Originally Posted by Deborah Walker
My car sit a lot, as I work from home, so I maybe crank it up twice a week at best. Is it ok to let it sit that way? Does the oil loose its viscosity, sitting? Should I at least crank it up if I am not using it?
Deb
If all you are doing is starting the car and letting it sit in your driveway, I would say you are doing more harm then good, for a number of reasons. When oil sits in a car, condensation builds up, which is completely normal. If you just let the car idle for 10 minutes, that may not be enough time to allow the water to boil off, which just isn't a very good thing. In addition, the whole act of idling your car for a prolonged time isn't very good for the engine.
So if it was me, I'd only start the car when I know I'd be able to drive it long enough to warm up the oil adequately. So IMO, it would be better to only drive once every 3 weeks than to let it idle in your driveway weekly. Now if you live in a very dry climate, the condensation in the oil may not be a huge issue, but idling for a prolonged amount of time, still is a concern.
Cars are meant to be driven.