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Charles Wiggins
11-08-2007, 7:50 AM
There. I feel better.

Just venting...

My wife works 1/2 mile from home, which is great in most respects. To be loving husband I go out to start her car and warm it up because she HATES the cold.

Well today, there is frost on the car. Normally I would scrape it, but I am trying to nurse a 'crick' in my neck; so I'm trying to stay in from the cold as much as possible and avoid repetitive motions (like scraping car windows). So today, because of the frost, that car sat there running for almost 15 mins. to prepare for a five minute commute, while gas is climbing over $3 a gallon. She hates 'wasting' the gasoline more than I do, but she hates the cold a little more.

Just one ' them thangs.

Bob Childress
11-08-2007, 8:54 AM
My wife feels the same and has the same 5 minute commute. :D
Last year I discovered the aerosol de-icing stuff and for simple frosts it really does the trick. Prestone make one and there are some others.

Joe Pelonio
11-08-2007, 8:59 AM
Same her, mine works at a school a long two blocks away. She normally drives in, walks home for lunch and back unless raining hard. I go out before she leaves and scrape but really it's out of guilt, since I have filled up the garage
with tools and supplies.

Matt Meiser
11-08-2007, 9:07 AM
Regularly warming the car up to proper operating temperature may save you a lot more than the gas used to do it is costing you. When I was in college I lived 1 mile off campus my senior year. I rusted out an exhaust system in 6 months that year. When the car doesn't get warm enough to get the moisture out of the oil and exhaust system, bad things can happen.

I would buy her a remote starter if I were you.

Al Willits
11-08-2007, 10:00 AM
I'm with Matt on this one, oil and exhaust systems that don't get warm/hot enough allow moisture to condense and stay in the system, not good.

We both drive only a few miles to work, so we have that problem too.
We let them idle for a bit, I'm thinking it does more good than harm.

Al

Jim Becker
11-08-2007, 10:06 AM
On days like this, I'm glad my "commute" decision is "back stairs or front stairs"...

Frost on the pumpkins here today, too...

Glenn Clabo
11-08-2007, 10:17 AM
I've been fooling with cars and have hung around mechanics all my life. This is also a subject of conversation...but the vast majority (including Clic and Clack btw) say there's really no need to warm up a car for more than 30 seconds...especially when it's above freezing...except to make the engine warm enough to put out heat as soon as you get in it. The best...which means quickest... way to warm up a car is to drive it gently. Idling is bad in all respects. When idling it not only burns more fuel longer...and puts out more toxic fumes longer...it also warms up too slow to clear out the moisture.
All that said...I do understand the need to make a certain someone happy. I always error on the side of her personal comfort. I start her car when it's real cold...for my own personal comfort.;)

Rich Stewart
11-08-2007, 10:42 AM
I got wifey one of them remote control starters. Now we both stay warm inside. Just push the button and it starts up. If you forget and don't go out, it shuts off after 10 minutes. If someone gets in and tries to drive off it shuts off when they go to put it in gear with no key in the hole. Works great. It also locks the doors so nobody is tempted to get it but if they broke a window to get in, they wouldn't be able to move it. So, five minutes before she is ready, she pushes the button, gets her coat and stuff, and by the time she gets out there, the car is reasonably warm and the windows are defrosted.

Charles Wiggins
11-08-2007, 10:59 AM
I got wifey one of them remote control starters. Now we both stay warm inside. Just push the button and it starts up. If you forget and don't go out, it shuts off after 10 minutes. If someone gets in and tries to drive off it shuts off when they go to put it in gear with no key in the hole. Works great. It also locks the doors so nobody is tempted to get it but if they broke a window to get in, they wouldn't be able to move it. So, five minutes before she is ready, she pushes the button, gets her coat and stuff, and by the time she gets out there, the car is reasonably warm and the windows are defrosted.

Such a device would probably cost more than the car is worth. It's a 1990 Camry.

Keith Outten
11-08-2007, 12:04 PM
Get one of the small portable electric heaters and an extention cord. Minutes before you are scheduled to leave plug the cord into an outlet in the garage and your vehicle will be warm and defrosted without running the engine.

Its not a perfect solution but it works.

.

Gary Keedwell
11-08-2007, 1:24 PM
Funny you mention that Keith....My ex FIL had one of those over 30 years ago and loved it.
Gary

Cliff Rohrabacher
11-08-2007, 3:18 PM
Toss a bucket of hot water on it.

Doyle Alley
11-08-2007, 3:50 PM
I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned the obvious answer. If I lived only 1/2 mile from where I work, I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).

Charles Wiggins
11-08-2007, 4:01 PM
I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned the obvious answer. If I lived only 1/2 mile from where I work, I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).

I would too, but we're talking about my wife, who HATES the cold. Besides, she usually doesn't go straight home after work.

Al Willits
11-08-2007, 4:15 PM
""""""""
I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).
""""""""

Must not live in Minn...?? :)

Not sure about clic and clack heard them once and that was enough, but idling may indeed be a waste if your going far enough to warm the motor and exhaust, not good to just drive a few minutes and shut off, idling in this case will generate more heat for the system.

General consensus is to run the vehicle till it comes off high idle and then for the first mile or so take it easy, this doesn't take into consideration engine and exhaust heat at that mile or two is not up to operating temps.

