I need to drive about 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile on some cold mornings (it’s 20-30 degrees F…) in my 2005 Honda Odyssey. Do I need to warm it up? I’ve heard that vehicles after 2000 or so do not need to be warmed up. Also, I’ve been told that it is really bad for the engine to drive that short of a distance with a cold engine. Am I killing my Odyssey faster by doing this? My other option is to freeze on my bicycle. Or do I need to take the highway for a few miles out of my way each morning to save my engine? Thanks,
Nancy
Yes, that is true. If that is the ONLY driving you ever do, I’d suggest taking the long way every now and again to get the coolant fully up to temp - the middle of the gauge - AND to fully recharge the battery. 3/4 ths of a mile will not keep the battery charged. It isn’t really the engine you should be concerned about as long as you change your oil twice a year even if the mileage is very low. It gets the water out.
If you make longer drives (20 minutes or so) at least once a week, you should be OK.
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You are an ideal customer for an engine block heater. These are very popular in cold regions of the country.
I use to live about 1 1/2 miles from work and plugged the car in the night before and with a timer that came on 2 hrs before leaving the house prewarmed the engine.
I still recommend a brisk drive every week of about 15 highway miles to blow out any condensation and raw gasoline that may have accumulated.
Warming the engine by idling in the driveway won’t hurt anything, and could indeed help keep your car running better given your unique driving needs. It definitely isn’t good for the car to be used for constantly short trips day after day like that. There’s a downside of course, warming up the engine means wasting gasoline & more air pollution. If I had that problem I’d probably just get in the car and go at my convenience, and not worry about warming it up. But I’d make sure to use it for longer trips (say 20 minute drives) and higher speeds once a week too.
Aren’t there areas where excessive idling is a “ticketable” offense . . . ?
Let us start with the basics, how many miles and what maintenance has been performed?
3/4 mile at an easy walking pace of 3 MPH takes 15 minutes. Have you considered that? Depending on the route you take, it could be a healthy start to the work day and a calming transition after work.
No warmup needed, but weekly longer drive a very good idea.
Not likely to happen for most people. I see drivers all the time spending 15 minutes driving around the parking lot looking for a close-to-the-store space to avoid an extra 200 foot walk.
I live less than 1/4 mile from a fitness center, residential streets.
My neighbor drives to it, parks as close to the front door as possible, drives back home to shower, then drives 1 mile to work, again residential streets.
Can’t convince her that if she walked to work, she probably wouldn’t need the gym.
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I ride my bike most mornings, but when it’s that cold (below 25), walking would be just as bad. Plus, I have to hurry up and get back home so I can get to work on time. (and yes, I am going to exercise…do laps at the local covered pool…which makes it like indoor).
The van has about 101,000 on it and we get regular maint when the wrench shows up, or sooner most of the time (for oil changes especially). I will try to ride my bike when it is colder if it is bad for the van. We don’t drive it most days as we live about 2 blocks from work. We live in a small town, so all we do is short drives (5 miles or less from one end of town to the other). To do 15 miles at highway speeds, we’d have to get on the interstate at one end of town and go to the other end about 2 times. We drive to Albuquerque once every month or two (80 miles one way) for things we can’t get in our small town. Thank you all for your responses!
Nancy, be patient with George, he doesn’t have to worry about 25 degree walks in San Jose 
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Lucky! Maybe I’ll get to retire somewhere warmer!..but not too warm. Hated Phx and Tuc. Too hot!
Hey now! Us Arizonan’s love it here! 