Warming Your Car: Good Idea? Bad Idea? Illegal Idea??? All depends.

WMTW reported that in some states it is illegal to leave you car running with the keys in it!  That would be South Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. AND that can come with fines of up to $500!

And lets be logical, it can be a bad idea to leave a car running, unlocked with the keys inside.  So know your environment if you choose to do that.

I know I have a remote car starter. Locks the car and if you were to try and drive away without the key...it turns off.

BUT is this good for the car?  I read that if course letting it run for a few moments to get get all its fluids moving is good but I guess we don't need to let it sit for a long time and warm up.  The 'warming up' part seems to be for us!  It wastes fuel and it its just sitting there put out emissions.

Regular maintenance is key for cold weather car use: check your battery, tires, make sure you get regular maintenance and that your mechanic is using the right oil for your car and its conditions.

 

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