a tubro timer which allows you to remove the key, lock the car and it'll shut down inside a pre determined timescale.

It can't be illegal to leave your car running unattended anyway

Get up, fill one or two empty plastic bottles with hot water, put inside the car on the dash, go back inside and have breakfast.
No ice when you come to leave.

keyless car. I can start car and keep key in pocket, go back in house. Cant drive car away unless key is in the passenger compartment, does not work if key in boot.

witchcraft I tell theee

You can in a BMW. I drove one several miles away from an RTC to go and see some witnesses. It let me drive it without the key, but obviously wouldn't restart when I tried to go back again. The chap with the key in his pocket had to come and rescue me 🙂

EDIT Actually, having said that, maybe it had some sort of run lock system fitted that meant it could be left running while my mate was walking about with the key in his pocket, so perhaps a normal one wouldn't.

If people didn't insist on buying stupid diesel cars to do the 3-mile school run round trip this wouldn't be an issue. My (petrol) abarth chuffs out warm air within about two minutes of starting up, whereas our (diesel) yeti takes about 10 miles to do the same. Even then, the oil won't be anywhere near up to temp.

@jimjam, that's true for much older engines, particularly ones fitted with carbs, but modern petrol engines of any specific output (granted, a race engine is different) just need driving off as soon as they’re started, albeit with reduced throttle input.

The only engine I'll warm up before moving off is the KTM’s as, it being carb fed, it's an absolute git to ride with the choke engaged.

The ford screen is the best invention ever.
Not only gets rid of ice but the fog inside.

I was absolutely flummoxed at how these worked, It just seemed like magic. In the end i bought a Ford, just to see it in action. But at soon as i switched it on it was all demystified.

It probably comes from advice/bro-science/knowledge that gets touted about ex police cars and the like which will have sat idling with the engine running for long periods of time leading to high engine temps cooking the oil.

I think it's cold starts that cause most engine wear. Hence police cars used 24/7 which rarely start from cold can be driven hard at high revs, or idled for hours and still do 200'000 miles.

As for warming up - I tend to let my car idle for a couple of minutes before driving off from a cold start, regardless of weather. Allowing the oil to circulate before loading the engine may do some good. Won't do any harm anyway.

hot_fiat - Member

The only engine I'll warm up before moving off is the KTM’s as, it being carb fed, it's an absolute git to ride with the choke engaged.

Hah. I'd forgotten about that- approach junction, close throttle, await engine braking, aaaargh the choke's still on and the bike's idling at 3000rpm and wants to keep going at 30mph 😆 Obviously the only vehicle I've ever wanted to warm up before using, was also the loudest one (and the one most temperamental about cold starting, had the smallest battery...). OTOH, no demisting.

[i]as i switched it on it was all demystified. [/i]

[img] [/img]

That guy who leaves the Evo running every morning.... have you got an address? 😀

Well i'll be the only one to admit that I do it, but i drive a £500 Astra Estate, which takes ages to de-mist and it is parked on my drive locked.

But i live in a rural village where i know everyone on my road, most people leave house unlocked let alone car. I go outside start my car, place my daughter school bags and my work bag in. Then go back in get my daughters coat and hat on then go back out.

So i drive a pretty worthless car and temperatures have been -5 a few times in last few weeks, so i want my daughter to be climbing into a warm car where dad can actually see out of the windscreen. I'd rather the small risk of it being nicked instead of being one of the many fools i see driving looking out of a 5" by 5" square in windscreen, we have no streetlights or cats eyes here, plus junctions have high hedges, so i need full 360 view of the world from car.

I made this mistake a few years ago with a company Passat. Was in and out of the house loading up sons gear for a ski trip with engine left running. Came out to see car attempting to be driven off, I thought wtf is son doing trying to drive the car off, then he steps out from behind me and asks whats going on? At this point the penny drops and I leg it to stand in front of the car to block the thief. He couldn't figure out the push button handbrake (bit unique back then) otherwise car would have gone and I would have had to re-imburse my employer. Lesson learned.