Noodle-Pulp
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Defrosting cars in the morning
- Thread starter DuFFmAn
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goldestate
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Fan heater on extension lead 15mins clear windows and warm !
W211 has an electric heater, about 2kw if I remember correctly, so warm air is quick. I'll always start, scrape, then drive away though - uses a huge amount of fuel to sit idling the cold engine for 5 mins and running low RPM on cold fluids can't be good for the car.
That would be pulling over 160 amps
so it can't run for very long!That would be pulling over 160 amps
There's a 200A alternator in there if I remember correctly, water cooled and very, very expensive.
Of course the excess heat from this is cycled into the cooling system and so helps warm the engine quicker.
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I don't garage our cars. When it's wet or cold, the condensation isn't good for them.
matty.13
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is everyone in agreement that its better to just drive your car straight away instead of warming it up ?
Yes, but only if you can see out of the windows (a basic check that many round here don't seem to bother with ...).
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That would be pulling over 160 amps
My W203 has one. It doesn't work at tickover, the car has to be driven for it to kick in.
matty.13
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thats what i allways thought
Noodle-Pulp
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I think it's a case of whether think it's better for you or better for your car because the choice made affects each differently.
Most people in today's world prefer to put their own comforts first before any "future possibilities", having said that, some people are passionate about their cars and drive it how it was designed to be driven.
We live in an immediate society these days and even this has an effect on whether someone is willing to wait while their car warms up, or whether they want to put themselves first.
wonder what would mercedes in germany would have to say? looks like we get one or the other opinion. some more technical than the others, but maybe there is some sort of guideline then? say on citroen older version with hydropneumatic suspention big stop sign is on the clock for about 30seconds till all the fluids are in order.. for majority users this would help in order to keep cars running longer, even tho the general rule these days is sell more, last less (government + manufacturers aproach)
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Snag is that without any heat at all you can find the screen suddenly mists up on the inside and the a/c won't clear it in very cold weather.
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Visibility is of course very important, clear glass all around etc.
But as for the engine... yes in the olden days you would warm-up a car. Now days the advice seems to be start engine, wait till oil pressure comes-up, and drive off immediately - albeit gently until the engine reaches working temperature.
Well MB did remove the standard-fitment oil pressure gauge from the instrument panel sometime in the mid nineteens - so the closest substitute is start engine, count to five, and drive off...
In fact, current wisdom says that leaving a cold engine in tick-over is bad for it - something to do with cold petrol running down the bores diluting the oil - though that did not seem to be a problem when I started my driving career some 30+ years ago... Not sure about diesels, there must be an 'explanation' as to why this isn't good for diesels either.
But as for the engine... yes in the olden days you would warm-up a car. Now days the advice seems to be start engine, wait till oil pressure comes-up, and drive off immediately - albeit gently until the engine reaches working temperature.
Well MB did remove the standard-fitment oil pressure gauge from the instrument panel sometime in the mid nineteens - so the closest substitute is start engine, count to five, and drive off...
In fact, current wisdom says that leaving a cold engine in tick-over is bad for it - something to do with cold petrol running down the bores diluting the oil - though that did not seem to be a problem when I started my driving career some 30+ years ago... Not sure about diesels, there must be an 'explanation' as to why this isn't good for diesels either.
The _Don
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I have a 2kw electric heater that sits on a wooden block on the armrest and a plug through to the boot where an extension lead goes to the garage (the only place a 2.5mm cable would fit through a seal without damaging either)
15 minutes before I want to go I turn the socket on and hey presto - car warm and the snow/ice on the windows are soft enough to wipe off.
Of course there are risks but with a little care it is OK. Certainly less risky than driving with frosted windscreen or even worse, one that looks clear but soon freezes up when driving.
15 minutes before I want to go I turn the socket on and hey presto - car warm and the snow/ice on the windows are soft enough to wipe off.
Of course there are risks but with a little care it is OK. Certainly less risky than driving with frosted windscreen or even worse, one that looks clear but soon freezes up when driving.
I was told that this caused uneven warm up in areas of the engine and that the oil could be warm in certain areas and cold in others. Not sure if true but plausible.
Dryce
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This is like the running in discussions - you can come up with reasons as to why one way is good or bad and the other is bad or good.
Just do what makes you happy.
I wouldn't be inclined to redline it when cold but it's pretty clear that all the autos I've had have hung on to the lower gears and changed up later when warming up.
Apart from that I wouldn't waste what few functioning neurons I have left worrying about it.
