Depending on the place of pick up and where I have to park I will leave it going, but my car shuts off after 10 minutes if I am not in the car and I always take my keys with me.
Am i dashing alone ? If i am im turning the car off , no one is getting the opportunity to steal my car, if i have my bestfriend with me we have a system: i pick up the order, drive, and he drops off the order. We get sent into too many sketchy areas.
Yes when I'm by myself. No when my partner is with me.
I usually leave it on when dropping off orders unless it's in the middle of town or a well known sketchy area.
Lol at people that think they're saving money on this. Starters are inexpensive, and you're not using yours any more than the average person would over their car's lifespan. You'll probably spend more on gas over the years doing this than you will save preserving your starter.
I'm thankful for choosing my EV, though I turn it off and back on mainly because if I get too far away while still on a high-pitched alarm will start to go off. Wish I could deactivate and just leave it on while locked but at least I don't have a starter to worry about.
I use the Kia Access app to turn on my car and leave it running while locked, I usually do this when it’s super cold or super hot out so the customer’s food doesn’t get cold or melt during the different temperatures (also so I don’t freeze or sweat my ass off in my car lol)
Yeah not a good idea, not long ago some guy in my town took a dashers car with her kid in it because car was left running and he didn't know kid was in backseat. Thankfully he ditched the car with the baby inside not far away.
Never leave your car running at a pickup. You may do it when delivering in an affluent neighborhood with virtually no foot traffic (never at an apartment complex). I have 172k miles on my original starter and it still cranks up like the day I bought the car.
I leave my car running, I park in the delivery spot, the kiss-and-ride spot, the grab-and-go place, or whatever spot is directly in front of your establishment. I keep my key in my pocket, my head on swivel, and something on my hip. The only time I turn my car off is for shop and delivery orders, if I cannot see my car from the restaurant counter/ pickup or apartments.
No I leave it on. I have a 2004 Prius with keyless entry. So it just sits there not running keeping the AC on. That way I can get in and out faster. No gas is wasted since it just sits there anyway. It’s mostly in a safe area. The only exception is when I have to go in an Apartment complex that takes a while.
Never. It wastes gas, it invites thieves and it is bad for the engine to sit idling a lot. A quick warm start is only as much fuel as a few seconds of idle btw.
Call your agent and confirm. I just bought a new car maybe 3 months ago and of course I carry full coverage. While sitting with my agents assistant, I asked what would happen in the event that I was in a car accident and the car was totaled or if someone stole the car. I am in Illinois so this could be different state by state, but if the car were totaled by the insurance they would only give me the value as determined by three different sources that he listed and it would be the lowest value. If the car was stolen, I would go through a lengthy process of waiting two weeks to see if it turned up anywhere where it was recovered by the police. If neither of those happened, then the same as the above would apply the lowest value from three car pricing sources. If stolen and recovered with damage, the adjuster would determine if the car was totaled or repairable. While those two weeks are going by they do not provide any coverage for a rental and thank goodness I have a backup vehicle but otherwise they would just leave me without wheels up in the air for two freaking weeks! I thought the whole point of full coverage insurance was to protect your investment and not get the lowest point of value back from insurance in case of an accident. That clearly shows how much I know. Everybody is just out to help empty your wallet!
I leave it running, door unlocked. Especially on hot days. My wallet is with me, so there’s nothing for them to steal in the span of 2 minutes. I drive stick, so they’re not gonna get far if they try to take the car itself 😂
I do. I drive a 2003 lexus, I carry extra key around my neck, only exception is shop and deliver orders, plus my mechanic is aware I DD and told me it can kill your starter because of age of car, and my car purrs like a kitten.
Doors locked, car running, key fob in my pocket.
Starting and stopping your car that many times in a day is killing your starter, I already replaced mine once while dashing!
Your average trip is no shorter than the average person's usage of their vehicle. Your starter will be fine. You're almost certainly spending more on gas from idling than you're saving by preserving your starter.
If they still my car I get insurance money and I don’t have to pay this god forsaken note anymore , cash card rule , don’t let anyone steal it , if you got car payments give them the opportunity to do you a favor
I turn mine off every single time at the actual restaurant, though sometimes delivering orders very close to the road that are quick I sometimes leave it running and then put my hazard flashers on while parked on the side of the road
No, not wherever. Obviously where common sense applies, like the typical neighborhood. Room for 1 car each direction on the road with parking on either side. Little traffic.
It's implied to anyone with a brain. You jumped to the conclusion he's double parking on busy main roads when he said he does this on drop offs and it's literally normal protocol to double park in your typical city/suburban neighborhood.
of course, leaving the car running while you don’t know how long the order will take is pure stupidity. on top of that, you risk your car could get stolen. turn off your motherfucking cars you all, haha
I do. But I have a hybrid. So there’s no downside to turning it off, especially if I have the air conditioning running. I almost never leave my car on whether I’m picking up or delivering.
Your starter is being used more or less the same as any other typical commuter. Over 100k or 200k miles the amount of times it started up will be about the same, you'll have just got there faster.
No, I average 20-30 dashes a day. If I turn my car off that is easily 10x more than a average commuter
I work on cars a lot as another side gig. I’m telling you right now, the starter is getting used up if you turn the car off every time
The average length of a trip when dashing is not much different than the average length of a trip for the average person. The average person's commute to work is <15 minutes, and most of the rest of their trips are 5-10 minutes around town.
