Actually, just the opposite is true. The hardest thing on a vehicle is the cold start/take off. Especially in the winter. When the fluids cool, they thicken, so when you start the motor, the oils don’t get to the critical parts as fast as they will when warm. Then causes severe friction, which wears out the moving metal parts faster. Allowing it to run a few minutes at idle allows the fluids to thin back out and reach those parts. By taking off right after start up, you create many times more friction than they are designed to handle and it will eventually lead to catastrophic failure.

Matthew Vaughn
O’Reilly Auto Parts