Friday, July 24, 2009

Stop idling your car


After doing a fair amount of research, it seems that if you are going to be idling for more than 10 seconds, turn off your car. Don't idle your car in the morning to 'warm' it up. Driving your car gently to warm it up not only reduces pollution but warms up your car much more quickly and it warms up the drivetrain, transmission, etc. which idling doesn't do. There is a myth left over from 40 years ago that your car would last longer if you idled and warmed it up before you drove. That was before modern lubricants and electric oil pumps. It is now known that you are actually wearing out your car by idling.

Start watching and you will see people on the ferry start their cars before the ferry even docks! People dropping kids off at school (which is surprising in itself) idling for long periods of time, you people with kids- they are the ones inheriting this planet. Let's give them something worth inheriting. Cars in drive throughs, banks, food, etc., turn off those cars.

I grew up on a farm and some of our tractors had to be started with a hand crank in the front of the tractor but turning a key on from inside a comfortable car can't be that difficult.

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