Vehicle idling - why do drivers do it?

[dessiato]

My X5 got nicked last year; it's only distinctive feature being the scoured bonnet where my helpful nephew cleaned it with a scouring pad. Longshot I realise

Not that I want the bloody thing back.

This one was black.

 

[StoneRoad]

Apart from the postie, whose current van is an objectionable junk heap that won't re-start when "hot" [the depot spare as the one he normally drives is away being "fixed" as in unbent 'cos a tractor tried to write it off a couple of weeks ago], none of the deliveries here in the last few weeks have left the motor running.
I presume that habit is to stop toerags twocing the van, they almost always lock the cargo doors as well, probably for a similar reason.

I do know that for some buses and waggons it used to be cheaper to leave 'em running, rather than restart. Used to be a real problem at some bus stops used for 'waiting time' . Sometimes generating complaints from nearby residents and the like.

There was a "stand" near Central Station that frequently had a row of buses "waiting time" before doing their next trip. One of the less popular drivers was there one day, when the driver behind him used a brolly to push the emergency engine stop before pulling away on his next trip. That needed a fitter to correct and then restart the stopped bus. It happened to that "poor" driver several times before the trick was seen. Given that the button pusher had had the unpopular driver call him a "few insulting names, one or two with racist overtones" that morning ... there was a bit of a kerfuffle with drivers & the union reps before that matter was solved. The unpopular driver was persuaded to go somewhere else for work and the button pushers all got a severe reprimand.

 

[MickiQ]

My Audi has auto stop and it enables by default when I start the car and I always press the button to disable it. I don't think it is as smart as it needs to be since it has stopped the engine when I don't want the engine stopped, (turning right in traffic, on a entry ramp to a car park etc). In a completely stationary traffic jam I sometimes enable it again but not often. If I stop because I want to stop then I will park it properly and turn the engine off. I often see people leaving their vehicles running unattended (delivery drivers are terrible for this) when I go out for a walk and have to fight the urge to jump in them and drive off. I'm sure I can't be the only one that gets that urge which is why I have never left a car running unattended ever

 

[Saul Goodman]

I often see people leaving their vehicles running unattended (delivery drivers are terrible for this) when I go out for a walk and have to fight the urge to jump in them and drive off. I'm sure I can't be the only one that gets that urge which is why I have never left a car running unattended ever

No, you're not alone

 

[weltweit]

I leave my engine running while opening the gates and I always have a good look around for any miscreants while I do it.

 

[moomoo]

So do any drivers want to fess up to doing this with reasons?

I do this when I’m sitting in my car at lunchtime because if I turn the engine off while I’m listening to the radio then the battery goes flat.

 

[weltweit]

I do this when I’m sitting in my car at lunchtime because if I turn the engine off while I’m listening to the radio then the battery goes flat.

You either have a very weak battery or a very powerful radio.

 

[weltweit]

moomoo or both

 

[klang]

moomoo's stereo

 

[Looby]

My Audi has auto stop and it enables by default when I start the car and I always press the button to disable it. I don't think it is as smart as it needs to be since it has stopped the engine when I don't want the engine stopped, (turning right in traffic, on a entry ramp to a car park etc). In a completely stationary traffic jam I sometimes enable it again but not often. If I stop because I want to stop then I will park it properly and turn the engine off. I often see people leaving their vehicles running unattended (delivery drivers are terrible for this) when I go out for a walk and have to fight the urge to jump in them and drive off. I'm sure I can't be the only one that gets that urge which is why I have never left a car running unattended ever

That has to be faulty. I’ve had start stop in cars and it’s never done that. I guess it is an Audi though.

 

[weltweit]

That has to be faulty. I’ve had start stop in cars and it’s never done that. I guess it is an Audi though.

I thought they were rules based, i.e if you were stationary with your feet on the brake and the clutch then the engine stops .. otherwise and it won't?

 

[MickiQ]

That has to be faulty. I’ve had start stop in cars and it’s never done that. I guess it is an Audi though.

No I don't think it is, it is quite smart in some ways, it disables itself if the air con is on or after multiple stop starts, if I stall it then it wil automatically restart. When I first got the car (the first one I've had with this feature) I tolerated it for a bit because I thought it was cool but decided I just didn't like it or trust it. Perhaps it's me rather than the car but I decided my judgement was better than its was.

 

[MickiQ]

I thought they were rules based, i.e if you were stationary with your feet on the brake and the clutch then the engine stops .. otherwise and it won't?

Mine is a manual the engine will restart when the clutch is pressed in the auto version it restarts when the accelerator is pressed.
It stops when the vehicle is in neutral and not moving, you don't need to be pressing any pedals. (It has an auto handbrake feature as well and that is brilliant)
Turning right across a flow of traffic I drop into neutral rather than sit there with my foot on the pedal. If I do that engine will stop when I release the pedal and I don't want it to. It will start again when I press the clutch to put it in gear but I just don't like that since it adds an extra element I consider unecessary.

 

[planetgeli]

Mine automatically stops (which I can disable) but only if I take my foot off the clutch and put it in neutral. Not in that order obvs. It's never messed me up. I heard it's only efficient if you stop for 30 secs but I have no idea if that's true. I've never left my car idling, regardless. I was, however, a delivery driver of sorts for a short while. You'd leave it idling too. Not my van, why do I care.