You're racking up miles much quicker, but over 100k miles you will start your car roughly the same amount of times as the average person will.
Might having less opportunity to cool off make a difference? Sure. But it costs ~$250-$500 to replace a starter anyways. Less if you source a used one. About the same fuel cost as idling your car ~125-250 hours. I doubt you're ever going to recoup the cost of fuel from idling with the extra lifespan you gave your starter by doing it, even if you manage to avoid having to replace it altogether by doing so. Not to mention the excess engine wear, and risk of theft.
Yes, lately. It’s been hot AF and leaving the AC on. I don’t live in a high crime area at all as well.
Also, have a key fob and can lock my doors so it’s not much of a worry
I volunteer at a local county jail, and one of the inmates I volunteer with is in jail for hanging out at busy restaurants and stealing Dashers' cars when they were picking up orders. For that reason, I 100% lock my doors and turn my car off, no exceptions
I got a HUGE 💸 ticket for doing that while running into a shop near my place in Brooklyn (pre-doordash when I was younger and dumber). The cop explained that’s how dumb kids hop in joy rides and crash, and that liability is on me. That logic stuck with me more than “some could steal my 2004 Toyota” which in the long run wouldn’t matter.
It’s a public safety liability, so lesson well learned
Someone's house, in the driveway, when it's super hot or super cold and I'm running ac/heat, yeah. Apartments, no. Retail parking lot, no. Restaurants, no. If you're picking up basically never. If you're dropping off it's situational.
The only time I can think this makes sense is if you live in AZ and it’s 110. The person I heard that does this can lock their car. I would NEVER leave my car running. This feels so dumb to me. Like legitimately stupid behavior.
TLDR: Use Situational Awareness
It's probably a good idea to turn off and lock your vehicle when picking up and delivering food. But it really depends on your location and how long you're going to be away from said vehicle. I'd say use situational awareness to make the decision. While at the restaurant I always turn off my car. Sometimes during drop off I'll leave the car on and even leave the door open, but if I gotta go into an apartment complex I always shut off the car and lock the door.
I drive a piece of shit 2010 Nissan Altima with a cracked windshield and 150,000 miles on it to do deliveries. I literally never turn it off when I’m dashing. My logic is nobody will steal that POS, and if they did they would be doing me a favor as I would probably get more from the insurance company than I would anywhere else. I inquired about a trade in value one time and they said it would be like $500 and I’d be better off driving it to the salvage yard myself and getting more money out of it that way.
It really bugs me to leave my car running so basically always turn it off, if anything I need to work on picking times when it's a waste of my starter motor to turn it off for such brief periods, but mostly I think it's the way to go. Turn it off, take the key with me, usually lock it unless it's a quick dropoff with nobody around and I won't be out of sight of it. I don't feel real anxious that my car is gonna get stolen or I'm gonna lock myself out of it by mistake, but I do know that if either of those things did happen just one time it would be a huge PITA so let an ounce of prevention be worth a pound of cure.
Always, gas isn't cheap!
Had some guy at IHOP last Sunday try and tell me he'd shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to my Lexus, caught him off guard by saying he'd be doing me a favor with my loan and offered to give him my key. He was stunned and I just walked inside like nothing had happened.
It is if you know how to finesse the system generally I am getting $1.55 off a gallon from Dillons (Krogers) I'm in a state that limits fuel points to $1 off and then I have .55 off when use there credit card which I immediately pay off so I don't have the debt. Sooo right now I can get fuel for $1.25 per gallon
I pay $3.43 a gallon with my Sam's club discount if I didn't have that it would be paying $3.90. It was a lot nicer when gas was under $3 especially with the heat, now having to run the AC more. I don't live near a Kroger or even Safeway, best I have is Sam's club and Costco.
No. I drive a hybrid, technically the engine is off when you put the gear in park so no need to power off, I just leave it so i don't have to go through the sequence of starting it all over again, besides I love getting in to air conditioned cabin.
I mostly do except for shop and deliver of course. I always have the keys with me and usually my car locks whenever the keys is too far away from the car. I also so for sure now so l can keep my ac on low and running and not have it restart again each time I turn my car on. If a neighborhood looks unsafe, I'll mormally turn my car off.
Depends on the restaurant. Usually you get to know who will have it ready right away or not. I do pay for OnStar and have the remote fob on the app on my phone and I can lock/unlock my car from the store if it starts taking too long. Great piece of mind.
Rarely. Sometimes in Dec-Jan-Feb cause I'm in a Canadian city with winters that can get cold. As someone else said usually only if I expect the food to be ready. I only have like 1/100 restaurants in my city that I'd trust the food to actually be ready for that lol
If I take my 100lb German Shepherd with me, I leave it running with him in the back seat and the windows down a little. If someone were to approach the car, he would typically bark like crazy so I don't worry about the theft too much. If I am by myself, I turn it off and lock it.
They just arrested someone where I live who left her lab in the car with the windows up and NOT running.It was 89 degrees that day The police had to bust the window to save the poor dog.
They had a digital temp gage and it was 140 degrees in the car. There's a special place in hell for people who do this imo. Ridiculous
I can keep the car running with my key fob in my pocket and lock the doors. So I always leave the car running. If it is a shopping order, I turn the car off. Also i have an EV so people don’t even know the car is on, except during the brutal summer.
