Best advice for VERY short trips

Amkeer · May 24, 2005

The vehicle is a tool that is meant to be used. You can replace engines and sheetmetal, but you can't replace lives! Use the vehicle and be happy!

Just do what I do and keep up on the maintenance. Your idea of using that vehicle once a week is the ticket. I would use Mobil1 and just change it every 6 months.

My last vehicle went 18 years on the short trips so I don't think you will have to worry about a broken engine.

Audi Junkie · May 24, 2005

My cousin's GM OLM went off after 2200 miles, short-tripping in NEPA winter. That should be a caution aginst extending ocis out past 3000mi with a basic oil. Driving her vehicle to work on fridays seems to be an excellent idea. I actually chimed in again to suggest getting an oil extractor, like the Pela. They are cheap and allow changes without even putting a knee on the ground. It's better than a DIY drain in the middle of winter and better than waiting at Ertley MotorWorld for some teenager to change your oil...an mess something up. The oil extractor works on trannies too. Old oil out, new oil in...5 minutes, $5.

Pablo · May 24, 2005

quote:

Sounds like an ideal environment for an electric vehicle.

Excellent idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Electric cart, fully covered would do it.

Of course if it's a matter or life or death, drive the car. I don't think anyone here would suggest any different. We are simply trying to answer the caller's question.

berge · May 24, 2005

my wife's van sees the same kind of driving patterns. I use synthetic oil, changed 2X/year, I just try to take it out once a week or so for a brief run on the highway. that also lets me notice if there are any other issues with the vehicle.

other than that, don't change your life for a car. the vehicle is here to serve you, not the other way around.

Geoff · May 24, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by Thorn:
With all of the headlines in today's news, I can't say that I want them walking to the bus stop, which is probably less than a quarter-mile away.

Can't blame you. Its irrational not to knowing the risks these days. I wouldn't let the kids swim in shark infested waters either. We do same...and the car takes a relative beating, but still running fine after 91K miles.

AstroVic · May 24, 2005

I would buy a very cheap (but high quality) 5W30 dino oil such as SuperTech ($0.97/quart) or TropArtic ($1.00/quart at Dollar Tree, $1.12/quart at Walmart) and I would change it every 2,000 to 2,500 miles.

The new API SM TropArtic 5W30 is a synthetic blend, so that would probably be my first choice, particularly since you have cold starts to contend with.

But that's just me.

pinoy99 · May 24, 2005

Just trade-in the Honda when the youngest kid is old enough to handle the walk/wait at the bus stop thus the short trip scenario is gone or minimized for the new car. The current Honda should hold its value even more due < miles.

Let's face it we buy cars mostly for transportation/necessity and convinience. Plus, why pay good money for that car if it will just be in the garage.

edvanp · May 24, 2005

I have the same issue with my son. Drives to work which is about 3 miles away. Lots of short trips. Thinking of changing it out to some 5w20 syn.blend that I got for a $1 quart then changing it out 1,500-2,000 miles. I told him he needs to take the truck on a ride longer then 10 miles once a week to get things up to operating temp.

andrews · May 24, 2005

quote:

The general idea was that it is kinda stupid to drive more just to save the oil.

Sorry, I guess my opinion puts me into the stupid catagory.

ediamiam · May 24, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by andrews:

quote:

The general idea was that it is kinda stupid to drive more just to save the oil.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I guess my opinion puts me into the stupid catagory.

Not necessarily - short trips like that are **** on exhaust components like the muffler. i let my sister borrow my old beater to take 1 mile trips to the BART station for 1 year. had to replace the muffler, also exhaust manifold nuts had to be tightened and retorqued. more than just oil at issue here.

Gary Allan · May 24, 2005

quote:

Sorry, I guess my opinion puts me into the stupid catagory.

and

quote:

Not necessarily - short trips like that are **** on exhaust components like the muffler. i let my sister borrow my old beater to take 1 mile trips to the BART station for 1 year. had to replace the muffler, also exhaust manifold nuts had to be tightened and retorqued. more than just oil at issue here.

I'll say this too. Not necessarily. The only odd view to it is that you're exchanging one future expense for a current one. For some situations there is no practical solution.

I had a guy on another board inquire about emulsified oil/moisture in his engine. I accurately described his short trip situation without any information from him. I then gave him two alternatives. I said you can either drive the long way to work each day ..lengthen the drive until the condition stops appearing ...or change the oil often enough to make the condition stop appearing. You can then weigh the differences in costs.

He decided to just live with it since he wasn't "in love" with the car.

oily boyd · May 24, 2005

Thorn,

When I was a young man, my mom drove a '77 Impala (305 V8 w/ carburetor of course) 3 blocks to work, let sit for 8 hours and then 3 blocks back home.

