How can I increase the life of my diesel engine when my car does lots of small trips?

Question

What things can I do to increase the life of my diesel engine when I make lots of shot trips in the car?

My daily routine means that the trip to work goes via another destination which gives my engine time to warm up properly, but the trip home from the office is so short the engine never warms up.

Ideally I'd drop the car off at home after the morning trip and walk into work, however due to my job I often use the car during office hours and at short notice.

Since I'm unable to change my routine as the morning trip is essential, as is having the car available for work, is there anything I can do to lower the impact of the short journeys on my car?

I've heard "magnatech" oils can help, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to cars.

Any advice welcome!

Answer 1

If the trip is so short that the engine isn't even warming up, you're not doing the car any favours, Diesel engine or Petrol engine.

TBH I'd look into alternative modes of transport like a bicycle instead and just use the car when you absolutely have to.

Answer 2

Mechanical Answer
I would spend the extra couple of minutes allowing your car to warm up before starting your drive.

Even with letting it warm up, follow the maintenance schedule given in your owners manual for the extreme conditions (the one with shorter intervals for oil changes and other maintenance items).

Alternate Transportation
If you can walk within a reasonable amount of time between your home and work, it still seems an alternate mode of transport is ideal.

You said you'd consider doing your morning destination then back home and then walk to work if it weren't for needing to use the vehicle on short notice during the day.

Would riding a bicycle cut down the commute enough to when you do have those short notice needs you could ride home real quick and get your car?

Say it takes you 15 minutes to walk to work, you ought to easily be able to do that in about 5 minutes on a bicycle. So you would only be delayed 5 minutes getting to your vehicle if you needed to go somewhere.

If not wanting to deal with the bulk of a bicycle, depending on your area, roller skates or inline skates may be an alternative. Although these take some getting used to for safely using in an urban environment.

Answer 3

Do nothing. Short trips are damaging for two reasons: fuel economy and engine wear. But unlike a gas car, excess "choke" fuel in a diesel doesn't strip lubrication from the cylinder walls. And as long as the engine gets up to operating temps every third or fourth trip, your oil won't accumulate water and lose lubricity.

You will burn more fuel per mile on short runs, but it won't damage the car the way you are describing it.

Answer 4

Can you change your behaviour in any other way? - Perhaps time your shopping trips to coincide with your drive home from work to make that journey long enough to warm the engine up fully (and save another separate journey).

What are the work journeys you do like? Are they long enough to get the engine properly warmed up? If not, try and get out for a good long run every few days to get it properly warm.

Otherwise, use a good quality oil and good filters, and change it regularly (look for the "harsh conditions" service schedule in your car's handbook)