‘Quicker doesn’t mean better’: Expert reveals the best way to warm up your engine. Does it work?

A mechanic is going viral after sharing the best way to warm up your car if it’s been sitting outside in freezing temperatures.  

In a two-part video series, Dave (@davesautocenter) showed viewers different ways to heat their cars: by letting them sit idle for 15 to 20 minutes and/or letting them sit idle for 15 to 20 seconds and then driving them “slowly and gently.”

Dave then asked viewers to guess which method would warm their engine fastest before demoing both. 

“Let’s find out,” which one works best, Dave said. As of Tuesday, the mechanic’s initial TikTok video had amassed more than 1.5 million views. 

Which method heats your car’s engine faster?

Dave first demoed the first way to heat your car’s engine, which entailed letting it sit idle for a few minutes before driving.

To do this, Dave showed viewers a car which he said had been sitting outside all day in 35-degree weather.

“We’re going to let it sit idle for 10 minutes,” Dave announced.

The car’s oil temperature started at 35 degrees Fahrenheit. After 10 minutes of idling, though, the oil temperature reached 82 degrees.

“When we talk about heating your truck or your car, it’s the oil temperature that you want to come up as fast as possible,” Dave explained.

While this does indeed heat your car’s oil, though, Dave said letting your car sit idly won’t warm the gearbox or some of its other functions.

So, the following day, Dave tested the experiment again. This time, he let the car idle for just 15 to 20 seconds before driving it.

After three minutes of driving, Dave said his car’s oil temperature had already reached 80 degrees. At eight minutes, the car’s temperature was “double” what it had been while sitting idly.

As a result, he suggested that the second method (i.e. letting it idle and then driving almost immediately) was the best way to heat your engine.

Other car experts agree 

Dave certainty isn’t the first car expert to share this advice. On its website, AutoZone also recommends letting your car idle for just 30 seconds before driving.

“Modern engines warm up more efficiently when driven, so it’s safe after only a short warm-up,” its website read. AutoZone added, too, that doing this heats your engine faster.

In addition, while not true in all states, letting your car run while it’s unattended for long periods is illegal in certain states. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency compiled a list of idling laws for 30 states and the District of Columbia. As such, it’s best to check your local regulations before warming up your car through idling.

'Just not a smart thing to do' 

In the comments section of Dave’s video, some viewers expressed doubt that the faster way to heat your car was the best method. 

“Firing it up immediately [and] mashing your foot to the floor will warm it up faster,” one user said. “But it’s not healthy.”

“I don’t think people want it to heat up quicker,” another added. “They want it to heat up PROPERLY.”

“Quicker doesn’t mean better,” a third viewer wrote. 

Others added that Dave’s advice might work best in above-freezing temperatures. But once the temperatures get in the negatives, they said, Dave’s so-called trick might not work as well. 

“Of course, driving will warm it faster,” one viewer said. “In Canada, in -35 [degrees] or colder, it’s just not a smart thing to do.”

@davesautocenter Does idling a diesel engine for 10 minutes heat up the truck properly. No #autoshop #autorepair #carrepair #enginebuild ♬ original sound - Dave's Auto Center

“If you think 35 degrees is cold, move up north,” another added. “It’s negative 40 for weeks on end. My truck won’t even move after 5 minutes, plus no matter how good you clean the windshield, it frosts up.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to Dave for comment. 

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