Is it necessary to warm up the car before starting?
3 Answers
It is not necessary to warm up the car before starting, but from the perspective of car maintenance and extending the car's lifespan, appropriate warming up is beneficial. The idling time during warm-up should not be too long. The important part of warming up is the slow driving after idling, because the engine is difficult to reach normal operating temperature during idling, and the oil in parts such as the transmission can only be fully lubricated when the car is moving. When a car is parked for a long time, various oils (such as engine oil, transmission gear oil, etc.) flow to the oil pan due to the Earth's gravity. At this time, if you drive directly, the car parts will wear more severely because they are not fully lubricated.
I remember in the old days when driving older cars, we had to warm up the engine for several minutes to let it heat up because the old-style engine oil had higher viscosity, and without preheating, parts would wear out faster. However, modern cars use full synthetic oil, which allows the oil pump to lubricate quickly upon startup. Especially with gasoline cars' efficient electronic systems, you can shift gears and drive off slowly just seconds after starting. In winter, waiting a bit for the coolant temperature to rise slightly is safer, but idling for long periods to warm up the car actually wastes fuel and increases exhaust emissions. Driving gently for the first few minutes to let the engine warm up naturally is better. If you use synthetic oil and maintain your car regularly, there's no need to worry about this issue at all. With advancements in automotive technology, many tedious habits have been eliminated, and engine lifespan has been extended—how convenient is that!
When commuting in my car, I found there's really no need to warm it up specially. Just start the engine and drive off at low speed, and the engine will normalize in a minute or two. This saves time, especially in traffic jams, while also reducing fuel consumption and pollution. With mostly short trips in the city, idling only wastes more fuel. New cars have optimized cold-start systems with faster lubrication and fewer malfunctions. Developing a habit of gentle driving after starting is much better than idling foolishly. Regularly checking the oil condition is key—don't let aged oil affect performance. In short, with the fast pace of modern life, this old practice should have been phased out long ago.
