Twin Falls, Idaho ( KMVT- TV / KSVT- TV ) - It's winter and it's cold outside. With that being said, are you one to head outside 10 to 15 minutes before leaving in the morning to get the car started? If so, you're not alone.

A little extra help to defrost the windows is one thing, but turning over the engine to heat it up isn't what it used to be.

In fact, we're told anything over 5 minutes is typically unnecessary nowadays depending on the year of your vehicle.

Shane Burton is the Area Manager for Jiffy Lube in Twin Falls. Burton told us the following regarding heating driving your vehicle in cold weather:

Winter is really hard on your vehicle. When it's cold outside and you turn that key to actually coat the engine with the oil, it does take time. And if you just romp on your gas and take off on the street as soon as you start off after that 30 seconds, you will cause damage to your vehicle.

Even though cars today have higher tolerances than they have in the past, they still need time to heat up.

Car experts say the older your vehicle, the more damage you can cause by just slamming on the gas in cold weather.

Give your car ample time to heat up before hitting the road.


Interesting take from KMVT, but Boomer has a different opinion.

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