How long can we leave the car running?

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by cozykat

If it was my svx, the doors would have automatically locked behind me... i've had friends learn that the hard way.

I can vouch for that





Dustin

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Crazy_pilot

I never shut my car off on the road. You never know, my car's been reliable, but there's always a chance it won't start up again.

Same here. The last time I shut off my car (then a perfectly reliable 1990 Legacy) on the road, in a snowfall-induced traffic jam, when things finally began to move and I turned the key, it didn't so much as click. Alternator tanked with no warning, leaving a flat dead battery. Tried a jump from a passerby; no dice. Had to get a wrecker to drag the thing off the curb.

Restarts in modern engines don't use so much gas. Hybrids save by cycling the gasoline engine on-and-off. (I wonder about the reliability of high-mileage hybrids a few more years down the road.) Still, I only shut-down when it's abundantly clear that I'm not going anywhere for several minutes.

No way I'd turn off the car at traffic lights and such. There are many other fuel-saving measures that will save more in the long run. I frequently see folks around here sitting in a parking lot, engine idling, as they talk on the phone. That's foolishly wasteful.

dcb