Help! Will short journeys damage my car?

[michelle250876]

Hey everyone

I've had my amazing Scirocco GT Tsi for a year now and can't get enough of it. I currently enjoy a fab dual carriageway/motorway journey to work with lots of roundabouts and love throwing the beast around them all. However, I've just been offered a new job which is (and this is quite literally) only 5 minutes from my house along B roads. In this day and age will my Scirocco stand up to all these cold starts for very short journeys or if I start walking to work (not going to be an option in winter as it's mainly country lanes) will I damage the car by only using it at weekends? I know years ago that doing frequent cold starts wasn't good for a car but does it really matter these days? Help!!!!!

[stuaz]

Well I am pretty sure that you won't damage the car doing short journey's....

[davemarks]

If it was a TDI I'd say more likely... I used to run back and forward between my house and office twice a day in my old 307 TDI and my office is just a few minutes away...

End result, new battery and DPF filter blocked...

I say this with no mechanical knowledge, it could be the two were ready to go anyway... and you don't have a diesel... hrm, great post

[skyblues11]

i am no expert, but have heard that turbo engines does not like short journeys and and it needs to cool down etc.

[thecrofter]

Frequent short journeys are never going to be good for a car - poor fuel consumption, engine not reaching ideal temperature, cat not burning fuel vapour etc. etc. You'll have to give it a good blast now again to make up for it.

P.S. Michelle, Guessing your username is your date of birth. Not suggesting anyone here is into identity theft but you might want to think about that.

[michelle250876]

That's what I thought but wasn't sure if I was just being a girl! I always let it tick over for a few minutes before I switch the engine off now just in case.

[michelle250876]

Cheers thecrofter. It's an exe's d/o/b - easy to remember but no stealing of my identify - thanks for pointing it out though.

[Chungster]

you like to remind yourself of your ex's DOB? why?

short journeys like others said not ideal but your battery won't charge properly and will get drained eventually unless u give it a good blast at weekends. also you'll see the service interval come down significantly if on LL.

[stuaz]

Learn something new every day lol.

I use to drive about 2 miles to work every day for a 2 years, never harmed my car but each car is different I guess.

I did use it at the weekends though.

[michelle250876]

Sounds like I should be ok if I take it out at the weekend for a good kicking!

[trix]

its what you bought the car for michelle

welcome from another resident girly

S

[fun meter]

My work is only 15-20mins away, so I do that twice a day. Generally dont drive for much longer than 30mins a time, but gets good range of revs and speed (and 98c oil temp). But then every now and then (weekend) go for longer drive and give it a blast. I think blasting it along twisty coast roads between 4.5k and 7k rpm gives it a good run.

Do notice I sometimes get a ever so slight burning smell when pushing it and oil temp gets to like 110c. Oil levels havent changed between 7 to 1700 miles though.