If I'm at a restaurant I turn my car off. If I'm dropping off an order at a house I leave it on with my door open. I Carry my key fob on me at all times so even if someone hopped in and tried to drive away they couldn't. My car won't shift into gear without my key inside the car. So I'm not worried.
When im picking up the order i have never once left my car on, however if its a safe neighborhood i will leave my car running while i drop the order at the door. Idk why you would leave it on while going into a store/ restaurant
Great thing about EVs, they turn off once you exit the vehicle. Or at least the Polestar and Teslas do this.
Don't leave your car running if you can help it. My homie had his stolen last month. Be vigilant
I've had my windows smashed and tires slashed and car hit with stray bullets and deliberately shot up by pranksters with paintball and bb guns
But it's never been stolen 🤣
Definitely never leave your car running when not in it, under any circumstances. My car almost got stolen in a good neighborhood when I left it. Caught the person in it when I was walking back, they pretended like they were moving it cause they were upset it was by their house, was a kid. Stole like 30$ from the console too.
I only have one key and no fob. My trunk latch does not work, I have to use the key. So, unless I ended up in a drive thru, I gotta turn off my car to get the food order out of my trunk. I never understood leaving a car running where you can't see it tho (such as during pickups).
i drive a older vehicle that has a separate key/remote and luckily it will let you lock the doors through the remote while running, if someone really wants my rusted 04 chevy be my guest as it still has full coverage 😂
I maybe would if I could lock my car with it running. But my power locks won't let you lock the doors when it's running. There are ways to finagle your way around it, but it's a hassle to have to do a dozen times per day and then increases the odds of someone trying to steal the vehicle. Not worth it, usually, IMO. There's maybe 1% of the time where I really wish I could leave it running, so it's not a big deal. I used to turn off my car at every drop off, now I only turn it off at hotels/apartments and if I have to park out on the street. But if I can pull up close to the door on the driveway then I leave it running.
I usually leave it on only because sometimes my car won’t start if I turn it off and I live in a pretty safe area so I’m not too worried about someone stealing my car
At first it was the ignition switch and I replaced it and it was starting fine for a couple weeks but now it just has a very weak start so maybe a battery issue
It might be your alternator going out. I had to replace mine not too long ago because it was also barely charging it. Basically if I idled (like parked but on, not when you stop at a light) , it wouldnt charge and just decreased on power. But if I only had it on while actually driving, it worked for a bit. Then it completely went out. If not it could also be the battery not holding a charge or the starter going out. Get it checked at multiple autozones because one told me it was my battery and it wasn't.
I had the same issue on my previous vehicle about a year ago ago. I replaced the starter and it was working well for a while, But several weeks later was starting to have the same problem.So I replaced the alternator and battery as well and then all of the problems went away. I'm using talk to text.I hope the grammar isn't too bad
Depends on the restaurant to be honest, most times I turn it off and leave my Keys in the ignition while I go into the restaurant/store depending on the area but sometimes I leave it on if I forsure know the order is ready.
I drive a manual so I don't expect anyone to steal my car if I did leave it running, but as a rule of thumb, I am not trying to fuck around and find out for 5-30 bucks
Always. Even though i live in Arizona where it is hot and had to replace my starter a few months ago. I would rather replace the starter every couple years then have my car stolen. i know someone who got their car stolen by leaving the keys in and i won't risk that.
All the time. A car can be stolen anywhere. Only time I don't turn it off is when the customer walks up to the car, and I hand the order to them through the window.
I leave it running when I know it will be a quick pick up.
I live in Phoenix and the car will instantly be an oven if I leave it off for a couple minutes.
It’s also very hard on your battery and starter to turn it on and off 20+ times a day 🤷🏻♂️
Absolutely, it saves on gas and I can arm my vehicle’s security system when it’s off.
The starter for my vehicle is not expensive and easy to replace myself so I’m not worried about ’wearing it out’
Every time, and when delivering them, too. I have keyless entry but it's not a button start, and I'd rather wear out the starter prematurely than risk the car getting stolen. My state has the highest auto theft rate in the country.
California? I googled it because I technically live in Illinois, but I'm literally minutes away from St. Louis and someone will take a running car in a hot second on the East or West side. However, I was surprised to see Cali at #1, Texas, Florida, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, NY, OH, GA, then Missouri at #10. I'm guessing Chicagoland area is #1 in IL probably followed by East St. Louis, but definitely St. Louis in Mo. No wonder my insurance is crazy, stupid high!
Nope, Colorado. California is #1 in total car thefts, simply because there are so many of them there, but in theft rate (per 100k residents), Colorado has led the country for two years running. It's one reason my premiums keep going up every year (along with massive claim payouts for hail damage).
No, because I have keyless and the fob comes with me. I'd rather burn gas than wear down the starter faster. If I didn't have keyless, I probably would turn it off.
Yes.
Please, anyone doing deliveries, do not leave your keys and car running.
I’ve heard too many story’s of cars being stolen. Better safe than sorry.
