How bad is it to cold start a car a couple times a day then shut it off immediately after?

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Plutonium239Mixer@reddit

It's not only bad for the engine, its bad for the battery.

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set-monkey@reddit

Especially bad for GDI engines with gas dilution issues. So bad, I would NEVER buy an ultra-low milage GDI car.

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AdPrud@reddit

That’s why you no longer hear the “grandma only took this car a mile down the road to church every Sunday” being cited as a positive for a car.

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lo_mur@reddit

I thought people had stopped putting that because nobody believes anybody else anyway

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Probably that too. And also people in general being more aware of the damage that happens to cars if they just sit around. You’d think an old car with 5k miles is basically brand new except the paint is maybe faded but that car can be in pretty rough shape instead.

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mckenzie_keith@reddit

It's bad but if you don't want to go crazy, don't worry about it. There is really nothing you can do about it. Every second the car spends running below operating temperature hurts it a little bit. Using the lowest recommended viscosity fuel will probably help.

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Ragnarok112277@reddit

Bad

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DookieMcDookface@reddit

If you can, I’d probably let it run for a bit to get it to temp to burn off any condensation in the system. Ideally get it to normal operating temp and then shut it off.

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lo_mur@reddit

Just idling it until it’s all the way at operating temp isn’t exactly ideal either, especially if buddy’s in a cold climate

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FarberBarber@reddit

Yep I have a similar situation as OP and this is what I’ve done for years

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JSTootell@reddit

I would shorten the oil change interval to about half the recommended. This is the worst thing you can do for oil life. The wear and tear on the rest of the engine is higher than average, but nothing I would be concerned about, as long as you change the oil more often.

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Traditional-Event494@reddit

Bad

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aladdyn2@reddit

If you run the car long enough to get some condensation in the exhaust but not long enough that the exhaust gets hot enough to evaporate the condensation, the exhaust will rust and rot out pretty quickly.

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mrkprsn@reddit

Not good at all. You can hydro lock your engine.

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Substantial_Team6751@reddit

Life is too short to worry about things like this.

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z44212@reddit

Running cold will greatly reduce the oil life, due to the added introduction of gasoline and water (condensate). What was once a 5000 mile oil life may be only a thousand miles or so.

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owensurfer@reddit

This is the best answer ^. Cold starts without warm add fuel and water to the oil. This is normal but an ideal drive cycle would include a full warm up. Once at operating temp the fuel and water boil off and are consumed by the PCV system. Best advice I can give is be sure to fully warm the engine every few days and change your oil more frequently.

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robindawilliams@reddit

If this was the only way these cars were driven? Kind of terrible for the cars. Because you are probably bringing them to temp and driving at least a couple times a week, it's fine. Lots of studies have shown that car engines wear out faster in places where people do almost exclusively shorter distance driving (drive 4 minutes down the road and turn it off, then drive that short distance back again) because the engine essentially does most of its accumulated miles of driving having never reached operating temperature. By total miles and hours, 15 second/20ft relocations are going to be tiny drops in the bucket compared to a 30 minute drive at 60mph so you're fine.

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New_Breadfruit8692@reddit

This is the reason why I either do not check my mail 4 blocks from my own address till the next day or when I am going out for other reasons, because while I am in Florida and the car is garage kept, weather is not usually an issue, but the wear that happens in that first minute before oil has had a chance to get on all surfaces with friction it collectively is probably as much wear as the rest of the time I am driving it. I may well go for a drive just to get it up to operating temp and baby it in residential streets till it is up to temp. Getting out of my HOA to the highway usually is enough to nearly get it there. Meanwhile no hard accelerating, staying under 40. Once out on the highway, well it is a BMW and they have performance, like to run. So I run it.

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robindawilliams@reddit

It can get down to -40 in my area (eh?), and you have no idea the number of guys who hard start their diesel trucks every morning and immediately floor it to the nearest highway to drive 60mph with the turbo at full speed only to pull into some office maybe 10-15 minutes down the road. It's probably the fastest way to warm it up, but god damn, those first moments are probably a lot of rawdogging mechanical parts with low oil pressure.

