IDLING GETS YOU NOWHERE

If you are going to be idling for 10 seconds or more, turn your engine off!

Canadian drivers idle their engines for an average of 5 - 10 minutes a day. Add these minutes together and that's enough time to keep one car running for 144 years! This needless idling means millions of litres of fuel, and therefore millions of dollars, are simply being burned away. Contrary to popular belief, idling your car will actually damage your engine! And in areas where excessive idling is common, around school zones for example, serious health effects have been exposed.

Damaging Your Car

You may think you need to warm up your car by letting the motor run, especially in the winter, but this may not the case. Idling will damage your car. Not only will you pay excess in gas costs, but also in maintenance from wear and tear on your vehicle's engine.

When you idle your car, the engine is not operating at its peak temperature. This means that the fuel is not being burned efficiently because the fuel combustion process is incomplete. Incomplete combustion means you need more gas than would ordinarily be needed and this costs you more money.

Incomplete combustion leaves fuel residues inside your engine that can condense on cylinder walls. Once condensed on these walls this residue can contaminate your car's oil and damage other parts of the engine, such as the spark plugs, where residue tends to deposit. Dirty spark plugs can increase your fuel consumption by 4-5%. Idling can also lead to water condensation in your vehicles exhaust system, leading to corrosion .

It is a common myth that turning your engine off and on will do more damage than idling will. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Damage to the starting components adds only an estimated $10 a year to your driving costs. This will be made up many times over in fuel and maintenance savings from not idling!

The Cold Start

With today's technology you need no more than 30 seconds of idling to warm up your vehicle's engine. Even on winter days!

Idling your engine to warm it up does ONLY that! The wheels, wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission, and tires also need warming up! Idling does not do this! The best way to warm up your ENTIRE car in the colder, winter months is to drive it after starting the engine after 30 seconds.

How Can You Minimize Your Idling?

• Minimize your warm-up idling.
• Use a block heater on a timer.
• Stopped for more than 10 seconds? Turn it off!
• Avoid the use of drive-thrus.
• Avoid the use of remote car starters.