Leaving a car idling for hours?

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

I dunno, but I think there are additives to reduce idle damage.

Skeptic Bob said:

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

Click to expand...

I once drove cross country, thinking to myself, I'll just sleep in the car. That lasted all of two days. I went and bought a tent and air mattress, and then went from campground to campground.

Skeptic Bob said:

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't sleep in an idling car with the windows up. I'm not sure it's dangerous but I wouldn't chance it.

ThoughtEx. said:

I once drove cross country, thinking to myself, I'll just sleep in the car. That lasted all of two days. I went and bought a tent and air mattress, and then went from campground to campground.

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I have been mixing it up. I have a tent an air mattress that are very comfortable when camping. And if I am going to be in a place for several days and need a desk and will be doing a bunch of work I will get a hotel. But sometimes I just want to stop, sleep, and then get back on the road without spending an hour hunting for a free (dispersed camping) spot. I still hit the gym every day and move about so my muscles and back haven't been getting cramped. I just want to know if the money I am saving is a false savings. Am I going to end up paying even more for car repairs as a result of this.

It is a 2014 Camry.

Skeptic Bob said:

I have been mixing it up. I have a tent an air mattress that are very comfortable when camping. And if I am going to be in a place for several days and need a desk and will be doing a bunch of work I will get a hotel. But sometimes I just want to stop, sleep, and then get back on the road without spending an hour hunting for a free (dispersed camping) spot. I still hit the gym every day and move about so my muscles and back haven't been getting cramped. I just want to know if the money I am saving is a false savings. Am I going to end up paying even more for car repairs as a result of this.

It is a 2014 Camry.

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I know semi trucks can idle all night while the driver sleeps. But that may have something to do with diesel engines.

ThoughtEx. said:

I know semi trucks can idle all night while the driver sleeps. But that may have something to do with diesel engines.

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Yeah, and they are specifically built for it.

Grand Mal said:

I wouldn't sleep in an idling car with the windows up. I'm not sure it's dangerous but I wouldn't chance it.

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I imagine it is perfectly safe if everything is working correctly. But I guess CO poisoning could be a problem if something was leaking or blocked up.

Skeptic Bob said:

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

Click to expand...

You must be young and flexible. I wrenched, managed and owned repair businesses for thirty years. I remember one story very early in my career, when a young man was pulled over by the local sheriff's department. (Early 1980's) Being young and dumb, the young man decided to give the LEO a ration of crap. Fine by the deputy, he arrested the youngster and placed him in the rear of the cruiser. The driver suddenly realized that he had exited his vehicle leaving it running. Well the car continued to run through the night. Sometime in the darkness the spirit left the body of the car. Engine seized.
In those days, we didn't leave a vehicle running unattended for any long period of time. The vehicles of the day neede the car to be moving to get airflow across the radiator, cooling the motor. Fast forward to the present. Technology has improved the automobile. You can pretty much leave the car running without a second thought. Sensor sense when the temperature rises to a level that dictates powering the cooling fan and pretty much a car in good mechanical condition will not self destruct.
BUT, if you have paid attention to the news (fake or otherwise) lately, you have heard of the sheriff's departments who use Ford Explorers have had a carbon monoxide problem, leaking into the cabin. If you run your vehicle while you sleep, YOU RUN THE RISK OF NOT WAKING UP. Only you can balance the savings in motel/hotel rates against the possibility of dying. If you are not in the financial condition to rent a bed, tolerate the humidity and the bugs, they can only make you uncomfortable.

Skeptic Bob said:

I have been mixing it up. I have a tent an air mattress that are very comfortable when camping. And if I am going to be in a place for several days and need a desk and will be doing a bunch of work I will get a hotel. But sometimes I just want to stop, sleep, and then get back on the road without spending an hour hunting for a free (dispersed camping) spot. I still hit the gym every day and move about so my muscles and back haven't been getting cramped. I just want to know if the money I am saving is a false savings. Am I going to end up paying even more for car repairs as a result of this.

It is a 2014 Camry.

