I noticed this article on Yahoo that is basically saying that you don't need to warm up your vehicle before you drive it in cold weather.... and that it could even be bad for it to warm it up first!



Do you guys think there's any truth to this, or is it wrong?

Here's the link:

http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/p/2052/win...ing-up-the-car

 

"If it dips below 0 let it run for about 4 minutes."



F**K THAT. I live in a very northern part of Canada. If we dont let our vehicle run for 10+ minutes with heaters on full blast, not only will it feel like -50 inside the vehicle, the moment you start driving, your vents are spitting out cold air because the engine isn't warm yet. Anyone know what the cold air does to the windows? FOGS THEM. Making it impossible to see out your windshields (most importantly the front one) which is extremely dangerous. In any weather around 10 degrees to -5 degrees, I might not even bother starting it because thats still warm outside. T shirt weather. So I can semi-agree with that, but once it gets actually cold outside, its an absolute must to let the car run for a while. Im sure all us Canadians know what its like to drive looking out a 4 inch hole in the fog in our front windows because we are in a hurry and couldnt let the vehicle run. Or opening up the windows in the middle of winter just so we can see outside lol.



So in short, basically, It may be slightly unhealthy for the car (not arguing that), but in cold climates it is still a must.

 

I know a guy whose wife doesn't like to use the air conditioner because it's hard on the car. You know what? Cars are consumables. You use them up, that's what they're for. If your car lasts 0.001% less long, but you don't get in a wreck from shivering too hard, you win.