Why Idling Your Car Can Hurt Your Engine

{How much time do you waste at stop lights?}

If you’re in Sorrento Mesa, visit us for auto repair! We aren’t known as the best of the best in local auto detailing for nothing, we also have tips to keep your car engine healthy.

Did you know that one of the most harmful things you can do for your engine is to idle your car? For every two minutes a car spends idling, it uses around the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. The average person idles their car 5 to 10 minutes per day—and that amount grows during the wintertime. There is no need to “warm up” your car; all you have to do is drive it!

As a rule of thumb, if you are going to be parked for over 30 seconds, turn off your car’s engine. Excessive idling can damage engine components like cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems. Because an engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, fuel is actually only partially combusted when idling—which can lead to build up of fuel residues on the walls of your cylinders, damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.

Many people incorrectly assume that shutting off and subsequently restarting your engine will use more gas, but frequent restarting has little impact on the engine’s components, like the battery and starter motor.