It used to drive my dad nuts because the car never warmed up.

I changed the oil every month in the winter(Pennz 5W-30 which was available back in the '80's) and every 2 months in the summer (10W-30) - I never went by mileage.

Probably overkill but that car went 200,000 miles plus with NO problems ever (except mufflers rusted rather quickly due to no warmup).

Just lettin' ya know - it worked for me!

srivett · May 24, 2005

XS650: People definately need to teach their kids to look! I watch kids not check before they cross the road all the time. I see 5 year olds get off the bus and run across a highway without looking. I see 12 year olds do it and I see 16 year olds run across the road after getting off the bus. Nobody looks. They keep this up during their adult life and do the same thing when getting off of public transit or when going through cross walks.

As for me, I'm smarter than a deer so I do what I can to keep myself from becoming roadkill. It's not fair to myself or the unfortunate driver that has to do the dirty work.

Steve

Ugly3 · May 24, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by oily boyd:
Thorn,

When I was a young man, my mom drove a '77 Impala (305 V8 w/ carburetor of course) 3 blocks to work, let sit for 8 hours and then 3 blocks back home.

It used to drive my dad nuts because the car never warmed up.

I changed the oil every month in the winter(Pennz 5W-30 which was available back in the '80's) and every 2 months in the summer (10W-30) - I never went by mileage.

Probably overkill but that car went 200,000 miles plus with NO problems ever (except mufflers rusted rather quickly due to no warmup).

Just lettin' ya know - it worked for me!

Exactly the right program!

LarryL · May 24, 2005

A pan heater could be unplugged by you. It does not have to be unplugged exactly when the vehicle is driven off. If there is some lag time you still get the benifit of warm oil. I think one of the site sponsors sells them. We use pan heaters for emergency generators. Our experience is that if the oil is warm the water catches up real quick. And there is a lot less condensation dripping out of the exhaust on start up/warm up. It looks like the right place to use a Xw-20 synthetic oil and do a uoa and maybe get the added opinion of Terry Dyson on the whole situation. It might be a lot cheaper than the wear and tear of doing nothing special.

pitzel · May 24, 2005

Didn't we have a thread about this a few weeks back?

Fuel dilution really isn't the issue some here make it out to be in properly mechanically maintained vehicles. Especially so when fuel-injection is involved.

I personally would still stick with a 5k mi OCI schedule, even despite the short-trips.

tekdeus · May 24, 2005

Use polarized oil like Bi-Tron to fuse a permanent layer of lubrication, completely eliminating dry starts.

Kelton · May 24, 2005

I'm not sure I understand the damage caused by short trips...
Even if you drive 10 miles one way, you still are going through the dry start, still going through that first 'not warmed up' mile...and the damage that is caused by these things happens. The fact that you continue driving for 9 more miles doesn't 'fix' the damage of that cold start and initial mile does it?

I do understand that a car with 40,000 miles but all of those miles have been super-short trips is different than a car with 40,000 long trip miles. But, if a car has been started and driven the same number of times as that super-short trip car (regardless of the longer trip lengths)...wouldn't the basic damage be the same?

Every long drive starts out with an initial cold short drive. What am I missing?

Kelton

Losiho · May 24, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by Kelton:
I'm not sure I understand the damage caused by short trips...
Even if you drive 10 miles one way, you still are going through the dry start, still going through that first 'not warmed up' mile...and the damage that is caused by these things happens. The fact that you continue driving for 9 more miles doesn't 'fix' the damage of that cold start and initial mile does it?

I do understand that a car with 40,000 miles but all of those miles have been super-short trips is different than a car with 40,000 long trip miles. But, if a car has been started and driven the same number of times as that super-short trip car (regardless of the longer trip lengths)...wouldn't the basic damage be the same?

Every long drive starts out with an initial cold short drive. What am I missing?

Kelton

The cold start is not really the problem - the oil doesn't reach full operating temp during a short trip, and this is where sludge and deposits can occur. And oil is not up to full temperature once the engine coolant guage shows normal operating temps.

Shannow · May 24, 2005

As a person who loves his car pool of 1 (I don't work the same hours as my colleagues, and really hate car pools, and get my car up to temperature, and only use 15l/week doing so.

I'd suggest getting some similarly minded parents to yourselves, and at least filling a car with kids, on a round trip to the bus-stop.

Would:
* give some of the Mums a day or two off;
* give the cars a chance to warm up;
* would still be safe (if you trust the others).

Best advice for VERY short trips

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