8
My boss in Tulsa still thinks you need to warm up a diesel for 15 minutes before driving, even on a mild day.
I've been logging cold start data on our fleet for three years and the wear difference is negligible if you just drive gently for the first mile. Anyone else have a shop stuck on old habits like this?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
laurag791mo ago
Is the synthetic oil part maybe overselling it a bit?
5
paul2861mo ago
That data is solid. Modern engines with common rail injection and synthetic oil just don't need it. The real wear happens from revving a cold engine high, not from gentle load.
2
eva_adams681mo ago
Yeah, that's a tough one to break. I get the old school thinking, but even the synthetic oil point misses the bigger picture. The real key is the coolant and oil getting up to temp under a light load, not just sitting there idling. An idling engine takes way longer to warm up the transmission and rear axle fluid too. So you're actually causing more wear on the whole drive train by letting it sit.
-1