Remote start bad for engine?

[Doc]

Not remote starting it and instantly driving off with it ice cold is harder on it then remote starting it before you get in.

If you normally start it by hand then wait a few moments before taking off then you are better off remote starting it IMO.

I start it then wait for it to come to normal Idle, then drive it slowly until it comes to temp...

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[Cavebat87]

did you know that driving your car wears it out?

for the people worried about idling their cars, do you equally fret when you have a 100 mile trip VS a 50 mile trip? OMG martha, the engine, she cant take that extra abuse!!!

basically stop worrying about it. do regular oil changes, take car of your car, and above all, just drive it, thats what they are meant to do...pistons go up and down, wheels turn, and you go places.

Can I get an AMEN ?

 

[dmeyer302]

Between 0F-30F
Between -25F-0F
Below -30F

Lolwut

If it gets to 0F here in SWMO it's really doing something

 

[mtbikernate]

This Ranger is my first vehicle with remote start and I'm a fan. Getting the heated seats fired up before I get in is great. Heated seats were a priority for me when I bought this truck. Wife' had 'em in her Jeep Liberty a dozen years ago, in her Subaru now, and she won't buy a car without them anymore. So to appease her, I made sure the Ranger I bought had them.

I don't do the remote start very long before I get to the vehicle, though. I basically just give it a head start in the time it takes me to put on my coat, lock up the house, and walk out to the truck.

Historically, I'd start my car to get the defrost going before I drove off, so the defrost would help me clear off any ice or snow. Remote start will just allow me that extra minute or two to start softening that stuff up for when I get the scraper out to get it off. Already had some icy mornings here this year. I just haven't had to go anywhere in them yet.

 

[Davejb]

There is an aftermarket module that will allow you to double hit the lock key for remote start, if I remember correctly. But it's not cheap!

$100 isn't cheap? I've been installing remote starters in my vehicles for 20 years, $100 is a steal compared to what they used to cost and the time it took to install them. When I did my 2001 Dakota the kit was over $200 and took hours to install, now it's $100 and takes minutes to install, sounds like a bargain to me.

Edit: Forgot to add, my vehicles have always run over 10 minutes before I leave, the purpose of a remote starter is to have heat and defrost (or AC in hot weather) going for a bit to warm things up and loosen/clear ice/snow from the glass to make it easier to clear off if needed, always done it that way, always will, use it how you want, that's what it's for.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Starting to get a little cold in my neck of the woods. Is it hard on my engine to let my truck "warm-up" for five minutes or so using the remote start feature? It helps to defrost my windshield and I swear my Ranger runs better after warming up. Tried it for the first/only time this morning.

Starting the truck remotely on hot and cold days gives it a chance to heat up/cool off the insides before we get in. Sure, this increases wear and tear on the engine and parts, just like driving it around does, but the impact is minor and, in my opinion, well worth it for the added comfort (love those heated seats). If the weather is mild, then I don't bother starting it up remotely, as there is really nothing to be gained.

 

[THLONE]

I would assume that the Ford engine engineers have already tested cold starting and gave the okay to the Ford pass people to offer the remote start to the public. Back in the olden days I would go out and start my engine, then go back inside for a while. When I would bring my family out the engine would be racing because the choke fast idle was still on. I kick the gas pedal and it would go down to regular ldle speed. Guess what, I never had an engine problem.

 

[Racket]

I like how - in the old days - if you had a turbocharged car you'd install a timer to turn OFF your car so the turbocharger would cool down.

 

[THLONE]

I like how - in the old days - if you had a turbocharged car you'd install a timer to turn OFF your car so the turbocharger would cool down.

I heard that too when I bought my Ford diesel. I did it some when I was driving on the interstate but usually not. I also heard that when you have a diesel you never turn it off.

 

[dtech]

I like how - in the old days - if you had a turbocharged car you'd install a timer to turn OFF your car so the turbocharger would cool down.

In the 80s I had a turbo Saab and worked for a lady that disliked me (mutual) she and her dufus hubby had Saabs also, he approached me about a group buy for what was IIRC called a "turbo pre-luber", with a cool down timer, I told him to get lost. They both installed them on their Saabs, 6 months later a hose broke on it and wasted his engine, a few months later she somehow drove into a bridge abutment and totaled hers( walking away unscathed with front end completely compressed but door still opened) . Scratch 2 Saabs and 2 turbo pre- lubers, while mine went over 250k before I rebuilt the turbo as the seals were leaking. Engine needed to be idled for 30 secs before shutdown prior to water cooled turbos.

 

[AzScorpion]

I start it then wait for it to come to normal Idle, then drive it slowly until it comes to temp...

I've been doing it this way for years too. As soon as I hear the idle drop I drive off. I see WAY to many people just jump in start and go.

As far as remote start goes it's not going to hurt anything and it's no different than sitting in the truck and freezing or sweating to death starting it. I've had them since the mid 90's and would never own a vehicle without one. Out here (even in the garage) it will still be well over 100 inside so it makes it much more comfortable.

 

[berlow94]

Don’t forget people that these 2.3 ecoboost motors have coolant flowing through the individual exhaust passages in between the head and the turbo. These cars don’t have any exhaust manifolds per say. The turbo bolts directly onto the head.

Having coolant pass directly by the exhaust gases as they exit the combustion chamber warms these motors up much quicker then conventional engines that only get coolant heat exchange through the cylinder walls and head.

 

[geophb]

I've been doing it this way for years too. As soon as I hear the idle drop I drive off. I see WAY to many people just jump in start and go.

I see it all the time. The instant fingers are off the key, they are pullin it into drive. I swear they use their left hand to start it.

I rode with my friend one time and she did this in her ptcruiser when it was -15f outside. It wouldnt even shift into gear and she was like "why wont it go?! this thing is failing". I said "give it a bit its cold out, things gotta warm up some". While in my head im screamin "WTF are you DOING! OMG! this girl is on quaaludes!"

Anyways, I bet a lot of people just don't know any better, or don't care.

 

[r1ch999999]

OMG martha, the engine, she cant take that extra abuse!!!

Why did you say that name?!?

Jokes aside, I thought that was a decent scene if you looked at it from the standpoint of it snapping him out of his PTSD rage and realizing that Superman had a family too, making him almost human.

Now, to the topic at hand, both the articles posted earlier say almost the same thing, warming it up isn't the best but it's necessary when it's super cold. Both say about a minute or so to warm it up and then take it easy for 5-10 minutes. The one that advocates for idling says that letting it have that 5 minutes in your driveway, where the is no way you'll accidentally get on the gas too hard, is better.

 

[mtbikernate]

Back in the olden days I would go out and start my engine, then go back inside for a while.

This is hardly the olden days, but my mom's Chevy Trailblazer got stolen once when she was letting it idle in the driveway one morning. No remote start, so keys were in the ignition.

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