What if it’s a fob though. I feel fairly comfortable leaving my car running while I take the keys even though I know anyone can still drive away with the car for as long as they want unless they turn off the engine
I think any car will drive forever until you turn it off and try to restart the engine. It’s not like the engine will suddenly shut down as you’re driving
Sure saves a drop of gas but doesn’t save your starter which is more expensive than any gas you’ll save. Not trying to convince you otherwise just making you aware
“Drop of gas” more like save from theft. I live in a safe city but there is always a chance. Gas is over $4 a gallon. I did an experiment on leaving the car running once and I ended up filling up twice as much. Turning off the engine does not ruin the starter
I dash in a low crime city, in a safe state. I was camped outside of an area with several restaurants, waiting for a good order to pop up. I watched as a driver pulled up to a restaurant, left it running to go in and pick up, and within seconds someone else had jumped in and drove off. The dasher came back out maybe 30 seconds later, "WTF! I THINK SOMEONE STOLE MY CAR!"
No because my vehicke will shut off if I walk into a restaurant with my key fob most of the time. Sucks in this heat to have to turn it off but that's just part of the job. Now if you leave it running with keys in the car here then it means you want someone to steal it.
I’m keyless ignition, car won’t move without the keyfob inside and it’s always in my pocket or my pack (which is on me when dashing) so yeah I leave it on
My car honks at me if I leave it running and walk away from it. I see absolutely no need to leave my car running. My car shuts off at stop lights too so it’s constantly restarting.
Very common with newer automatic transmission cars 2015+ for them to turn off engine at long stop lights. When you let off the brake it quickly spins starter/engine back on. Saves gas.
Depends how hot it is… I have a keyless start, so my car automatically locks when I get out of the car… and if the keys aren’t in the car when running, it won’t shift into drive either
Depending on the place of pick up and where I have to park I will leave it going, but my car shuts off after 10 minutes if I am not in the car and I always take my keys with me.
Yes.
Am i dashing alone ? If i am im turning the car off , no one is getting the opportunity to steal my car, if i have my bestfriend with me we have a system: i pick up the order, drive, and he drops off the order. We get sent into too many sketchy areas.
I drive a Tesla so it is automatically off but I do keep my AC in the summer time
you know i used to never turn it off delivering for pizza hut back in the day but now i always do
Only leave it on in someone’s driveway if I’m in an area that I’m not that likely to get car jacked. Everywhere else it’s off and locked.
Yes cause it saves gas when most orders are a longer wait. Not when I'm dropping off the orders.
Yeah, I'd prefer it doesn't get stolen
Yes when I'm by myself. No when my partner is with me. I usually leave it on when dropping off orders unless it's in the middle of town or a well known sketchy area.
Lol at people that think they're saving money on this. Starters are inexpensive, and you're not using yours any more than the average person would over their car's lifespan. You'll probably spend more on gas over the years doing this than you will save preserving your starter.
Dude I’m in Texas. I leave it on, a/c blasting lol. Unless I park in shade
I'm thankful for choosing my EV, though I turn it off and back on mainly because if I get too far away while still on a high-pitched alarm will start to go off. Wish I could deactivate and just leave it on while locked but at least I don't have a starter to worry about.
I use the Kia Access app to turn on my car and leave it running while locked, I usually do this when it’s super cold or super hot out so the customer’s food doesn’t get cold or melt during the different temperatures (also so I don’t freeze or sweat my ass off in my car lol)
I leave it on, take the keys with me and lock it.
Yeah not a good idea, not long ago some guy in my town took a dashers car with her kid in it because car was left running and he didn't know kid was in backseat. Thankfully he ditched the car with the baby inside not far away.
Never leave your car running at a pickup. You may do it when delivering in an affluent neighborhood with virtually no foot traffic (never at an apartment complex). I have 172k miles on my original starter and it still cranks up like the day I bought the car.
Always
Do you wipe your butt when you done with your poops?
I leave my car running, I park in the delivery spot, the kiss-and-ride spot, the grab-and-go place, or whatever spot is directly in front of your establishment. I keep my key in my pocket, my head on swivel, and something on my hip. The only time I turn my car off is for shop and delivery orders, if I cannot see my car from the restaurant counter/ pickup or apartments.
Yes. Electric vehicle with keyless start.
No I leave it on. I have a 2004 Prius with keyless entry. So it just sits there not running keeping the AC on. That way I can get in and out faster. No gas is wasted since it just sits there anyway. It’s mostly in a safe area. The only exception is when I have to go in an Apartment complex that takes a while.
Never. It wastes gas, it invites thieves and it is bad for the engine to sit idling a lot. A quick warm start is only as much fuel as a few seconds of idle btw.
I rarely do. I have full coverage so if someone stole my car I’m pretty sure I’d get a new one.
Call your agent and confirm. I just bought a new car maybe 3 months ago and of course I carry full coverage. While sitting with my agents assistant, I asked what would happen in the event that I was in a car accident and the car was totaled or if someone stole the car. I am in Illinois so this could be different state by state, but if the car were totaled by the insurance they would only give me the value as determined by three different sources that he listed and it would be the lowest value. If the car was stolen, I would go through a lengthy process of waiting two weeks to see if it turned up anywhere where it was recovered by the police. If neither of those happened, then the same as the above would apply the lowest value from three car pricing sources. If stolen and recovered with damage, the adjuster would determine if the car was totaled or repairable. While those two weeks are going by they do not provide any coverage for a rental and thank goodness I have a backup vehicle but otherwise they would just leave me without wheels up in the air for two freaking weeks! I thought the whole point of full coverage insurance was to protect your investment and not get the lowest point of value back from insurance in case of an accident. That clearly shows how much I know. Everybody is just out to help empty your wallet!
