Stop / Start Journeys.

it will not be good for it. change the oil at least every 6 months. preferably get someone else's car to use (like a lease car)

I have been here, the concensus will be that you have to walk, end of.

Correct, and if you need the car, you should be able to push it over that short distance.

These 20 short journeys per day though might not be so bad since the car won't be getting that much chance to cool down in between them.

It's stone-cold engine, 1 mile, then turn off that's supposed to be the worst I think.

It's a tool! Use it and stop worrying about it.

It'll be fine. People will post some old theories based on s**te old cars from years ago, where their mums brothers daughters mates dads friend once said it was bad for cars. In reality, it won't hurt it.

A taxi may be a cheaper option.

How long do you expect to keep it? If you plan on keeping it for ages, then yes, it will make it die faster. If you plan to keep it up to just 50 or

60k, then it'll be fine, just get through exhaust pipes faster than usual.

I agree it probably won't have a significant effect on the engine, but it could maybe reduce the life of the exhaust system, if it seldom reaches normal operating temperature. Mike.

My wife is a district nurse, and does this kind of thing every day. She did

50k miles in her last car, and there didn't appear to be any signs damage from using it this way.

I'm not sure your practice of keeping the revs low is correct though - too low and the oil pressure will drop, causing more wear to the bearings in your engine. I tend to stay above 2000 rpm most of the time, but don't cane it until it is warmed up.

Andy.

JUST WALK. It'll take you longer to drive than walk.

Depends where the driving is. Sometimes it's unavoidable. In my last job I had to teach lessons in three different sites. About 600 yards from site A to site B, and another 600 to site C. The only way to get from site A to site C and vice versa without being late for your lesson was to drive. I know, it's bad planning, timetabling, whatever, but I couldn't control that.

Unless you're carrying a lot of equipment just jump on a bike. I can carry ~20kg of books and papers in a rucksack for ~34 miles a day on my bike with relatively little problem or sweating, and at the same or higher average speed than i get in the car doing the same journey. Its remarkable what you can do when you think outside the normal realms of what is "acceptable".

Correction, 20lbs!

We were planning keeping it for as long as it will go to be honest. The last (similar) car we had was still going 17 years later and we only sold it this year as it just wasn't safe compared to modern cars. In response to those that say walk - well it's not as easy as that!. I'm on call with the local fire station and only have a couple of minutes once the pager goes off. Add that to the equipment I am carrying and you may understand that walking isn't an option, but I'd sure like to have it. I am in the genuine few percent that cannot walk. Exhausts and battery wear doesnt bother me - but major engine wear does!.

Only keep the revs low till it is warm, then aim to run at about 2500 -

3000rpm in normal use

VW did a comprehensive analysis of cold-start engine wear back in the 70's. Their conclusion was that wear was minimised by driving off immediately, with light to moderate engine load, and RPM at about where the particular engine develops its maximum torque.

John

Genuine question here : why not a bike? jump on, ride to station (which if in an urban area could well be faster than driving for a journey < 1 mile), dump bike in appropriate place, pick up kit, zoom off?

IOW what's stopping you keeping the kit at the station and having an appropriate place to drop a bike? (I'm guessing there are things stopping you doing that, but would be interested to know what they are and if there's a good way to change them).

cheers, clive

You'll change your mind the first time you realise that you just had a LWB Land Rover or Lorry lost behind the RSJ that's now known as an A pillar.

It'll wear more, but you're talking at absolute worst about an engine that dies at 100000 miles rather than 500000.

I guess the problem with walking is how long it takes. Let's say for example, if I need to take the train to work, the station is just over a mile from my house. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it takes approx 20 minutes to walk there (approx 3mph walking speed). A mile doesn't sound like a lot when you own a car, but walking it takes bloody ages.

It's a bit like all these people who complain about Mum's on the school run. If it is only a mile to the school why do you drive? Because it's

20 minutes walk in and 20 minutes walk back or 5 minutes in the car. And that has to be done twice a day. So 80 minutes walking as opposed to 10 minutes in the car a day, or 400 minutes a week as opposed to 50 minutes in a car. Probably not best for our new generation of obese kids, but it's more than understandable. Do you know how much Trisha you could watch in 400 minutes?

Regards,

Tim