During frigid weather like that which is supposed to hit Somerset this weekend , there's nothing better than blasting the heat in your car while your engine warms up.

However, experts now say letting your engine idle in order to warm up is outdated advice - and can do more harm than good to your vehicle.

According to Road&Track , idling your engine actually prolongs the warm-up period.

The belief that you need to warm up your car to the correct 'operating temperature' comes from the days of carburettors.

Back then, cars needed several minutes of idling to get to an operating temperature where they would then run smoothly, Kent Live reports.

But vehicles generally don't have this anymore.

Instead, engines are now fuel-injected so cars can be driven away immediately.

Gentle driving warms the engine quickly without putting too much load on it before reaching the operating temperature.

Cars no longer need to be warmed up before being driven.

Can idling cause damage to the car?

Idling for too long on a cold day can damage by causing engine oil dilution.

While you might have thought that letting your car warm up reduced strain on the engine, idling time leads to raw gasoline seeping into the oil, which breaks down the oil's lubrication properties and increases wear.

Want more news?


