{moved from Technical Matters}
Just wanted a bit of advice regarding short car journeys in the light of many peoples comments regarding car engines never warming up, always on choke etc.
I've recently changed jobs and now work about mile and a half from home so need to drive this sort of distance 6 days a week.
My wife just uses her car to go the shops, the school and friends (about a mile if that)
Apart from this we don't use the cars much. Just for holidays and the odd trip.
How much damage is really done when using vehicles for the above sort of distances on a regular basis????
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Well, it's mainly things that get into the oil that are the problem. Namely water vapour, petrol that doesn't get combusted, and other combustion by-products. Just make sure you give the cars regular oil changes and they'll be alright: Six months or 6000 miles (I doubt the latter applies to you) is recommended.
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There's also the damage to the exhaust system to consider. It won't get hot enough to evaporate the condensation from it so it will rust very quickly.
Buy a bicycle, you'll get fitter, it won't take noticably longer, you'll save a fortune, etc
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I read often, only post occasionally
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As you appear to be in a no win situation..Would suggest engine is warmed up before you leave. Ie temp guage reads normal..Bearing in mind this will mean starting and running for a while before you move..Plus oil temp wont be up to proper temp..May be better of using as normal.But service more regularly..Just a thought.But bear in mind cold engines wear greater than hot ones.
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Steve
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If you don't need two cars I'd seriously consider the bicycle option. Whilst a poor student on work placement I lived 3 miles from my place of work and bought a bike to get me through the 12 months placement. You mention the weather as a disincentive, but I don't remember it raining very often when I was actually on the bike. Why not take a note of the weather when you leave home and drive back from work to see how often it does actually rain?
We currently have two cars, but the wife is considering getting rid of hers as she is now 1.5 miles from work. I'll be able to drop her off as I pass her place of work, or she can get the bus or train, but if it was me needing to travel 1.5 miles I'd be back in the saddle.
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I read somewhere, that if you travel (by car or bike!) for 30 mins am and 30 mins pm, and stick to the same timeslots each day, then on average you'll only get rained on 11 times a year. I presume the researcher didn't live in the NW.
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Ooops, sorry. I deleted a whole bunch of lifestyle advice. I do hope that doesn't negatively impact the discussion concerning the effect of short journeys on cars.
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My car is used like this during the winter. Just over a year ago garage pointed out that the engine was carbonised. I switched to Supermax petrol and after a few weeks I noticed a distinct improvement in performance. Engine now runs like a sewing machine. I have a slight improvement in MPG but not enough to offset extra cost; the performance improvement is worth that.
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Why not alter your route so that the needle of the temperature guage is fully activated before you park up. Would minimise some damage?
DVD
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We have just sold a 13 year old Honda Civic with 25,000 miles on. Sold to a friend who loves it and there are no problems at all despite the obvious few and short journeys it did.
Just service it regularly and be prepared for slightly higher expediture regarding batteries and exhausts.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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I would have thought that waiting for the needle to get to "normal" by driving around would do more harm than good. That isn't long enough for the nasties in the oil to evaporate, plus you're putting extra thermal fatigue on the engine by warming it from cold to normal temperature, which may lead to an earlier head gasket failure (well, as early as any other car which gets from cold to normal temperature in a journey).
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lol @ mark
was that TIC or not?
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A lot of short journeys and cold starts are tough on the oil.
You need to consider a lower viscosity for better cold start protection as the majority of the engine wear occurs on cold start. A lighter "W" rated oil such as 0w or 5w gives more instant flow when you turn the key and protects better.
The best option is something like a 5w-40 fully synthetic, a bit more expensive but worth paying for.
Cheers
Simon
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