One Simple Thing You Shouldn’t Do to Your Car During a Michigan Winter

Michiganders know how harsh winters can be. And after spending time shoveling in the freezing cold, why would we want to hop into our freezing cold vehicles and drive somewhere?

No, I prefer my vehicle to at least be a little toasty before I take off for wherever I need to go. That's why on particularly cold days, I take a moment to remote start my car.

Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving in Winter?

I love my remote start because that means I don't have to go outside when it's super cold and be subjected to shivering for several minutes on end. Having a remote start is fairly new for me, but it's certainly a nice luxury to have. Especially because it was only in recent years that Michigan stopped ticketing for letting your vehicle idle in the driveway.

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Despite the convenience and comfort that letting your car warms up provide, is it actually good to leave your vehicle running to warm up?

Being a layperson when it comes to the inner workings of vehicles, I would say that it's better for a car to be a bit warmed up rather than taking off when it's deadly cold. But, it turns out that I'm wrong.

It's Bad to Warm Up Your Car in Winter

It is indeed bad for your car's engine to warm it up during the winter months. An article from WQAD8 and a video from Verified confirmed it.

Here's how it hurts your vehicle's engine:

Letting your car idle in cold temperatures can shorten the life of your engine by stripping away oil from the engine’s pistons and cylinders — two critical components that help your engine run.

If that's not enough evidence, here's the video from Verified for more proof.

So I guess just keep that in mind...what's more important? Your comfort and not being cold, or the life of your car's engine?