Triple-A Says Warming Your Car in the Driveway is a Bad Idea

According to USA Today, “Experts at AAA, a federation of motor clubs, say it's not a good idea to warm your car up to keep it from freezing.”

There will always be conflicting theories and feelings about this.
Is it a waste of gas?
Is the noise going to bug the neighbors?
Will it crack the engine if you try to drive the car right away?
Does it really warm the car up quicker?
How long should it idle?

And then there are those who accidently lock the keys in the car while it's still warming up.

Triple-A goes on to say you should start the engine and let it idle only long enough for you to fasten your seat belt and get situated...then take off. That is still plenty of time for the motor oil to lubricate.

Okay, all fine and well...but in doing that, how long will it take for the car to warm up?

They continue: “Driving the car normally and avoiding hard acceleration brings the engine to a warmer temperature faster, and also reduces wear and exhaust emissions." Then they backtrack – just a little – and say "Naturally, a little longer idle time is okay in the winter while you clear snow and ice from the windshield and other car parts."

So there's their advice. However, we all know how we're really gonna warm the car up.....don't we?