Worried about short commute to work

[ChugBug]

Hi there. I'm in the process of moving closer to my job and instead of driving 85 miles round trip a day to work, I'll be driving maybe 4 miles round trip. I"m really worried about this damaging my TDI. Are their any suggestions out there on what I could do to keep from damaging it. Would going for a longish drive once a week at freeway speeds be enough to keep any short trip damage at bay? Any suggestions would help, and I refuse to give up my TDI, so don't suggest that!

 

[karlkoenig]

Here is my suggestion... I just posted a similar post. Be ware you are going to get lectures about walking and biking to work, even though you are asking a mechanical question.

Here is what I'm going to do. I now live between 2-3 miles from work. I'm going to drive, but change my oil more often because it was suggested. OK, I'm an open target, now give me your lectures on the environment. I enjoy changing my oil. Now I have a reason, even though I'm not sure it is important to do it more often with my short drives.

I really don't think it matters if you drive a short distance and the engine doesn't warm up. No one has provided conclusive evidence it does any damage to the engine or car. Bring it on.

Karl

 

[weedeater]

If your trips stay short, change the oil more often, say 5000mi/6 months.

 

[MITBeta]

Or do an oil analysis or two to confirm that the 10k interval is still okay.

When you take it out on the weekend to stretch its legs, really get it warm by driving it hard and sustaining high rpms in low gears to rid the oil sump of moisture.

 

[Danaan]

Hey All,

I drive a fairly short distance to work myself - about 7km(~4.5mi) each way. I find the engine's warmed up (90C/194F - I think I converted that correcly) by the time I get there no problem. Generally I'm not driving any faster than 60km/h(~40mi/h), so I find I drive in third a most of the way, then into fourth when I hit the last "1/4 mile" stretch of 80km/h(50mi/h) zone before I turn off. (And yes it's a bikeable distance, there's even a nice path, and my girlfriend rides that way... but I just bought my car last weekend and dammit I'm driving it! At least for the first while...

)

I don't exactly understand how going a shorter distance puts more wear in the oil though. If I do a 5km trip and the oil is just warming up or I do a 10km trip, the car still has to go that first 5km while the oil warms up. Then again, there's probably more to it then my little noggin' comprehends...

 

[paul_cat]

Get a Vespa! Perfect for short commute in your area, and fun too! Very chic...

 

[brucep]

(Danaan)

Each warm-up / cool-down cycle of an IC (InternalCombustion) engine produces condensation in the crankcase. (A by-product of combustion is H2O -- water)

Short trips do not allow the engine to get hot enough to "burn off" the condensation that is always present in an engine crankcase. For this to happen, the OIL must get above the boiling point of water AND REMANIN THERE long enough for the crankcase ventalation system to remove it from the crankcase.

Repeated short trips not only leave that gunk in the crankcase... it can turn into sulpheric acid and start to eat away

at the metal engine parts. (The chemical reactions between the sulpher in the fuel and the other chemicals produced during combustion)

(I beleive supheric asid is H2SO4 --- all the ingrediants are found in water and diesel fuel!)

This is why, for engine longevity, short trips mean that more frequent oil-changes are recommended.

To help reduce this from occouring, one can take a longer trip once a week. Make sure the engine gets hot and stays hot for at least 20 minutes. This goes a long way towards keeping the oil acid-free.

 

[Gary Miyakawa]

I'd also be worried that the battery wouldn't get fully recharged after starting... (I've had this problem with a 2.6 miles commute)..

Gary M

 

[kwhiner]

I have for the life of the car had at most a 5mi +/- comute to work. The car will be 3 yrs old labor day weekend and I'll go by 50kmi within a month. If your like me you'll find reasons to drive the car be it multi-state r/ts or just recreational weekends. One of the advantages of living in the far west, so many places to see and so many wide open roads to drive.

 

[Danaan]

(brucep)

Ah, I understand. Thanks for the great explaination, I figured there was a little more to it! All the more excuse to go home on weekends and open it up on the highway a bit - "yes officer, it's good for my car..."