Good or bad?
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4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2015
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Good or bad?
I live in an area where the weather is not good for driving my car in Jan and Feb. I've gotten into the habit of starting the car at least once a week and rolling it out of the garage when can. Do you think this is ok or should I just put the battery tender on it and forget starting it up weekly?
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Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Usually wait for 40+ degree day and run it for time of the remote starter and then take it down driveway and back (about 100 ft). Car is garage kept and never gets below 55 degrees. Think I will just plug it in and leave it till spring. Thanks for everyone's advice!
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,024
Likes: 12,406
From: NE South Carolina
That is what I do with my Street Rod between Show seasons. No good to have idle letting a rich mixture dump water into the crackcase as combustion products pass thru the rings with the larger clearances when cold. Must drive enough to have the oil get hot for sufficient time to reduce it.Fortunately in Eastern SC can use my Vette almost every winter day. It is my DD.
Last edited by JerryU; Feb 8, 2016 at 10:29 AM.
CF Senior Member
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 686
Likes: 119
From: Chicago IL
2. Contaminants build up in oil and cooling system and never get "burned off".
3. Battery discharge from starting doesn't fully recover.
4. Moisture and other corrosive containments in exhaust system don't get "burned off".
In short, there aren't any benefits of starting and running the car for a short period of time but there are numerous negatives of doing so.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 730
Likes: 45
From: kansas city mo.
First I would like to say I do not know more then the others with starting or charging. On my c5 that I put 180,000+ miles on I would start it at least 1 time a week. I would also let it run until the water and oil temp. got up to temp. When the roads were clear I would take it out in 0 temp and go to work 30 miles a way. I am doing the same with the c7 and hope it works out the same way as my c5.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,941
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From: Northern Virginia
Not idled for 20 minutes, but driven for at least 20 minutes. If you're going to start it, you want to drive it until everything is up to normal operating temps.