Is it okay to idle the car in place for a long time?
3 Answers
Long-term idling in place is not recommended. Here is more information about idling in place: 1. Reasons: Long-term idling in place affects the car's engine, as it can lead to an increase in carbon deposits inside the engine. 2. Correct approach: After starting the engine, you can engage the gear and drive for a while, which is beneficial for the car's engine, transmission, battery, and tires. 3. Proper warm-up method: Drive at low speeds. After idling in place for half a minute to one minute, when the RPM stabilizes, you can engage the gear and start driving. Keep the RPM below 2000, shift gears gently, and accelerate smoothly. This is the most standard and correct warm-up method, which is energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and reduces carbon deposits.
Long idling is indeed not good. My family car had this issue before. Once when I was on a business trip, I left the car idling in the garage for almost an hour. Later during maintenance, the mechanic said there was particularly noticeable carbon buildup in the engine. During idling, combustion is incomplete, and gasoline can't be fully burned, leaving residues sticking to the pistons and fuel injectors. Over time, this leads to reduced power. Moreover, modern cars are all fuel-injected and don't require warming up for several minutes like older cars did. I usually keep idling time under five minutes when waiting for someone, turning off the engine if it exceeds that time. This saves fuel and protects the engine. Additionally, prolonged low-speed operation of the air conditioning compressor can easily cause malfunctions. Last summer, a friend's car cost over 800 yuan to repair because of this issue.
I've observed my own car, and idling for half an hour consumes almost as much fuel as driving ten kilometers in urban traffic, which is quite wasteful. One time when picking up my child from school, I was stuck at the school gate with the air conditioning on and idled for forty-five minutes—the fuel gauge needle visibly dropped. The most troublesome part is the impact on the catalytic converter; when the temperature isn't high enough, the efficiency of pollutant treatment is low, and the exhaust fumes smell particularly strong. I usually play music to remind myself to turn off the engine or set a phone alarm. Recently, I've found that the auto start-stop feature is actually quite good—it automatically shuts off the engine if the car is stationary for more than 30 seconds.
