shiden_kai

Ryan wrote:

> Years ago I read an article from some Q&A article in the newspaper.
> These two guys said it's better for a car if you just get in and go.
> For starters, the car will warm up quicker...plus there is something
> about that it's easier on the engine. For years I have always drove
> this way...get in and go. After about 1.5 to 2 miles, the car is at
> normal operating temperature. Well, a co-worker at work said that
> you actually want to leave them run to heat up the oil. His opinion
> (this was mostly for older cars) was that if you don't allow the oil
> to heat up, it might ruin the transmission.
>
> So I am asking folks here: My previous car did have some transmission
> problems, but that occurred after 100K miles. I know that the
> previous owner did let it sit and heat up. I didn't, and I now
> wonder if it eventually caused problems. This was in a V6 with 5w-30
> motor oil. I now have a 2000 Grand Am V6. This summer I switched
> from 5w-30 to 10w-30 Max Life oil since the engine has over 100K on
> it now. The car actually runs pretty well. I want to try to keep it
> as it will be paid off come February. So, to the folks here....what
> is the best way to drive a cold car in the winter? Let it warm up
> fully? Partially? Or just start driving and have it warm up
> quicker? Is the cold oil that big of a problem with the
> transmission? Granted I have not had a problem over the last 4
> years, however I am now using a heavy oil (first time using it this
> winter)...could that make a difference?
>
> PS: My owners manual says nothing about this in the book. At least
> not what I could find.

Just start the car and drive it. If it's really cold and you are parked
outside,
you will likely have to scrape the windows and get the ice off. This is
enough
time for the engine to run before you start off. As far as I'm concerned
and
by personal experience, there is no advantage to letting the car run for a
while.
This used to be the normal way of doing things when you had a carbureted
vehicle, back then...it made sense. You didn't want to drive right away as
the car would often stall. With fuel injected vehicles and the oil that we
are
using these days...it makes no difference whether you warm it up or just
drive it.

Ian