Gasoline Facts:No Idle Law Helps Air and Wallet

It seems that some cities in the U.S. have been declared no idle zones. This means that the city has restrictions on how long a car can idle before being in violation. I just learned that I live in one of these cities (whoops its been a while too.) As I was researching the facts behind the idle zone designation I learned some really great things that can lead to saving money - mainly on gas and car maintenance.

For those of you reading over 30, remember when you were a kid and your parents would run outside about 25 minutes before it was time to go to work/school to start and "warm up" the car. Back then, cars needed to be warmed up. But I learned modern vehicles do not need to be "warmed up." I normally get out of the house in the morning with only six minutes to spare before my train arrives, so I have no time to do anything but drive to the train station. I always felt guilty about not warming up my car. Now I can run out to my car guilt-free. Here are some facts from cleanwateraction.org:

Idling for more than 10 seconds actually uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

Tests show no more than 30 seconds is needed to circulate engine oil.

The best way to warm up your vehicle is to drive it.

Idling can actually damage engines because it is operating not at peak (or high) operating temperatures. It causes incomplete combusions and more harmful pollutants to be released into the air. Fuel residues also form and contaminate engine oil and damage engine parts. In addition, water can condense in vehicle's exhaust.

Modern vehicles don't require any idling to warm them up. (Source: Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada)

Okay, so you can be GREEN and save a few bucks on gas and car repairs. There is also another way to save money on gas. Drive America
Auto Club provides emergency road assistance and bunch of other money-saving member benefits. Right now it has a special offer: Get $80 in FREE GAS - Join Drive America today! FYI- the free gas comes in form of quarterly rebates so don't forget to check out my tips for redeeming rebates.