How to prepare your car for winter
Prepare your car for the cold season.
Problem solved, reviewed
- Leaving your car to warm up is illegal in many states and can result in fines.
- Thirty-one states and Washington, D.C. have some kind of regulation against idling vehicles.
- Modern cars do not need to be idle to warm up and reach operating temperature faster when driven.
Warming up your car on empty roads can cost you more than a few miles per gallon.
Here’s what you need to know before leaving your car to warm up this winter.
Which states have laws that require you to leave your car idling in the winter to warm it up?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 states and Washington, D.C. have some form of start-stop regulation. Regulations vary by state, but the Environmental Protection Agency says these states have fines in place to discourage idling.
- Massachusetts
- maryland
- new hampshire
- new jersey
- vermont state
- Hawaii
According to the EPA, some states in California, Colorado, New York, Ohio and Utah also impose fines for excessive idling.
Why is the state trying to reduce car idling?
The EPA says modern cars don’t need to idle like older cars.
“Advances in vehicle technology have made it easier than ever to avoid idling,” the agency says in its consumer guide to reducing vehicle idling.
“Current vehicle instruction manuals contain information on how to obtain the best and most economical performance and often recommend stop-start,” the agency said. “In today’s vehicles, the engine reaches its ideal operating temperature faster when driving than when idling.”
The EPA noted there are also environmental benefits to reducing idling. The agency states, “It is estimated that idling private cars generate approximately 30 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year.”
“While the effects of idling on a per-vehicle basis may seem small, the effects add up when the 250 million privately owned vehicles in the United States are idling,” the EPA said.
How can I legally warm up my car?
The best way to warm up your car in winter is to do it while sitting in your car or use a remote start system.
Anna Kleiber can be reached at akleiber@gannett.com. Keith Laing can be reached at klaing@gannett.com..