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Off the top of my head I can't think of a serious problem you'll be creating. Just make sure your coolant is topped off as overheating would be my primary concern.

Skeptic Bob said:

I imagine it is perfectly safe if everything is working correctly. But I guess CO poisoning could be a problem if something was leaking or blocked up.

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Yeah, an exhaust leak or something. Also, with no internal combustion in the equation it can still be dangerous to be in an airtight compartment. According to Thomas Hardy in Far From The Madding Crowd, anyway.

I don't think it'll hurt your engine.

Rexedgar said:

If you run your vehicle while you sleep, YOU RUN THE RISK OF NOT WAKING UP. Only you can balance the savings in motel/hotel rates against the possibility of dying.

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Grand Mal said:

Yeah, an exhaust leak or something. Also, with no internal combustion in the equation it can still be dangerous to be in an airtight compartment. According to Thomas Hardy in Far From The Madding Crowd, anyway.

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Now you got me googling "Carbon Monoxide Alarms".

Skeptic Bob said:

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

Click to expand...

I know this doesn't help at all but one of the cool things about Tesla's is because their battery is so large, they can keep a car climate controlled all night at the cost of around 7-10% battery charge, and the back seats fold flat to give 6"9 of space (in the model 3 at least). If I had one I'd deffo be camping out in it.

Grand Mal said:

Yeah, an exhaust leak or something. Also, with no internal combustion in the equation it can still be dangerous to be in an airtight compartment. According to Thomas Hardy in Far From The Madding Crowd, anyway.

Click to expand...

Being in an airtight compartment is deadly to humans pretty much all on its own.

Won't hurt the motor at all. Hurts the environment, though. Probably use a half tank of gas, too.

Set your AC to not recycle air, which will then pull fresh air from outside, all but eleminating risk of suffocation. Cars are not air tight, and modern cars have such low emissions that it is improbable of death by exhaust leak....unless it's a horribly bad leak, one that you'll smell, that will set off the idiot light on your dash.

X Factor said:

Being in an airtight compartment is deadly to humans pretty much all on its own.

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Cars aren't air tight. Not even close.

KevinKohler said:

Cars aren't air tight. Not even close.

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I know. I'm just saying forget the carbon monoxide, if you're in an airtight anything, you have more immediate concerns.

Skeptic Bob said:

So I am doing a LOT of traveling this year for my business. I will probably be on the road 90% of the year.

While I can afford to stay in hotels every night I have been experimenting with alternatives. The past two weeks I actually would camp out in National Forests for free. So quiet and peaceful. And every night I did it I felt like I was earning an extra $100 because I wasn't spending it on hotels.

But such places are usually a little out of the way and constantly setting up and taking down camp gets tedious.

The other thing I would do is drive until I was tired and then just sleep at a rest stop. Maybe if I was a single woman it would make me nervous but I am a big guy and haven't felt the least bit nervous. The chair in my car reclines back enough that I actually get a good night sleep in my car. But here is the catch. If I turn off the car it gets uncomfortably humid and if I leave windows down it doesn't help much and bugs get in. Leaving my car idling with the AC on its lowest setting is extremely comfortable.

Now, I know this adds to the wear and tear of the car. I have zero interest in maintaining a high resale value on the car but I also want to keep it in decent running condition so it isn't always breaking down on me. I have measured and it can't be burning more than half a gallon of gas during the overnight stop. A hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel and about as comfortable. I usually just shower at the nationwide gym I go to.

I am not a "car person". Am I destroying my car or is it not that big of a deal?

Click to expand...

I really commend you Skeptic Bob for making such an effort to save money.

But if this is the route you want to pursue, is it possible for your car to be fitted with a hitch and be able to haul a very small pop up, light weight camper? You could route your next destination using campgrounds that would provide you with more secure surroundings, electricity to charge all your electronics. The smallest pop up provides you with a screen area where no bugs can enter. It has a Coleman stove and propane tank that you could use to fix a breakfast before starting your day. It provides you with a decent place to sleep far better than reclining in your car. Those feet need to be elevated when you sleep. It comes with a cooler so while you are on the road you can reach back and grab yourself a beverage and even make yourself a sandwich that would be fitting for anyone like yourself who wants to work out everyday. You could certainly better feed yourself in that manner than going through fast food joints.

