It is an important fact to know when you idle your vehicle it wastes money. It may not seem like much but over time, the amount of money that you waste idling increases considerably. Emissions increase when you idle causing a hazardous situation due to poisonous gas. Pollution will increase in waiting areas where numerous vehicles are idling like in front of a school or hospital pickup area. Children are predominantly susceptible to pollutants. You consume ten times more fuel idling for ten seconds than you would if you stopped and started your engine. Idling causes an increase for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere therefore adding to global warming.
What many people do not know is that you can damage your engine by excessive idling; the engine does not completely burn its fuel, which may cause residue buildup inside the engine. This residue deposited onto your spark plugs can add to the inefficiency of your car. If you have not had a tune up lately then you are using even more fuel if you idle. Using your air conditioner will even further increase discharge and fuel consumption.
There are ways to avoid excessive idling. Buy an engine block heater to warm up your engine prior to starting it. This will loosen lubricants within the engine and allow for an easier, smoother startup and operation. An Alternative to buying an engine block would be to just start the car and drive immediately. Guess what, the car will warm the lubricants in the engine when you drive more efficiently than idling.
If you want to save money always turn off your car do not idle, idling wastes fuel by running the engine longer than you would if you just turned the car off. With the high cost of fuel and repairs, you may be surprised at how much money you will save by not idling.
Idling is a worldwide problem. The amount of pollutants added to the air and the increase of global warming due to the carbon dioxide mixed with emission gases is enormous. If you would like to find out more about how idling affects the environment and your wallet, contact the Environmental Protection Agency near you and ask about idling or go online and do a search for “idling” or “things you should know about car idling.” There is a buzz about the affects of idling. Some countries are starting “Stop Idling” campaigns. Do Mother Earth a favor and stop idling!