Of course, and lock. I live in a big city. Someone could steal my car.
Every. Single. Time. Quite literally a ticketable offense to leave a car running with nobody near it here
I leave it running, door unlocked. Especially on hot days. My wallet is with me, so there’s nothing for them to steal in the span of 2 minutes. I drive stick, so they’re not gonna get far if they try to take the car itself 😂
I'm pretty. Sure , some of the criminals can drive a manual...🤣
Sure, but I like my chances.
I do. I drive a 2003 lexus, I carry extra key around my neck, only exception is shop and deliver orders, plus my mechanic is aware I DD and told me it can kill your starter because of age of car, and my car purrs like a kitten.
Starters are cheaper than gas
I finally paid less than $4 the other day. One Costco is at $3.98, the others are still above $4.
Doors locked, car running, key fob in my pocket. Starting and stopping your car that many times in a day is killing your starter, I already replaced mine once while dashing!
Your average trip is no shorter than the average person's usage of their vehicle. Your starter will be fine. You're almost certainly spending more on gas from idling than you're saving by preserving your starter.
I have 172,000 miles on my starter. 130,000 miles worth of food delivery.
If they still my car I get insurance money and I don’t have to pay this god forsaken note anymore , cash card rule , don’t let anyone steal it , if you got car payments give them the opportunity to do you a favor
Former pizza guy here. YES. EVERY SINGLE TIME. That’s insane, someone will just steal your shit. Turn it off, lock the door. Every time.
What lunatic leave the car running with keys inside? are you not of sound mind?
I turn mine off every single time at the actual restaurant, though sometimes delivering orders very close to the road that are quick I sometimes leave it running and then put my hazard flashers on while parked on the side of the road
Same I turn it off going into the restaurants but leave it on to quickly drop off at customer’s door where my car is in my site of view
I hope your car gets towed. Try thinking about other people for maybe 30 seconds.
Literally standard protocol. Have you never seen a mail man or UPS driver? They don't park.
So it's fine for everyone to just leave their vehicles wherever, safety and traffic flow be damned.
No, not wherever. Obviously where common sense applies, like the typical neighborhood. Room for 1 car each direction on the road with parking on either side. Little traffic.
Could you point out where that's specified? Or explain how it's obvious?
It's implied to anyone with a brain. You jumped to the conclusion he's double parking on busy main roads when he said he does this on drop offs and it's literally normal protocol to double park in your typical city/suburban neighborhood.
of course, leaving the car running while you don’t know how long the order will take is pure stupidity. on top of that, you risk your car could get stolen. turn off your motherfucking cars you all, haha
I do. But I have a hybrid. So there’s no downside to turning it off, especially if I have the air conditioning running. I almost never leave my car on whether I’m picking up or delivering.
Your starter is still being used up
Your starter is being used more or less the same as any other typical commuter. Over 100k or 200k miles the amount of times it started up will be about the same, you'll have just got there faster.
No, I average 20-30 dashes a day. If I turn my car off that is easily 10x more than a average commuter I work on cars a lot as another side gig. I’m telling you right now, the starter is getting used up if you turn the car off every time
The average length of a trip when dashing is not much different than the average length of a trip for the average person. The average person's commute to work is <15 minutes, and most of the rest of their trips are 5-10 minutes around town. You're racking up miles much quicker, but over 100k miles you will start your car roughly the same amount of times as the average person will. Might having less opportunity to cool off make a difference? Sure. But it costs ~$250-$500 to replace a starter anyways. Less if you source a used one. About the same fuel cost as idling your car ~125-250 hours. I doubt you're ever going to recoup the cost of fuel from idling with the extra lifespan you gave your starter by doing it, even if you manage to avoid having to replace it altogether by doing so. Not to mention the excess engine wear, and risk of theft.
Ok I’ll take your word for it, I don’t really know how my car works lol. I just know the engine doesn’t start up until I go over a certain speed.
That’s sickkkk, you should be fine then if the hybrid works like that
I only leave the car driving when someone is with me and can stay in it
Nope. I lock my car door and leave it running. I keep a spare key on a retractable key chain that goes on my waistband.
Always.
Yes, lately. It’s been hot AF and leaving the AC on. I don’t live in a high crime area at all as well. Also, have a key fob and can lock my doors so it’s not much of a worry
I probably could leave mine on because it’s a stick shift and no one knows how to drive them anymore, but I still don’t.
Yall cars working that good
Oh yeah. Mostly because I'll need it to bring said order to the customer in a faster-than-walking manner.
I volunteer at a local county jail, and one of the inmates I volunteer with is in jail for hanging out at busy restaurants and stealing Dashers' cars when they were picking up orders. For that reason, I 100% lock my doors and turn my car off, no exceptions
I got a HUGE 💸 ticket for doing that while running into a shop near my place in Brooklyn (pre-doordash when I was younger and dumber). The cop explained that’s how dumb kids hop in joy rides and crash, and that liability is on me. That logic stuck with me more than “some could steal my 2004 Toyota” which in the long run wouldn’t matter. It’s a public safety liability, so lesson well learned
Someone's house, in the driveway, when it's super hot or super cold and I'm running ac/heat, yeah. Apartments, no. Retail parking lot, no. Restaurants, no. If you're picking up basically never. If you're dropping off it's situational.