These bare bones pop ups would be good but I just don't know about your car and if it would be able to haul it. And when you are done with it, resale and get back a good amount of money you put into it.

KevinKohler said:

Won't hurt the motor at all. Hurts the environment, though. Probably use a half tank of gas, too.

Set your AC to not recycle air, which will then pull fresh air from outside, all but eleminating risk of suffocation. Cars are not air tight, and modern cars have such low emissions that it is improbable of death by exhaust leak....unless it's a horribly bad leak, one that you'll smell, that will set off the idiot light on your dash.

Click to expand...

These officers were awake and driving when overcome by suspected exhaust fumes. You don't always smell CO2.

http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2017/2/...-Leak-May-Have-Caused-A-Police-Crash-7737865/

KevinKohler said:

Won't hurt the motor at all. Hurts the environment, though. Probably use a half tank of gas, too.

Set your AC to not recycle air, which will then pull fresh air from outside, all but eleminating risk of suffocation. Cars are not air tight, and modern cars have such low emissions that it is improbable of death by exhaust leak....unless it's a horribly bad leak, one that you'll smell, that will set off the idiot light on your dash.

Click to expand...

These officers were awake and driving when overcome by suspected exhaust fumes. You don't always smell CO2.
There seems to be a glitch today with the double posting of posts! Have notified the mods!
The Ford Explorer Cabin Exhaust Leak May Have Caused A Police Crash

Rexedgar said:

These officers were awake and driving when overcome by suspected exhaust fumes. You don't always smell CO2.

The Ford Explorer Cabin Exhaust Leak May Have Caused A Police Crash

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That's happening under load, MUCH higher concentration of exhaust gasses with fuel particulates. We're talking about an engine at idle.


I'd say he has a higher risk of getting into a car wreck due to not being well rested.

KevinKohler said:

That's happening under load, MUCH higher concentration of exhaust gasses with fuel particulates. We're talking about an engine at idle.


I'd say he has a higher risk of getting into a car wreck due to not being well rested.

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You and I can debate until we are blue in the face. It will be Bob or no Bob that bears us out! He says finances aren't the problem. Risk/reward not in balance here.

vesper said:

I really commend you Skeptic Bob for making such an effort to save money.

But if this is the route you want to pursue, is it possible for your car to be fitted with a hitch and be able to haul a very small pop up, light weight camper? You could route your next destination using campgrounds that would provide you with more secure surroundings, electricity to charge all your electronics. The smallest pop up provides you with a screen area where no bugs can enter. It has a Coleman stove and propane tank that you could use to fix a breakfast before starting your day. It provides you with a decent place to sleep far better than reclining in your car. Those feet need to be elevated when you sleep. It comes with a cooler so while you are on the road you can reach back and grab yourself a beverage and even make yourself a sandwich that would be fitting for anyone like yourself who wants to work out everyday. You could certainly better feed yourself in that manner than going through fast food joints.

These bare bones pop ups would be good but I just don't know about your car and if it would be able to haul it. And when you are done with it, resale and get back a good amount of money you put into it.

Click to expand...

I have actually been entertaining the idea. I would have to put a hitch on my car but from what I have read it could easily handle the smaller trailers. But it would just be me so I wouldn't need anything large. There are two types my car could handle. Hell, I have seen motorcycles pulling them. The popup trailers and the teardrop trailers.

The only downside is that the actual business part of all these trips almost always happens in big cities and I get stressed out enough as it is driving in the city without pulling a trailer behind me. I guess I could always drop it off at camp first and then head into the city.

Rexedgar said:

You and I can debate until we are blue in the face. It will be Bob or no Bob that bears us out! He says finances aren't the problem. Risk/reward not in balance here.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm with you on that.



If for nothing more than a shower. Gotta have a shower, even if it's a cold one.