So the thing is... I was ordering some food at a shop and a car was parked there in front of all the people. The guy was also ordering food. Well that car stood there for 20 minutes and he didn't even shut his engine off. I was really annoyed because it was blowing all kinds of emissions in the air, disrupting the peace with its noise and its just en general waste of fuel. I really wanted to punch that guy and know what the hell he was thinking.

I noticed a lot of people do this in this country and I just think its a waste of fuel and completely unnecessary. It takes a simple movement of the wrist to turn it off and it starts back up within a second. I want to know what motivates people to just leave their engine on for more then 10 minutes. or even 30 seconds. Dangerous too to just leave your car like that too. Someone could just drive away with it.

I go by the 7 seconds rule (read about it somewhere on the internet). If you come to a halt for more then 7 seconds then its better to turn of the engine to save fuel.

 

7 seconds seems a bit short, but if I know I'm going to be stuck somewhere for over 2 minutes, I turn it off to save gas. I usually do it while waiting for trains, at the ATM, and even in the drive-thru line (Whataburger is slow as hell). If I'm waiting and it gets really hot (Texas summers argh), I'll turn it back on for some AC. And if you're waiting on a girl, yeah, don't even bother putting the key in the ignition.

 

if you shut your car off if you're only stopped for 7 seconds you're killing your drivetrain

honestly you're not wasting that much gas or killing the enviroment he probably burnt less than a quarter of a gallon that whole time

 

GRAMMAR NAZI! It's "leave" not live

 

I've heard the rule is closer to 20 seconds but it doesn't make much of a difference.

20 minutes is WAY WAY too long. Most manuals will tell you not to leave your car idling for longer than 5 minutes because it can overheat and cause permanent engine damage.

The only place I've seen people do that is way up north where temperatures can routinely hit -40 celcius. They don't want their engine blocks to cool down making a restart very difficult.

 

Wow, your car would get stolen like that around here

 

My thoughts exactly! It's basically an invitation: "Hey I want my car stolen"

 

if my ass is ever removed from the seat.. the engine is off and the key is with me.

 

Roger that. It does not take very long to insert key and start car so why take a chance and waste fuel?

 

Because you "read it somewhere"?

What do you do at red lights? Shut the car off?

 

Chill, did you see he was from Tailand?

 

It's Thailand!!!

 

no, i do not leave my engine running. If I know a particular light is longer than 45 seconds, I turn the engine off to save fuel.

 

You're probably wasting more fuel starting up the engine than you would have wasted if you let it run.

My rule is pretty simple. If my butt is in the seat and I'm driving somewhere the engine is one, traffic light or not. When I have stopped at whatever my destination is at that time, my engine is turned off, I'm out of the car and the key is in my pocket.

 

^ this is true.

generally, if i'm at a destination, be it a coffee shop or a 7 eleven, the key is going in my pocket. i don't want to leave an invitation for thieves. if i'm stopping quickly to get something out of the hatch to bring up front with me, i'll probably leave the engine running and try to be very aware of my surroundings.

 

i mean maybe im reading this wrong but its a honda fit. i dont worry about saving gas. i drive the piss out of mine around city and still average 34 miles to the gallon. that being said i rarely get out of my car and leave it on. if not for the fear of it being stolen that somehow magically my doors will lock and i wont be able to get back into it. also it unlocks my doors for me when i take the key out which i blatantly enjoy. as for twenty minuts burning a quarter tank i highly doubt that. its just an idle. and im from the north we still dont leave our car running when we go in places. even if it is cold the engine isnt going to completely cool down in twenty minuts which is much longer than id leave it running.

 

I happen to have some experience with that lol. It's really not bad unless you leave it like an hour. and no I dont leave my car on when I get out of it unless Im standing 2 feet away from my car

 

I worked on my fit with the engine on for 30minutes in an unventilated garage and I came out fine

 

Ahhh..peace and punch in the same sentence..classic...

 

That hasn't been true with cars for at least the last ten years. It takes very little fuel to start a car nowadays. You definitely burn more idling that long than stopping and starting again.