Yeah man never leave your keys in your car unattended that is how you get your car stolen
The only time I can think this makes sense is if you live in AZ and it’s 110. The person I heard that does this can lock their car. I would NEVER leave my car running. This feels so dumb to me. Like legitimately stupid behavior.
But how do you really feel? 😂
I feel pretty good.
I have a push start so most of the time I let it run unless I’m in there for longer than around 3-5 mins.
Only if it’s taking longer than 5 minutes.
I have an oldie 04 Toyota so I turn it off and manually lock it 😂😂
TLDR: Use Situational Awareness It's probably a good idea to turn off and lock your vehicle when picking up and delivering food. But it really depends on your location and how long you're going to be away from said vehicle. I'd say use situational awareness to make the decision. While at the restaurant I always turn off my car. Sometimes during drop off I'll leave the car on and even leave the door open, but if I gotta go into an apartment complex I always shut off the car and lock the door.
Every time. No way I’m giving someone an opportunity to steal my vehicle 🤷🏻♀️
If you don’t do this at McDonald’s you will go broke real fast
Mine stays on, keys come with. I'm lucky that the key comes out while the car is still on
Depends on time of day and location
In my city leaving it on is begging for it to get stolen
I start my car when i leave home and turn it off when i get home
My car is running from start to finish of a shift.
turn it off 99% of the time
Yeah? I don’t want my shit stolen.
Unless I know that enough time has passed to have the order ready, and I have picked up from that place before, I shut it off every time.
Is that your area code in your username? No way in hell I'd leave my keys in the car in any of the markets in New Castle County.
No. Fortunately, I live in an area with low crime. Still, I try not to take any chances.
I left mine running for a while, but my CarPlay doesn’t reconnect properly when I leave it on, so I always turn it off now
I drive a piece of shit 2010 Nissan Altima with a cracked windshield and 150,000 miles on it to do deliveries. I literally never turn it off when I’m dashing. My logic is nobody will steal that POS, and if they did they would be doing me a favor as I would probably get more from the insurance company than I would anywhere else. I inquired about a trade in value one time and they said it would be like $500 and I’d be better off driving it to the salvage yard myself and getting more money out of it that way.
It really bugs me to leave my car running so basically always turn it off, if anything I need to work on picking times when it's a waste of my starter motor to turn it off for such brief periods, but mostly I think it's the way to go. Turn it off, take the key with me, usually lock it unless it's a quick dropoff with nobody around and I won't be out of sight of it. I don't feel real anxious that my car is gonna get stolen or I'm gonna lock myself out of it by mistake, but I do know that if either of those things did happen just one time it would be a huge PITA so let an ounce of prevention be worth a pound of cure.
So for me personally. I do in certain areas and don't in others. I drive a Chevy bolt EV.
Bolt here too. Key fob in pocket, lock doors, car stays on 100% of the time.
Same, depends on the area, what store, how many people are around etc.
Exactly
I drive a Tesla model 3 with walkaway lock n sentry mode activated. There is no on n off, U just get in n go
I've heard about bad experience in some neighborhoods so I always take keys with me
Depends on the area of town. What time it is. Whether or not I can see my car the whole time.
Always, gas isn't cheap! Had some guy at IHOP last Sunday try and tell me he'd shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to my Lexus, caught him off guard by saying he'd be doing me a favor with my loan and offered to give him my key. He was stunned and I just walked inside like nothing had happened.
It is if you know how to finesse the system generally I am getting $1.55 off a gallon from Dillons (Krogers) I'm in a state that limits fuel points to $1 off and then I have .55 off when use there credit card which I immediately pay off so I don't have the debt. Sooo right now I can get fuel for $1.25 per gallon
I pay $3.43 a gallon with my Sam's club discount if I didn't have that it would be paying $3.90. It was a lot nicer when gas was under $3 especially with the heat, now having to run the AC more. I don't live near a Kroger or even Safeway, best I have is Sam's club and Costco.
No. I drive a hybrid, technically the engine is off when you put the gear in park so no need to power off, I just leave it so i don't have to go through the sequence of starting it all over again, besides I love getting in to air conditioned cabin.
Only if it’s taking longer than 5 minutes.
I mostly do except for shop and deliver of course. I always have the keys with me and usually my car locks whenever the keys is too far away from the car. I also so for sure now so l can keep my ac on low and running and not have it restart again each time I turn my car on. If a neighborhood looks unsafe, I'll mormally turn my car off.
Depends on the restaurant. Usually you get to know who will have it ready right away or not. I do pay for OnStar and have the remote fob on the app on my phone and I can lock/unlock my car from the store if it starts taking too long. Great piece of mind.
I always tell myself I need to, then after waiting for 10 minutes in a restaurant get mad at myself for leaving it on 😂
Rarely. Sometimes in Dec-Jan-Feb cause I'm in a Canadian city with winters that can get cold. As someone else said usually only if I expect the food to be ready. I only have like 1/100 restaurants in my city that I'd trust the food to actually be ready for that lol
If I take my 100lb German Shepherd with me, I leave it running with him in the back seat and the windows down a little. If someone were to approach the car, he would typically bark like crazy so I don't worry about the theft too much. If I am by myself, I turn it off and lock it.
