In a car what's worse?

Question

I work with my car I need to turn on and off my car for about 6 hrs every day is better if I keep my car running for the 6 hrs straight, or turn it off and on several times

Answer 1

Turn it off. Leaving your car running will invite unnecessary problems. The amount of gas saved will more than cover the expense of replacing a starter if it should ever be needed.

I teach driver education and have my car running 10 - 12 hours per day, on regular days. Every driver starts the cars when they get in and in the 3 years I've had my current car I've never had a starter problem.

Regular maintanence, such as oil changes and checking your tire pressure will keep your car running smoothly.

Answer 2

This kind of question exists for many kinds of equipment, such as computers ... althought the expenses and hassles associated with the different parts & diagnosing which parts need attention can vary.

A friend of mine managed a network of 100 PCs in an office, where he managed which ones went in for repairs so he was able to decree:

Let's keep these 33 turned on all the time.
Let's have these 33 tuned off at end of day, turned on when people come in in morning.
Let's have these 33 turned off any time the worker is away from desk for more than 15-20 min ... turn off when go to lunch, but not when go to bathroom.

Now track 2 things.
(a) difference in repair & service expenses, frequency of need for repair support by the different 3 groups
(b) have the people jot down how long before they can actually start to do productive work when they get to their computers ... how long do you have to wait for it to do its thing after you power it on

He did the test over period of a year.
He found out that the computers with the lowest rate of need for service or repair were those turned on at start of work day, turned off at end of work day.

Those that were left running all the time, including weekends & those that got turned on & off several times a day, they tended to have parts wear out much more.

Now I have another source of info on the computer perspective.

I work for a factory. A normal person could have a heart attack looking at the size of the monthly electric bill. There was some gadget stuck on each of the electric lines running through the building to see how much electricity being used by different machines to identify which ones in most need of analysis to see if newer technology, more frequent maintenance could reduce the electric usage, then saw after the work on that when it in fact paid off.

We were spending close to $ 1,000.00 a month for electricity on all the computers in the building, so shutting them down over weekends if not needed, did make a difference.

Answer 3

It's commonly accepted that if your car will idle for more than 30 seconds it's better to shut it off and restart it. It will save on gas this way. I tend to believe long stretches of idling anything is harmful to it due to deposits of carbon being created and maybe raw fuel being deposited in the crankcase oil. In trucking with diesels it's been proved that idling takes it's toll on a truck's motor and shortens it's life so why would a car be any different?

Answer 4

Also, with the new digital fuel injection systems, you no longer waste fuel by turning it on and off like you used to do with cars with carburetors. All you are doing is polluting more and burning unnecessary gas.

Answer 5

Keep it of when possible to avoid contact with moving parts.

Answer 6

you will save gas in the long run by shutting it off but then again you use your starter more ......and your ignition switch ...your door locks ... .... you do tthe math id say shut it off

Answer 7

Keep it on! Turning it on and off wastes gas, and gas isn't cheap!

Answer 8

keep it running. if you keep on turning it on and off you'll burn out the engine

Answer 9

can you clarify this question please