On 12/30/2017 2:35 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 12/29/2017 9:06 PM, True North wrote:
On Friday, 29 December 2017 20:32:03 UTC-4, Mr. LudditeÂ* wrote:
On 12/29/2017 7:21 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:

Rethinking my early morning Dunkin' Donuts run.

4 degrees F. right now with a wind chill of minus 5-10.


Got remote start on that Colorado?



Thankfully, yes.Â* This morning I let it run through two complete, 10
minute warm up cycles before I ventured out.Â* Temp had actually dropped
another degree to 3.

Below a certain temp the remote starter also automatically turns on the
seat heater which is nice.Â* Makes a big difference!



Â*From what I've read...warming up while sitting idling isn't good for
the vehicle or the environment.Â* They say it's better to drive away
slowly for the first 5-10 minutes.
I have a dedicated long extension cord that I use to plug in the block
heater. I bought an electric battery blanket also but haven't
installed it yet.
An hour before I go anywhere on mornings below -10C, I throw the
inside switch that controls 2 of my 3 outside plugs.Â* The Highlander
starts easily and warms up much faster.


Car manufacturers used to warn about idling a car for long periods
because it was bad for the catalytic converter.Â* Don't know if that's
true anymore as remote starters in cold climates have become very
popular.Â* I don't have a garage and when you use the remote start it
also turns on the windshield and rear window defroster full blast.
Without that benefit, I'd be sitting in the driveway for a while anyway
waiting to see where I was going.

In any event I only use it on these very cold mornings.Â* My total drive
to and from the local Dunkin's is only 10 minutes and I like doing it
without freezing my ass off.




https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t99kvfsXGVk/hqdefault.jpg