How much does it cost to turn on the ignition of your car?

All I know is that a bottom of the range Passat TDI will consume about 1/3 a tank of diesel sitting idle most of the day at Silverstone (Medical car) started, with either the heating or A/C on full blast! This also includes chasing 3-4 races, i.e. nailing it down the straight and into Copse.

EDIT - nailing anything in a bottom of the range Passat TDI is a non-event, nothing, nada!
 
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What the hell is 'violent' about an engine start?

Perhaps if your using TNT instead of a starter, maybe trying to revolve the crank backwards with sand for oil and diamond cutters for piston rings.

Other than that, I've no idea what your on about.

Also, if you think about it... you expect turning your car engine on to exceed well more than £1 today going by inflation since the cave days.

lets say £3 then, as a guess. Do you really expect an engine to chew through 3 litres of fuel to start up? Maybe on a V16 with a 20k rev limit. Cars do throw in more fuel when cold, sometimes with cold injector if it has it, but even then... no way near what your talking.
 
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my battery cost something absurd like €150

so i'm going to say €150, as the previous battery didn't do squat to the ignition.
 
Biohazard said:
What the hell is 'violent' about an engine start?

.
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gaining initial inertia is harsh on various components, starter etc. the jump from cranking speed to idle speed is also harsh on the valve train.

violent isnt the best word but starting is not a greta situation for a engine.
 
dalin80 said:
gaining initial inertia is harsh on various components, starter etc. the jump from cranking speed to idle speed is also harsh on the valve train.

violent isnt the best word but starting is not a greta situation for a engine.
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great situation? if it didn't go through it, the engine wouldn't exist :confused: :p

starters last a very long time, so do engines.

it doesn't magically go 400rpm +/- whatver up to idle in a snap. :p

the engine isn't under moving load, therefor any stress you are talking about is purely inherant in design. it's only burning fuel to overcome all the normal losses (friction, pumping, ancillaries etc) at idle.

engines suffer all sorts of harsh abuse, high RPM is where most of it comes from with aceleration/deceleration of the train and valve float. the only damage done with starting a car is wrong oil, or lack of it.
 
If I was lazy it could have cost me £90 once, Id just fitted a fancy new air intake and upon starting the engine it snapped the bugger! :o

Poly engine mounts, a bit of epoxy and some paint - nobody is the wiser :)
 
dmpoole said:
When I first passed my test in 1975 there was a Top Gear type program on the TV that said it cost £1 to turn on the ignition of a car.
This took into account the wear & tear of a violent start compared to an engine ticking over.
I've always lived with this £1 turning on fact and never turn off my ignition when I don't need to.
However, 34 years have passed by and there must be a new cost to turning on a car.
Any idea how much or have none of you ever thought about it?
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Fit a preoiler

:D
 
Biohazard said:
great situation? if it didn't go through it, the engine wouldn't exist :confused: :p

starters last a very long time, so do engines.

it doesn't magically go 400rpm +/- whatver up to idle in a snap. :p

the engine isn't under moving load, therefor any stress you are talking about is purely inherant in design. it's only burning fuel to overcome all the normal losses (friction, pumping, ancillaries etc) at idle.

engines suffer all sorts of harsh abuse, high RPM is where most of it comes from with aceleration/deceleration of the train and valve float. the only damage done with starting a car is wrong oil, or lack of it.
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surely there is some wear? the ideal running temprature for an engine must be quite hot

you do understand metal expands and contracts based on heat? winter months cant be good for the engine.

im not saying its a huge issue obviously its not but it cant be as good as when an engine is started already warm
 
arknor said:
surely there is some wear? the ideal running temprature for an engine must be quite hot

you do understand metal expands and contracts based on heat? winter months cant be good for the engine.

im not saying its a huge issue obviously its not but it cant be as good as when an engine is started already warm
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depends which temperature your talking about. there is no general engine temperature. coolant wise?

thats what anti freeze is for. engines are designed to contract and expand, it is a metal device which gets very hot in parts.. and cools down. this is to be expected from normal use, let alone environmental conditions. ever hear your car 'ticking' and 'pinging' when walking away from it after a drive?

the only difference is lubrication is not quite up to spec, with the oil having not broken down yet. thats why you don't thrash it when cold. there is protection, just not quite what you would expect with the oil at operating temperature.

On the first couple of crank rotations, perhaps a bit of metal/metal wear I accept yes... However, engines to not completely drain down to the sump, even after days/weeks of no use. The oil will be cold, but should still be covering surfaces. It would take a couple of crank rotations for oil pressure to pick up. thats where oil's natural 'coatness' comes in handy, offering some protection till oil jets are on and its starting to warm up.
 
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