Petrol and diesel drivers risk engine damage with common habit during winter

CAR EXPERTS have warned about a common habit during winter that could damage your car engine.

Motorists with a petrol or diesel vehicle are wasting a combined £188million on fuel costs while idling over winter.

And during the winter, the average UK driver leaves their car running for 244 minutes.

A recent study by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) revealed that 64% of drivers let their engines idle during colder months.

And more than four in ten admitted to doing so at least three times per week.

The report showed that the average idle time during winter is 4.79 minutes.

Shockingly, one in six motorists leaves their car running for at least ten minutes to get everything warm.

Farooq Yaqub, Member of the IET’s Council and EV expert, said to the Daily Express: “It only typically takes less than 30 seconds to lubricate your engine once running, and when driving, your engine should quickly reach full operating temperature. 

“Excessive idling can also actually damage your engine’s components, including spark plugs, cylinders and exhaust systems – and an idling engine can produce up to twice the emissions of a car in motion.”

And it’s illegal to keep a car engine idling under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

And breaking this law can result in a £20 fixed-penalty fine, rising to £40 if not paid within the timeframe, and local councils may add an additional fine on top of this.

Rule 123 of the Highway Code says: “You must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.”