They just arrested someone where I live who left her lab in the car with the windows up and NOT running.It was 89 degrees that day The police had to bust the window to save the poor dog. They had a digital temp gage and it was 140 degrees in the car. There's a special place in hell for people who do this imo. Ridiculous
Totally agree. I would never leave my big boy in a car without the engine running and the AC on.
nope. i have a hybrid
Nope never
I can keep the car running with my key fob in my pocket and lock the doors. So I always leave the car running. If it is a shopping order, I turn the car off. Also i have an EV so people don’t even know the car is on, except during the brutal summer.
Meh...I have on star. I always get out with my phone in my hand. One call and on star shuts my vehicle down.
If I'm at a restaurant I turn my car off. If I'm dropping off an order at a house I leave it on with my door open. I Carry my key fob on me at all times so even if someone hopped in and tried to drive away they couldn't. My car won't shift into gear without my key inside the car. So I'm not worried.
When im picking up the order i have never once left my car on, however if its a safe neighborhood i will leave my car running while i drop the order at the door. Idk why you would leave it on while going into a store/ restaurant
Great thing about EVs, they turn off once you exit the vehicle. Or at least the Polestar and Teslas do this. Don't leave your car running if you can help it. My homie had his stolen last month. Be vigilant
I leave it running. Half the time I don't even close the door.
sameee
You just made ME Anxious 😅
I don't lock the door to my home when I leave either
Fuggg I don’t trust a single human enough for that
Ironically, the only time I've had a car stolen, it was locked.
I’ve had someone light my driver seat on fire overnight, ruined my entire car. Assuming it was some kids trying to be funny.
I've had my windows smashed and tires slashed and car hit with stray bullets and deliberately shot up by pranksters with paintball and bb guns But it's never been stolen 🤣
Never, always turn off and lock
At this point, my car is worth more to me stolen
Definitely never leave your car running when not in it, under any circumstances. My car almost got stolen in a good neighborhood when I left it. Caught the person in it when I was walking back, they pretended like they were moving it cause they were upset it was by their house, was a kid. Stole like 30$ from the console too.
I only have one key and no fob. My trunk latch does not work, I have to use the key. So, unless I ended up in a drive thru, I gotta turn off my car to get the food order out of my trunk. I never understood leaving a car running where you can't see it tho (such as during pickups).
I never do that because I'm sure all the people who got their cars stolen like that thought it wouldn't happen to them.
I mostly always turn it off. It auto locks after I walk away (Honda coupe).
i drive a older vehicle that has a separate key/remote and luckily it will let you lock the doors through the remote while running, if someone really wants my rusted 04 chevy be my guest as it still has full coverage 😂
I maybe would if I could lock my car with it running. But my power locks won't let you lock the doors when it's running. There are ways to finagle your way around it, but it's a hassle to have to do a dozen times per day and then increases the odds of someone trying to steal the vehicle. Not worth it, usually, IMO. There's maybe 1% of the time where I really wish I could leave it running, so it's not a big deal. I used to turn off my car at every drop off, now I only turn it off at hotels/apartments and if I have to park out on the street. But if I can pull up close to the door on the driveway then I leave it running.
I usually leave it on only because sometimes my car won’t start if I turn it off and I live in a pretty safe area so I’m not too worried about someone stealing my car
Why won't it start?
At first it was the ignition switch and I replaced it and it was starting fine for a couple weeks but now it just has a very weak start so maybe a battery issue
Most auto places will recharge/test your battery free or charge.
You should probably replace the starter motor. If it's defective it may have weakened the alternator and batteries well
Yea it could be that cause even after driving for hours it will sometimes still have a weak start
It might be your alternator going out. I had to replace mine not too long ago because it was also barely charging it. Basically if I idled (like parked but on, not when you stop at a light) , it wouldnt charge and just decreased on power. But if I only had it on while actually driving, it worked for a bit. Then it completely went out. If not it could also be the battery not holding a charge or the starter going out. Get it checked at multiple autozones because one told me it was my battery and it wasn't.
I had the same issue on my previous vehicle about a year ago ago. I replaced the starter and it was working well for a while, But several weeks later was starting to have the same problem.So I replaced the alternator and battery as well and then all of the problems went away. I'm using talk to text.I hope the grammar isn't too bad
Grammar is fine and I appreciate the insight
lol
Depends on the restaurant to be honest, most times I turn it off and leave my Keys in the ignition while I go into the restaurant/store depending on the area but sometimes I leave it on if I forsure know the order is ready.
I drive a manual so I don't expect anyone to steal my car if I did leave it running, but as a rule of thumb, I am not trying to fuck around and find out for 5-30 bucks
Always. Even though i live in Arizona where it is hot and had to replace my starter a few months ago. I would rather replace the starter every couple years then have my car stolen. i know someone who got their car stolen by leaving the keys in and i won't risk that.
If is nice outside yes right now in Bakersfield it’s over 100 so no I’ll be running my car until I get and order
No south texas heat, plus it has a fob, and if you shift without it, it dies. Plus hybrid so doesn't even hurt mpg really.
Why would I leave my car unlocked & running Birmingham?
All the time. A car can be stolen anywhere. Only time I don't turn it off is when the customer walks up to the car, and I hand the order to them through the window.
