Low mileage travel to work - bad for car?

T

Theog

Member
 Kent
Afternoon all,

I have heard all the time that low mileage travel to work is bad. One time I heard its because the car stops before it has time to warm up. Therefore the oil doesn't have time to get around the system. If you carry on doing this it essentially grinds metal on metal and wears it over time.

There is a small chance I will be working 4 miles away from my house. Is this bad news for the car?

Sound backwards, but could I leave it running for 5 mins to warm up before I take it out to ensure it's oil has a good run around.

Any ideas?

Theo
 
Short trips are bad but so is warming at idle. Fast idle is better but you'd be better off going for a good run once a week.
 
Scooba_Steve said:
Short trips are bad but so is warming at idle. Fast idle is better but you'd be better off going for a good run once a week.
Click to expand...

+1

Its a catch 22 this and the reason I no longer own an Evo, after buying a house close to work (about 3 miles) running a turbo that tiny distance everyday is bad news, realistically on an NA engine it isnt (shouldnt be) a major issue as long as the car gets a good run fairly regularly but there is no escaping the whole most engine wear happens when the car is first started and run.

Bottom line, use it as an excuse to give the car a blast at the weekend or cycle to work and use that as an excuse to go for a longer further blast :driving: :thumbsup: :P
 
Constant short distances are bad for all cars although probably less so for electric cars. How far is your short journey?
 
Good question. IMHO 4 miles is probably just about far enough to warm all the vitals, so I doubt your generating any more wear than a 10 mile commute. Just means your never going to be able to have a little play, unless you take the long way home. :D

If you had said a 1 mile commute as some one once did then I'd have suggested you buy a Clio or some such and wreck that. :wink:
 
My works is just over a mile one way, probably one and a half. But I go a longer route home which is about 8 miles in length. Good excuse to have a run. I do this a couple of times a week. Once a week I do a trip to college and that a trip of 5 Miles there and 5 back. Try doing a run on the way home that involves a longer trip.
 
i would say you should take it out for a good run once in a while , more so in winter

mine gets just upto temp as im at work coolant around 97

but i do notice specially since most days it doesnt get floored the tapping noise appears then goes. If its out once a week on weekend the noise never appears :)
 
I have the same problem. My commute is only 3.8miles one way. This is why I only drive the Zed to work 1-2 days a week and only on nice and sunny days. Then on lunch time I take the car out for a 15-20 mile spin. Also every weekend I do one of my 2+ hours journeys to random destinations. Having said all of these, I have no idea if what I am doing is correct or not. :?
 
I also used to travel a mile to work daily. Initially I bought an E46 compact specifically for this purpose but after a year I decided it was silly to do so. I tried to walk as often as possible and would take the Zed for a proper run once a month about 200 miles round trip. Theres no way to see what the damage is but IMHO I would try to limit runs of under 6 miles as often as possible and if they are constant ensure at least 1 or 2 runs a week of 30+.
 
The oil gets pumped around the engine in seconds, the damage is caused because short journeys don't allow the car to get hot enough for long enough for the internal condensation to dry out-(you could change the engine oil every few months to help alleviate the problem instead of sticking to bmw's crazy long interval)
it clogs engine breathers & emulsifies the oil. I wouldn't use my zed for a 4 mile journey on a regular basis :(
Rob
 
I have owned my z4 for 4 and a half years, my work is based 4 miles away, serviced each year rather than full mileage interval and never had any issues. We do use mine often at the weekend or days off where the mileage is larger each way. I can't believe you would have a problem.
 
It will be fine , I'm pretty sure bmw research and development division took it into account when they developed the car , service a little more regularly if your concerned .
 
When I used my previous 3.0 for short journeys, to train station and back,for 6months,every day,I started getting a white film on a he inside of oil cap,but that soon went away when I made a point of taking it a decent run at weekends, or when I stopped using it thru the week every day...so as long as it gets a blast weekly,on a decent run,then AL should be good :D
 
hi guys,
we look after our granddaughter 5 days a week, from 07.30 am till 5pm, so don't take the Z out till the weekend .
When i do go out and if it's not that far, i always do a minimum run of 30 miles , going long way round, through village's etc..
waste of expensive super duper fuel, but at least the car is happy.. :lol:
 
hey guys

sorry I'm not getting email alerts for this post i created, so only just seen replies now! Just ticked the box accordingly.

Wow. blown away with all helpful advice as usual. Big help guys! Great forum.

So I wont cycle as I live at the top of the hill and work (if i get the job) is 4 miles (10-15mins depending on traffic) at the bottom of the hill. By hill I mean one constant uphill struggle. Good if your super ambitious, not so good if your a lazy scum bag like me :thumbsup:

So, my general driving style is doing commuting during week and then weekends are mixed. On most weekends we drive at least 1-4 hours a day to go visit shops for the wife or general seaside visiting for a meal or general exploration. So hopefully this will be fine. I suppose every weekend I could go out my way to go for a long drive... or better yes say that every wed we go for a meal somewhere, so hit two birds with one stone.

I have said to myself that I will do a oil change every 6 months (as I understand this is key for these cars) and I suppose I could ask the guy (mechanic) to check other things to ensure all is going well. I think I have an independent BMW specialist near me, so hopefully he will know a thing or two.

Just out of interest you ever use any mixes with your flue e.g. you put in your petrol to help clean injectors and so on?

Best

T
 
Hi, I run some sea foam through mine every six months or so & also put a small amount through the ccv pipes to help keep things clear-it's supposed to help :roll:
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
Hi, I run some sea foam through mine every six months or so & also put a small amount through the ccv pipes to help keep things clear-it's supposed to help :roll:
Rob
Click to expand...

Sounds legit :D
 
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