I live in scotland and regularly get temp down as far as -20 so bought a kenlowe coolant pre heater. Car always starts fine but felt there would be less wear and tear starting warm everyday.

Will it make that much difference? or is it just convenient for dash heat?

Is the car kept in a garage over-night? this would help against the chill factor.

Ensure anti-freeze is sufficient enough to cope with them really low temperatures, perhaps have it checked at garage for density.

Perhaps have radiator blind/curtain in-front of it, and keep eye on the water temperature gauge.

Any help to keep the temperature up has got to be a plus factor at time of start-up of engine.

I know years ago I threw a blanket over engine for the night, and forgot it, when I went and tried to start engine in the morning.LOL

Blanket had wrapped itself around the water-pump propeller blades, and fan belt started to shred.LOL

im gonna set it to 60 deg and see how it goes give it sufficient time to warm the block and subsequently the oil too, and see if it helps.

That cold has got to be negative for wear, she is out in the street so gets the brunt thats why i want to give her a wee treat with some warmth before she has to turn over.

Im lead to believe also that it has a positive impact on mpg as most cars are shocking until at running temp. Ill keep you all posted as to progress, will have it fitted by next week. We already had -2 a couple of nights ago

Any measure to heat up the coolant ( & engine & its oil) prior to starting has to be a good idea . The quicker the warm-up the better. The engine oil only achieves its best lubricating properties when at its' designed working temperature , so the earlier it gets there the better. In addition pre-heating will reduce the condensation ( mayo') due to short runs , it will also reduce engine wear.

Any measure to heat up the coolant ( & engine & its oil) prior to starting has to be a good idea . The quicker the warm-up the better. The engine oil only achieves its best lubricating properties when at its' designed working temperature , so the earlier it gets there the better. In addition pre-heating will reduce the condensation ( mayo') due to short runs , it will also reduce engine wear.

as above--- does it have a circulation device attached if not it could confuse the electronics which would be a pain

A similar device is used by the fire stations to have their trucks ready for immediate use.

It is a good idea and should help a lot regarding engine wear. It is thought that about 90% of bore wear is when the engine is below normal operating temperature. Petrol engines use addition fuel when cold and this washes the oil off the cylinder walls making them more vulnerable to wear. With diesel engines you get something similar as diesel oil is not a good lubricant. Also, diesel engines don't work well when cold - hence the worse engine noise when cold.

Some heat from the engine will escape into the engine bay warming the electrical bits as well which should avoid or at least reduce any ECU problems.

However, timing the heater use to when you intend to use the car is necessary otherwise the engine is either still cold or you waste electricity by heating the engine for longer than necessary. A good garage is still a good idea if you have one as the car will be warmer in the winter and any heat will stay longer.

SB

Better for the engine as like others have said, most of the wear occurs upon starting from cold. Better for you too as it will warm the coolant which will warm the interior and defrost the windows very quickly.

Ian

Basically any means of heating the enging on a cold morning is a positive thing - saves the engine , reduces mpg after start and reduces emissions. There are several options to choose from...

Keep the car in a warm garage.

Pros - car and engine are always warm.

Cons - you need the space, in snowy conditions your car undergoes freeze-thaw-cycle every day and you may encounter condensate prblems when driving cold car to humid inside air.

Electrical coolant heater, where the heating element is placed eiter to the motor block or to a coolant hose.

Pros - Relatively cheap and maintenance free, heats the coolant thus helping also the inside warming immediately after start, normal heating time up to two hours, possibility to connect an inside heating fan

Cons - need of electricity supply, coolant circulates in the system by natural convection - no forced circulation, engine oil is the sump is cold

Electrical heating of the oil sump, where the heater block is glued to the sump - this is substituting the coolant heaters

Pros - Relatively cheap and maintenance free, warms the oil and saves the engine at start-up, normal heating time up to two hours, possibility to connect an inside heating fan

Cons - need of electricity supply, oil volume is smaller than coolant volume - the accumulatd heat amount is theoretically smaller, coolant is cold and inside heating is slower, the contact between heating element and sump is critical

Gasoline/diesel heater (Webasto and like)

Pros - fast - heating time usually max 30 mins, indipendent of external power, efficient - heats both engine and inside of car

Cons - expensive and needs an experienced fitter, needs regular maintenace, drains battery if daily travel is short distances

I installed myself a Webasto heater last summer and can't wait to see how it works - lots of snow and cold nights in anticipation