Other alternative is to increase oil changes and go with a aluminized exhaust system.

I think this is one of them Ford Chevy things....:D

Al

David G Baker
11-08-2007, 4:47 PM
Couple inches of snow on the pumpkin this morning. Most of it has melted but I am sure there will be a lot more before much longer.

Ken Garlock
11-08-2007, 4:48 PM
Here is a novel idea:

PUT IT IN THE GARAGE!

Bob Childress
11-08-2007, 5:19 PM
Here is a novel idea:


PUT IT IN THE GARAGE!


Now Ken, you know that's just plain silly! Then where would you put the workshop? :p :p

Brian Hale
11-08-2007, 5:19 PM
Here is a novel idea:


PUT IT IN THE GARAGE!


Why would you park a car in the shop? :rolleyes:

Brian :)

BTW, i've got a diesel PU and when it gets cold i plug it in on a timer that kicks in 45 minutes before i leave for work. ;)

Randy Denby
11-08-2007, 5:30 PM
Here is a novel idea:

PUT IT IN THE GARAGE!

There you go ! Dang good excuse to build that bigger shop. !!!

Charles Wiggins
11-08-2007, 6:13 PM
Here is a novel idea:

PUT IT IN THE GARAGE!



That presumes: 1) There is a garage and 2) your wife hasn't already filled it with other junk.

Kevin French
11-08-2007, 7:08 PM
3 1/2 years in the new house and every winter I can still get my truck in the garage. The sides are filling up but it still fits. 59 degrees in there this morning 25 outside. Me and the big diesel don't like the cold.

Art Mulder
11-08-2007, 8:56 PM
Wow. The US is sure know for it's car mania, and this thread does tend to confirm it... :rolleyes:


I would buy her a remote starter if I were you.

I'd buy her a bike. ;)


I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned the obvious answer. If I lived only 1/2 mile from where I work, I would walk to work. Half a mile is only a ten minute walk (at most).

Yayyy!! Go Doyle!

Of course, my wife and I purposefully bought a house close to work when we moved here. So we have only one car, and I cycle 3.5km to work (each way) all year round. The weather occasionally interferes, but then I can walk or sometimes get a ride from my wife. (12 minutes on the bike, or 35 minutes walking.)

And as for getting cold... you layer up and you march. I'm warm within 100 yards of walking, and usually hot by the time I get there.

So who pays the bills? Look what that car costs you. I like to tell people that by NOT having a car, I've effectively given myself a $10,000 raise. Do the math.

Gary Keedwell
11-08-2007, 10:38 PM
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Shhheeeeeeeeeeeegggg Canadians......:cool: :)
Cape Codean FOR Global Warming

Charles Wiggins
11-09-2007, 7:03 AM
Wow. The US is sure know for it's car mania, and this thread does tend to confirm it... :rolleyes:



I'd buy her a bike. ;)



Yayyy!! Go Doyle!

Of course, my wife and I purposefully bought a house close to work when we moved here. So we have only one car, and I cycle 3.5km to work (each way) all year round. The weather occasionally interferes, but then I can walk or sometimes get a ride from my wife. (12 minutes on the bike, or 35 minutes walking.)

And as for getting cold... you layer up and you march. I'm warm within 100 yards of walking, and usually hot by the time I get there.

So who pays the bills? Look what that car costs you. I like to tell people that by NOT having a car, I've effectively given myself a $10,000 raise. Do the math.

Everyone that makes this kind of suggestion seems to keep missing that my wife HATES THE COLD, which is the whole reason this started. She grew up in Cleveland (lake effect snow, bitter winds) and she's done as much cold weather as she's going to do. She would like to move farther south but all of our family is here. If I worked 1/2 mile from home I would walk or ride a bike most days, but I have a 52 mile rt commute. Even if I had the TIME to ride a bike I'd most like be run over in the first week (not a lot of room for bicycle lanes in the mountains).

I think this'll be the last time I vent here.

Rob Russell
11-09-2007, 7:51 AM
I got my wife a remote car starter and, for those times of year when it's needed, she loves it.

You commented that the starter would be worth more than the car. They aren't that expensive and, if you're planning to keep the car for a couple of years, it comes down to under $100/year for the convenience.

Having a remote car starter also means that your wife can start the car 5 minutes before she's leaving based on her schedule that particluar day. That's planty of time to warm the car up and means it won't burn as much gas just sitting. Another benefit to the remote car starter is that your wife can start the car on some days when it's too cold for her at night. How would she feel if she could go out to a warm car after work?

On your comment about not venting here again - I wouldn't let the different opinions sway you from posting things like this again. You're going to do what makes most sense for you, but sometimes folks will come up with options you hadn't thought of. Yeah, some folks will push a solution that just doesn't work for you. That's OK, you're still going to make your own decision, or your wife's going to tell you what your decision is. Naturally, I've never had that happen! :D

Rob

Joe Pelonio
11-09-2007, 9:03 AM
If not frost or snow, then this. We had a wet, windy night and now both ours look like porcupines from the fir needles. The darned things will get under the wiper blades and cause streaks, so I have to clean them good before we go anywhere.

Bryan Rocker
11-09-2007, 6:42 PM
This is the very reason I had to put my shop back up against the wall so we could park the vehicles in the garage.......Of course I don't like scraping ice much either.....Now if I could only get my shop built.....

Bryan