Ever since I bought my GT in March I’ve been driving to work every day. It’s about 52 miles round trip and I’ve put about 10k on the car. Prior to getting the GT I had a Nissan Frontier that I just drove to the Park N Ride which is about 5 miles away, and took the bus into work every day. Well, after updating our budget and seeing how much the wife and I were spending on gas each month (~$375) I decided I’m going to start taking the bus again. It takes me about 10 minutes to get to the Park N Ride so the engine is just really getting warmed up by the time I get there and turn it off!

Well, I was talking to my friend about taking the bus again and he mentioned that most cars shouldn’t be driven for short periods of time because the oil doesn’t get a chance to warm up enough. He also mentioned that the constant short trips can wear on the engine and over time, cause components to breakdown prematurely.

My Frontier wasn’t running all that great when I got rid of it (one of the reasons I got rid of it) as it seemed to have been a bit down on power and gas mileage had gone down as well. And I had taken the truck to the Park N Ride pretty much everyday for about 2½ years. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this because I don’t want to screw up anything with the Mustang if it really only ever sees short trips to the bus stop.

Oh, and I don't drive it hard when it's cold... I drive it normally. :-)

 

You should be fine, as long as you get your engine up to normal operating temp before you shut it off. There is validity to what your friend has told you, as condensation can be built up inside the engine and the water mixes with your oil (which is never a good thing). A good way of checking for this is to look under oil filler cap and inside the tube for condensation; it'll have a cappuccino color to it.

But again, you should be fine as long the engine gets up to temp before you shut it off. I know this as I've had a 7 mile, average 40 mph, drive to work for the last 5 years and have never had a problem, as the engine always gets up to normal temps by the time I get to and from work. Before that, I had a 1/4 mi drive to work, which tended to build up a lot of condensation, especially during the winter. During that time, I just made sure I changed my oil often (every 2500 mi) and it wasn't a major problem. Definitely something you'll want to keep an eye on though.

Paul

 

Normal rule of thumb is 10 miles minimum and our Stangs are slow to heat up. The intent is to burn off condensation in the crankcase which, if not removed, will cause sludge and acid build-up. In your case, I don't think you're running hot enough long enough to totally remove the condensation. If I was in your shoes, I'd simply change my oil a bit more frequently, try to take her out for a long jaunt maybe once/week and not worry about it otherwise.

 

also keep in mind that if you run a synthetic, it will take even longer to heat up, you might try to go with a slight bit thicker oil if you want to run synthetic or stick with regular oil so that it heats up quicker.

 

Damn i was not aware of this. The park and ride is about a mile away from my house. Hmmm maybe letting the car run for about 5 minutes in the morning before i leave?

 

IMO, I don't think that loads up the engine enough and just wastes gas. I'd still try to take a good 20 mile or more trip every week or 2 and change the oil a bit more frequently.

Let's not get crazy about this. I think the real detriment is to those that don't take care of their engines. Todays oils (especialy our blends and synthetics) don't "give in" to the abuse like the older dino oils.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I'll make sure to change the oil more frequently than I currently do (every 4500 miles).

I'll be putting around 50-60 miles a week on the car just going to and from the Park N Ride, but I also usually go for a nice Sunday drive after church where I'll regularly put 30-40 miles on it.

I have to say, it's definitely nice to be able to ride the bus again and not deal with traffic. But I already miss driving my car! Even though the drive home was usually a royal pain (especially with a manual), the drive in was usually nice and I really enjoy just driving the car so now that my weekly commute is about the length of my former daily commute, I'm sad cause I'm spending less time in the GT. :-)

The nice thing is filling up every 2-3 weeks versus every week...

 

4500 miles on a synthetic blend under those conditions is fine IMO, especially since you're running her a bit each week. I'd stay at the 4500 miles (or even 5000) but that's up to you.