Warm up for short drives?

Question

If I am going out of town, I just start the car and then drive off with very little warm up; just let it run 15-20 seconds to let the oil reach the valves and go on down the road without exceeding maybe 2,800-3,000 RPM until the engine reaches normal operating temperature.

My problem is, I live 1.3 miles from work. Even in the summer time, the temperature needle has barely nudged up off the pin by the time I arrive. I drive home at lunch time, back again and then home at the end of the day. I do this 4 days a week.

I will generally drive somewhere else 2-3 times a week, meaning I drive long enough to at least warm up the engine a couple of times and I probably drive at least 15-20-30 miles out of town another time.

I am concerned about the long-term impact of driving so much without warming up the engine. Am I doing any harm? Is there any way to prevent this or at least minimize the impact of this type of driving?

I am driving a 2007 Subaru with a 6-cylinder engine.

I appreciate the suggestions to walk or ride a bike. I used to do that until I broke both ankles skydiving. And, I work close to people (very close) and I can't get stinky and sweaty or they would not be very happy about it.

Thanks to all of my answerers, so far. Thanks especially to the regulars for contributing.

Keep the answers coming!

There are 6 or 7 great answers - all "Best" as far as I am concerned, because they told me how to deal with my problem.

I know this is a cop-out and I hate to do it, but I can't choose a "best" answer from among you. I am going to just let the question expire and see how the general public rewards you with the points.

Answer 1

Yes, this does hurt your car. However, car still will serve you for years to come, and most probably it would be the next owner who will have to deal with the damage inflicted by your driving schedule.
Being generally cautious towards any kind of waste, I would consider using a bike or just walking in your situation.

Answer 2

What kind of oil do you use? I would recommend 5w-30. If you let it warm up for 20-30 seconds then that's okay. I would be more concerned with the battery running down because the car doesn't run long enough for the alternator to charge up the battery. as long as you go for a 30 minute drive at least once a week it should be okay, after all it's an H-6 engine.

Answer 3

Yes, it will cause damage over time. Water is created as a byproduct of the combustion process at almost a 1:1 ratio for the fuel burned. Naturally some of this makes its way past the rings and into the oil where it becomes mildly acidic and increases bearing wear. This is the reason cars run at or near the boiling point of water, and also why all modern cars have a PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system. You should find a way to, at the very least bi-weekly, get the car up to full operating temperature and do some part throttle driving.

Answer 4

i own a repair shop,and i will tell you why this is an important thing to do ,you need to allow the transmission fluid to circulate really good ,at least for a minute or two ,i get them in the shop,and the long term damage can be anything from transmission failure to slight knocks ,and even excessive bearing wear in the engine,in short it will take away from the life of the engine,it wont show up now but it will result in future problems,at least give it two minutes to get everything circulating really good in it,and maybe a few years down the line you wont have any problems from it,i see a lot of them come in the shop with damage because of this,and the owners blame it on the make of the car,its not the vehicle but the driver 90 % of the time,be kind to it let it warm a little bit, imagine if someone jerks you strait out of bed and through you out side instantly,how would you feel,maybe not a good comparison,but the point is you need time to get woke up and so does your car,good luck,i hope this helps.

Answer 5

Depending on the outside temp your doing just fine. Most vehicles today are built for short trip operation. Compliance with manufactures oil ratings will protect you and your warranty. i.e., 5-30 or 10-30 oil. What I would be more concerned with is the condensation and carbon build-up you would have on your spark plugs. Put a good octane booster in your tank and plan on changing the plugs about every 20,000 miles. What would really help would be to plan a 100 mile trip once a month (non-stop) to burn off excessive gasses in the cylinders and push the oil killing gasses, carbons and condensation out of the oil pan and keep tarnish from building in the transmission and cooling lines to the radiator.

Answer 6

Yes. The preceding answer is correct.

The problem is that water condensation forms inside your engine just like it does on your windows overnight and it mixes with your oil and creates sludge.

The engine heat causes a chemical reaction between the sludge and other contaminates from the combustion process and creates acid.

Acid eats away at the metal tolerances that are the most critical to the continued life of your engine.

Look up a Frantz Oil Cleaner dealer on line. Buy a Frantz Oil Cleaner. The filter element in the Frantz removes water from the oil (up to 8 oz!).

You'll need to change the filter element about every 1,000 miles. I change mine once a month.

It also removes any solid contaminates down to the the size of cigarette smoke particles.

The beauty of the Frantz Oil Cleaner is that you don't need to change your oil anymore because it takes out the water and the dirt. It actually "cleans" the oil, (thus the name).

I haven't changed oil in my '66 Chevy since I bought it 21 years ago and after a quarter million miles, it still doesn't burn any oil. My commute to work is 2 miles.
.

Answer 7

Modern engines are so efficient these days. They hardly generate an extra calorie of energy as waste heat. Idling your engine anymore than 30 seconds prior to driving is a waste of fuel (unless it's damn cold). I'm glad to hear that you DO drive it more, a few times a week. So far, you are doing all the right things! Multiple short trips increase the amount of crud that builds up in your engines oil, however. So change your oil frequently!

Answer 8

As long as you run the motor for 20-30 minutes at operating temp least once a month to evaporate the moisture in the crankcase and exhaust, you will be fine.

If you're really worried about it, switch oil changes to once every three months instead of mileage-based intervals. This will keep sulfuric acid from building up in your oil from the moisture.

Answer 9

You might consider riding a bicycle on nice days, it would only take maybe 5-6 minutes one way.

Answer 10

No cars made now do not need to warm up.....Be sure to change the oil at 3000 miles