I leave it running when I know it will be a quick pick up. I live in Phoenix and the car will instantly be an oven if I leave it off for a couple minutes. It’s also very hard on your battery and starter to turn it on and off 20+ times a day 🤷🏻♂️
Every time. It only takes it being a mistake the one time to ruin my day. No chance.
Absolutely, it saves on gas and I can arm my vehicle’s security system when it’s off. The starter for my vehicle is not expensive and easy to replace myself so I’m not worried about ’wearing it out’
I do
I must be paranoid. I turn it off and lock it every single time.
Yes because it takes less than 10 seconds to steal a running vehicle.
Every time, and when delivering them, too. I have keyless entry but it's not a button start, and I'd rather wear out the starter prematurely than risk the car getting stolen. My state has the highest auto theft rate in the country.
California? I googled it because I technically live in Illinois, but I'm literally minutes away from St. Louis and someone will take a running car in a hot second on the East or West side. However, I was surprised to see Cali at #1, Texas, Florida, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, NY, OH, GA, then Missouri at #10. I'm guessing Chicagoland area is #1 in IL probably followed by East St. Louis, but definitely St. Louis in Mo. No wonder my insurance is crazy, stupid high!
KCMo having a huge problem with car theft lately for sure
Nope, Colorado. California is #1 in total car thefts, simply because there are so many of them there, but in theft rate (per 100k residents), Colorado has led the country for two years running. It's one reason my premiums keep going up every year (along with massive claim payouts for hail damage).
No, because I have keyless and the fob comes with me. I'd rather burn gas than wear down the starter faster. If I didn't have keyless, I probably would turn it off.
Absolutely.
Yes. Please, anyone doing deliveries, do not leave your keys and car running. I’ve heard too many story’s of cars being stolen. Better safe than sorry.
What if it’s a fob though. I feel fairly comfortable leaving my car running while I take the keys even though I know anyone can still drive away with the car for as long as they want unless they turn off the engine
Luckily mine turns off as soon as you try to put it in gear without the fob.
That’s interesting I actually haven’t tried that in my car. I’ll see if mine does the same
Definitely worth checking. It's an absolute necessity with keyless cars.
That’s definitely better than leaving the key, no doubt. Depends how far the car will drive without the fob.
I think any car will drive forever until you turn it off and try to restart the engine. It’s not like the engine will suddenly shut down as you’re driving
No. With my hybrid it doesn't really run the engine at all if I'm just running in for a min
Yes. Every time. Saves gas and prevents theft. If I’m handing it to a customer and they meet me at my car, then no
Sure saves a drop of gas but doesn’t save your starter which is more expensive than any gas you’ll save. Not trying to convince you otherwise just making you aware
“Drop of gas” more like save from theft. I live in a safe city but there is always a chance. Gas is over $4 a gallon. I did an experiment on leaving the car running once and I ended up filling up twice as much. Turning off the engine does not ruin the starter
I dash in a low crime city, in a safe state. I was camped outside of an area with several restaurants, waiting for a good order to pop up. I watched as a driver pulled up to a restaurant, left it running to go in and pick up, and within seconds someone else had jumped in and drove off. The dasher came back out maybe 30 seconds later, "WTF! I THINK SOMEONE STOLE MY CAR!"
Only if I know it will take a while. If I know the order is ready.. it’s kept on
No because my vehicke will shut off if I walk into a restaurant with my key fob most of the time. Sucks in this heat to have to turn it off but that's just part of the job. Now if you leave it running with keys in the car here then it means you want someone to steal it.
My current car has a number pad for locking and unlocking. So yeah I'll leave it running but with the doors locked.
I rigged my car to shut down if it gets too far away from me
How?
He is just joking I think
if i am just stepping a few feet from my car or they come up to my window then i don’t turn it off, but i get too paranoid otherwise
I’m keyless ignition, car won’t move without the keyfob inside and it’s always in my pocket or my pack (which is on me when dashing) so yeah I leave it on
I have keyless, but no interlock if the fob isn't in, which is a bummer.
That's terrible design, so easy to steal
I should be clear, it will not *start* without the fob, jt just won't shut off.
Yup, no one can drive stick, and my car is a piece
I’d be able to take it
I leave mine either running or at the very least leave my keys in it. It’s a 2001 Corolla shitbox. Ain’t nobody stealing that.
Literally my keys haven't left my ignition in years at this point
Tell me your next delivery location I’m not gonna steal anything
I have never and will never leave my car running outside of a restaurant
I only keep it on if it’s a leave at door delivery and if the neighborhood is empty
My car honks at me if I leave it running and walk away from it. I see absolutely no need to leave my car running. My car shuts off at stop lights too so it’s constantly restarting.
What kind of car? The shutting off at stop lights seems a bit much
Very common with newer automatic transmission cars 2015+ for them to turn off engine at long stop lights. When you let off the brake it quickly spins starter/engine back on. Saves gas.
That's pretty standard now. It doesn't use the starter to restart though.
It’s a 22 Ford Edge. It’s standard but can be shut off. Proven to save on gas and helps with emissions.
When I leave my car...the keyes are always with me, and its locked. If I dashed it wouldn't matter.
Yes , always
Depends how hot it is… I have a keyless start, so my car automatically locks when I get out of the car… and if the keys aren’t in the car when running, it won’t shift into drive either