 

[Dystopiary]

This is a particularly large pet hate of mine.

Actually I remember my dad picking me up from a woman I used to sometimes get a lift with when I was in primary school. He used to chat with her from the car and leave the engine running. It used to reeeeally drag out. We were always skint too! But then maybe he was worried the thing might not start again otherwise! That's probably not the reason, however, as some years later he admitted he quite fancied her.

 

[two sheds]

My dad would have agreed. He used to switch the engine off when going downhill. Eco-driving before his time

 

[moomoo]

You either have a very weak battery or a very powerful radio.

I have a very weak battery. I’ve had to be jump started after work more than once. Thankfully they keep a set of jump leads behind the customer service desk.

 

[keybored]

Turning right across a flow of traffic I drop into neutral rather than sit there with my foot on the pedal. If I do that engine will stop when I release the pedal and I don't want it to. It will start again when I press the clutch to put it in gear but I just don't like that since it adds an extra element I consider unecessary.

Spotted the problem.

 

[DownwardDog]

So do any drivers want to fess up to doing this with reasons?

I've owned some cars (Evo 8RS, R32 GTR) that needed time for the turbos to cool while maintaining oil pressure. It wasn't advisable to just shut them off without letting them idle for 5 minutes otherwise I'd have very hot engine oil trapped in the turbine and compressors which would quickly break down leading to carbon deposits and highly expensive turbos being fucked.

 

[Elpenor]

A former colleague had a Nissan that would do that, he’d leave it running and it would shut off automatically. I assume it was the same arrangement. He was into his cars anyway.

 

[Looby]

No I don't think it is, it is quite smart in some ways, it disables itself if the air con is on or after multiple stop starts, if I stall it then it wil automatically restart. When I first got the car (the first one I've had with this feature) I tolerated it for a bit because I thought it was cool but decided I just didn't like it or trust it. Perhaps it's me rather than the car but I decided my judgement was better than its was.

Ah ok, I’ve only had it in autos. I still think it’s a good feature you just need to get used to.

My new car doesn’t have it which is annoying as I really liked it.
It also doesn’t display the tyre pressures which is annoying and seems odd in a very modern car.

 

[Spymaster]

There seems to be an element of exploiting an imaginary loophole whereby you can stop on double yellow lines, across the entrance to a school, blocking the entire pavement or whatever stupid fucking place and it doesn't count as illegal parking because the engine is still running so you're technically still driving, just really really slowly.

No. That what hazard warning lights are for. When you turn them on they give you instant immunity to parking legislation.

 

[cybershot]

We slightly discussed this last month in another thread.

https://www.urban75.net/forums/thre...heir-bikes-for-no-reason.361825/post-17261410

But easily missed. I’ll copy paste my reply.


Knob by my old house used to do this in winter. Assume because his OH didn’t want his cigarette smoke in the house so went and sit in his car with the engine idling to keep warm while he also browsed his phone for 15 mins. Used to boil my piss.



My old next door neighbour also in winter used to start his car 10 minutes before he left for work. I wouldn’t mind but he left for work at 6:30am so had this idling car under my bedroom window for 10 minutes because god forbid couldn’t get into a cold car. I was tempted to run out and get in and park it round the corner to scare the shit out of him that it had been nicked but doubt I’d have got off the drive before he noticed.



Hopefully there’s less dickheads where I’ve moved too once winter kicks in who enjoy pointlessly idling their cars.

 

[Looby]

The winter morning thing I can sort of understand because you can’t drive off until your windscreen is clear. For me it wouldn’t be about getting the car warm.
I don’t leave for work that early but I start my engine to get the heaters on and start spraying and scraping. On a very frosty day, that could probably take 5-10 minutes.
I wouldn’t just start it up abs leave it though.

 

[weltweit]

Looby I am the same in winter, start engine heater on windscreen and rear window heater on then out I get to scrape the outside of the windows ..

 

[MickiQ]

During winter i keep an empty 2ltr pop bottle tucked behind the plant pot next to the front door, if the car needs defrosting bring the pop bottle in and fill it with warm water from the tap.
Start the car, turn on rear window heater and front defrost then tip the water over the frost . It's gone in moments. Stick the bottle back behind the plant pot and ready to go.

 

[dessiato]

It's so long since I've lived in the UK I'd forgotten about the palaver of winter starting.

 

[two sheds]

It's so long since I've lived in the UK I'd forgotten about the palaver of winter starting.

Likewise, it's so long since I've had a car I'd forgotten about the palaver of winter starting.

 

[weltweit]

It's so long since I've lived in the UK I'd forgotten about the palaver of winter starting.

Indeed but British cold weather starting is nothing when you compare it to Canadian winter starting. I think I read somewhere that in Canada you plug your car in to an electric heater to keep the cylinder block from turning to Ice.

 

[souljacker]

During winter i keep an empty 2ltr pop bottle tucked behind the plant pot next to the front door, if the car needs defrosting bring the pop bottle in and fill it with warm water from the tap.
Start the car, turn on rear window heater and front defrost then tip the water over the frost . It's gone in moments. Stick the bottle back behind the plant pot and ready to go.

That's not advisable though. You can crack the windscreen.