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Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

I work nights so when I get home around 5am, it has enough time to get completely cold just as it starts getting shuffled around and cold started alot. Glad to know it isnt actually that bad, I appreciate you!

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1234-for-me@reddit

You could always move the other car, then park you car at 5 am.

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gmehodler42069741LFG@reddit

Terrible. Most damage done on cold starts.

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FLG_CFC@reddit

80% of engine wear happens during the warm-up phase. You're significantly shortening your engine life by doing this.

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Danielle_is_the_hole@reddit

Your car wont last another year

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TrvthReloaded@reddit

Couldn’t you just plug it in when it’s cold? Like obviously a gas car doesn’t need to be heated at 30° f but could you trick the into engine not turning on by using a block heater? I’m not sure how hybrids work but is that option?

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Corgon@reddit

Most of your engine wear happens while warming up

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jaqattack02@reddit

Couldn't you just keep yours parked closest to the house so it doesn't have to be moved for others and just have them move for you?

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knsaber@reddit

Maybe plan ahead, when you’ve driven home your engine is perfectly toasty. Pull up to your house and move the other hybrids to the front and pull your ICE inside so you don’t have to move it later. As you said, it doesn’t affect the hybrids a you’ve eliminated the need for you to start the car later until you need to leave. It’s a strategic game I play often and you’ll have to as well since you care about your car.

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LimaBikercat@reddit

Can you get something like a caravan mover to shove the cars around without starting them?

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yeeting_my_meat69@reddit

Not bad if the car is a daily driver and your commute is long enough to get the car to operating temp. I’d be more concerned about your battery than the motor. A newer battery will be fine but one nearing EoL will have its death accelerated.

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Cornelius-Figgle@reddit

The engine is made to be started, stop overthinking it.

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Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

Well yeah but 75-90% of engine wear happens during startup from metal to metal contact because the oil is cold, but in fairness, i dont really know how actually "bad" it is, hence why I was asking 😭

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spiritual_stoner@reddit

don’t listen to cornelius, ur right most of the wear comes from start up alone. Its better to go on a short drive than starting it to shut it off immediately after

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Glum-Advisor5772@reddit

Congrats on owning a 450h

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Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

I bought it in very clean condition with only 134k miles for barely 7k. I literally couldnt imagine owning a better car in this price range. Love my 450h.

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livingoutloud373@reddit

Condensation in oil forming, and having the engine not enough to evaporate it. Are the car plug in? Cause it will cause some additional wear on starter and battery. Frankly not great, you could mitigate it somehow by changing oil more often. Look for the forbidden milkshake.

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How bad is it to cold start a car a couple times a day then shut it off immediately after?

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37 Comments

Plutonium239Mixer@reddit

set-monkey@reddit

AdPrud@reddit

lo_mur@reddit

AdPrud@reddit

mckenzie_keith@reddit

Ragnarok112277@reddit

DookieMcDookface@reddit

lo_mur@reddit

FarberBarber@reddit

JSTootell@reddit

Traditional-Event494@reddit

aladdyn2@reddit

mrkprsn@reddit

Substantial_Team6751@reddit

z44212@reddit

owensurfer@reddit

robindawilliams@reddit

New_Breadfruit8692@reddit

robindawilliams@reddit

Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

1234-for-me@reddit

gmehodler42069741LFG@reddit

FLG_CFC@reddit

Danielle_is_the_hole@reddit

TrvthReloaded@reddit

Corgon@reddit

jaqattack02@reddit

knsaber@reddit

LimaBikercat@reddit

yeeting_my_meat69@reddit

Cornelius-Figgle@reddit

Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

spiritual_stoner@reddit

Glum-Advisor5772@reddit

Superb_Yam_2168@reddit (OP)

livingoutloud373@reddit