In a recent viral TikTok, four mechanics revealed whether you should spend time warming up your car before driving it or if it’s a useless step you can skip.
Genuine Automotive (@genuineautomotivetx) has reached over 2.7 million views on its video. In the caption, the account asks viewers, “Do you let your car warm up before taking off and driving it?”
What do the mechanics say?
The video starts with the cameraperson walking up to a mechanic working on a Honda vehicle. “Hey, Keith, is it better to warm up your car before driving it?” he asks.
“Always,” Keith says with a nod. “Let the fluids warm up and circulate,”
The next mechanic answered, “I personally do. I like to do it at least for 30 seconds or so.” He adds that warming up your car helps “really get the oil flowing through the engine [well].”
“Hey Seth, is it better to warm up your car before driving it?” the cameraperson asks another mechanic. “It is, especially if you have a turbo,” Seth responds.
AET Turbos agrees and states that with most turbocharged engines, “oil needs to warm up before it can effectively lubricate … which means it’s a good idea to take it easy on the accelerator pedal until your car has warmed up!”
The company also warns that “oil takes longer than engine coolant to heat up – so wait at least 10 minutes after your coolant has reached optimum temperature before putting your right foot down.”
Predictably, the last Genuine Automotive mechanic in the video says warming up your car before driving is a “100 percent” must-do. “You gotta make sure you warm up because you wanna make sure the oil flows [well] through the engine,” he says. “It helps with making them last longer.”
@genuineautomotiveatx Do you let your car warm up before taking off and driving it?
♬ original sound – Genuine Automotive
How long do you need to warm it up?
One viewer in the comments section joked, “I let mine idle for 2 days before driving.”
Another said, “A good 30-45 seconds is all you need while you put on your seat belt and choose the song you want to listen to.”
According to WGN-TV, “Even the U.S. Department of Energy notes that guidance from most car manufacturers says your vehicle is ready to drive after just 30 seconds of warming up.”
“When cold, oil becomes thicker, which makes it more difficult for the engine to be lubricated. This could in turn cause wear and tear on the engine,” the outlet continues.
The Daily Dot reached out to request a comment from Genuine Automotive via TikTok comment and email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the i
