Idling Idiots

paradigm said:
Only if it is “unnecessary” and whilst on a public road. Unnecessary is open to interpretation.

I left my TT idling for half an hour earlier, because it’s not been run for a few weeks and I wanted to dry out the convertible roof, that needs heat, you don’t get heat without the engine running.
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It takes ages for the engine to get warm from idling though. You'd have been better off driving it around the block.
 
Semple said:
It takes ages for the engine to get warm from idling though. You'd have been better off driving it around the block.
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It's currently not MOT'd (not because it's not roadworthy, I just didn't bother to get it done at the end of December) so that's not possible. Also it doesn't take long for the 3.2 VR6 to warm up on idle.
 
can't say i understand the psychology, i'm the opposite i have to consciously try to not automatically turn the engine off and lock the doors every time i get out of the car.

i used to be the same with stopping for any particular period, anything longer than a traffic light and the engine went off. only exception is if i'm having to wait for something/someone and it's too cold to not have the heating keep going.
 
The only times I let the car idle is if it's freezing cold outside and I'm out on the road all day when I pull over to eat my lunch somewhere (while sat in the car), amazing how quickly the interior cools down without any heat input.

Apart from this, never leave the car idling.
 
no idea what said:
There's some sort of care worker that visits a guy down the road from me. I think she has her lunch break afterwards and literally sits there for an hour with the engine running. It's really annoys me.
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In current conditions I can't say that would bother me, it would be freezing sitting in your car having your lunch without the engine on.
 
Isn't there some law which says you aren't supposed to leave a vehicle running un-attended?

I bet their insurer would love to know about it too :P
 
Nasher said:
Isn't there some law which says you aren't supposed to leave a vehicle running un-attended?

I bet their insurer would love to know about it too :p
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It's only illegal on the road, not your private driveway. As for the insurance company, don't JLR allow their vehicles to be locked while pre-heating?

Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which means leaving the car running with the heater on the windscreen is off-limits.

The Act enforces rule 123 of the Highway Code which states: "You must not leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."
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gailjon said:
It's only illegal on the road, not your private driveway. As for the insurance company, don't JLR allow their vehicles to be locked while pre-heating?
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Ya the JLR system is great. None of this "it'll heat your vehicle up if you remembered to set the AC accordingly the last time you parked the car up" BS like some of the other remote start companies.

I guess that is how they got around the law, I guess it must say private driveway.

N.b. for people without remote start, do not be tempted to leave your car on the drive with engine running and keys in. It is the dumbest thing ever and criminals actively travel the streets of suburbia to find cars which are clearly running (hurr durr exhaust) and nick it. Happened to a chick a couple doors down from me.
 
Diddums said:
Flat slides are an absolute nightmare in the cold, I had no end of trouble with them. I ended up running Dell'Ortos in summer and Mikunis in winter lol.
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For race bikes, the trick was to fit a push-pull throttle body with 2 cables so you didn’t have to rely on the slide strings to close the carbs. Still scary as ****.
 
Neighbour does this his diesel Astra, probably a good explanation as to why it sounds like a bag of spanner’s.

paradigm said:
I can lock my 440i once I’ve started the engine and got out. One of the quirks of keyless go I guess.
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I’ve managed to do this on our Mini Countryman. Take the key press start again quickly and can then jump and and lock it. :D
 
Discovery 3's had a timed climate feature from launch that activated the webasto diesel heater. Then it was swiftly removed by JLR when they went in for any work at the dealers?

I idle mine for about 5 mins tops on very cold days. Anything more than that is a bit anti-social in my eyes.
 
I was always taught that idling a cold engine was bad for it (low oil pressure), so I now only leave the car using for as long as it takes me to get out and clear the frost with some warm water, then drive off. Probably over thinking it.
 
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