With the cold New England winter weather about to swoop down on us, I

have a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why, you ask? Because

every winter when my boyfriend and I get into my car, I start it, then

I put the car in gear after about 30 seconds and drive off. This

drives my boyfriend nuts, and I have to hear about "how bad it is for

my car" to put it into Drive before it warms up. He will start his car

and sit there for a good five to 10 minutes before he shifts into

Drive. My question is this: Am I really doing harm to my car by not

letting the engine run for 10 minutes? If not, how can I prove this to

him? I found an article in The New York Times a couple of years ago

that stated that nothing is gained by sitting in a freezing-cold car

while the motor is running before you shift into Drive. He thinks that

the reporter at the Times didn't know what he was talking about. But

he just might listen to you if you say it's OK. Please help! It's cold

here in Boston! -- Lisa



RAY: How do you prove it to him, Lisa? Hand him this column and ask

him to read the following aloud:



TOM: Dear Lisa's Boyfriend: You have your head so far up your tailpipe

on this one, it may be coming out your air intake.



RAY: How's that, Lisa? Will that do it? You're absolutely right, as is

the reporter from The New York Times. On modern, fuel-injected cars --

basically anything made in the past 20 years -- you're not helping the

car at all by warming it up for five or 10 minutes.



TOM: On older, carbureted cars, that kind of extended warm-up can

actually cause damage to the engine by diluting the oil with excess

fuel. So it's even worse if you have a really old heap.



RAY: But with modern cars, all you're doing with a long warm-up is

wasting gas, increasing pollution, raising the temperature of the

planet and making yourself 10 minutes late for your chiropractic

appointment. The proper procedure is to start the car. If it starts

and keeps running, put it in Drive and go. Go gently (don't back out

of your driveway and floor it right onto a highway entrance ramp),

because you'll be warming it up during your first few minutes of

driving, but DO drive it.



TOM: If it's bitterly cold out, like 10 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit or

lower, you can let it warm up for a minute or two to allow the oil to

thin out a bit and circulate completely. But other than that, if it

runs, driving it gently is the best way to warm it up.



RAY: So tell your boyfriend he not only needs to get off your case

about this, but he needs to stop warming up the car himself.



TOM: AND, to make up for all the misplaced grief he's given you over

the years, he needs to start going to bed 10 minutes before you do, to

warm up the bed for you on cold winter nights. That's a warm-up

activity he can do that's actually useful!