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Many drivers do not realize the hidden risks associated with daily trips of just 8–10 km in petrol and diesel cars. Such short journeys create unfavorable conditions for the engine to warm up fully and for operating parameters to stabilize – however short trips do not have the same impact on electric vehicles.
Regular but short trips can be harmful to a vehicle, particularly during cold seasons. Under these conditions, the car’s components simply do not have enough time to reach their normal operating mode. This situation is common when destinations such as a gym, school or kindergarten, supermarket, or office are located close to the vehicle owner’s home.
If you primarily use your car for short-distance trips, it is important to plan at least one longer drive per week. Even if there are no urgent errands, it is advisable to drive 15–20 km on a highway or ring road. Below we explain why this matters.
Frequent cold starts significantly increase the proportion of start-up wear within the overall service life of an engine. This wear occurs due to what is commonly known as “oil starvation”.
The upper sections of the engine—camshafts, hydraulic lifters, and valve mechanisms—are particularly vulnerable. Insufficient lubrication during the first seconds of operation causes accelerated wear. In effect, engine components begin moving relative to one another at start-up with little or no lubrication.
While the vehicle is not in use, the oil drains into the crankcase and cannot instantly reach all required components. During the first seconds after start-up, the engine experiences one of the most unfavorable operating conditions: boundary friction, where the oil film is extremely thin and full protection has not yet formed.
This type of wear becomes especially severe at sub-zero temperatures. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes for oil to reach the most distant areas of the engine. According to a number of industry studies, cold starts can dramatically increase wear compared with operation at full operating temperature. In fact, the wear from a single cold start can be comparable to the wear accumulated over 100 km of driving.
Juri Sudheimer, founder Mannol and a specialist with more than 30 years of practical experience in lubricants, notes that the short-trip operating mode is one of the most aggressive conditions for an engine, despite appearing relatively “gentle.”
According to Juri Sudheimer’ observations, repeated cold starts combined with insufficient oil warm-up contribute most significantly to engine wear, particularly in the valve train area and the upper part of the cylinder-piston group.
Juri emphasizes that in such conditions, the decisive factor is the oil’s ability—along with its additive package—to maintain a protective layer on engine components during periods of inactivity. If this protective layer is absent, each new start effectively begins with brief dry friction, and the cumulative damage from such cycles quickly builds up.
To minimize the risks described above, it is essential to ensure the presence of a stable protective lubrication layer on engine components. This layer must remain both during operation and during periods of downtime.
Such protection can be achieved either through a persistent liquid oil film or through the use of solid lubricating components.
In 2019, SCT developed the SCT Ester technology, based on the use of synthetic esters in motor oils.
The key property of esters is their polarity, which allows them to adhere to metal surfaces almost like a magnet attaching to a refrigerator door.
Esters consist of long soluble molecular chains and a polar “head.” The polar head attaches to metal surfaces, while the soluble chains align next to each other, resembling the fibers of a carpet. This structure remains on component surfaces even after the oil itself has drained into the crankcase.
Just 3% ester content in engine oil can reduce component wear by approximately 20% and effectively neutralize start-up wear. A number of MANNOL motor oils developed within the SCT Lubricants technology platform incorporate esters.
Another highly effective method of reducing start-up wear is the use of oils containing hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN).
This material has brought significant innovation to the lubricant industry due to its exceptional physical and operational properties. h-BN has a unique lamellar structure that provides outstanding lubricating performance and extremely low internal friction.
Its friction coefficient reaches a maximum of 0.16 (similar to graphite, whereas steel-on-steel friction without lubrication can reach 0.8) and does not increase with rising temperature.
h-BN is also more resistant to high temperatures than molybdenum disulfide and graphite. It demonstrates excellent thermal stability under conditions of limited oxygen access, making it highly effective in high-temperature environments where conventional lubricants may fail.
Its excellent thermal conductivity and wear-reducing properties significantly extend engine service life. The material consists of alternating boron and nitrogen atoms forming a hexagonal structure similar to graphite, which is why it is often referred to in industry as “white graphite”.
Within each layer of the structure, atoms are connected by strong covalent bonds, while the layers themselves are held together only by weak intermolecular forces. This structure allows the layers to slide easily over one another, producing excellent lubrication.
A simple analogy can help illustrate this concept. If you draw a line on paper with a graphite pencil, you will notice how easily the mark appears. This occurs because layers of graphite detach from the pencil and remain on the paper. Hexagonal boron nitride behaves in a very similar way: its layers slide across each other with minimal resistance.
h-BN can embed itself into the surface layer of metal, acting as a permanent solid lubricant. It prevents direct contact between metal surfaces, meaning friction occurs within the h-BN layers themselves rather than between the metal components. As a result, dry friction and start-up wear are almost completely eliminated both at low temperatures and at extremely high temperatures, such as those encountered during oil starvation conditions.
Beyond start-up wear, short trips can cause at least nine additional problems for a vehicle.
Juri Sudheimer notes that in vehicles regularly used for short trips, engines often suffer not so much from mileage-related wear as from accelerated engine oil degradation.
Under such conditions, oil accumulates moisture, fuel, and incomplete combustion products much faster, losing its functional properties well before the scheduled oil change interval.
Juri Sudheimer emphasizes that standard service intervals are calculated for normal operating conditions, in which the engine regularly reaches full operating temperature. When this does not occur, oil aging is determined not by kilometers driven but by the number of cold start cycles—a factor often underestimated by owners of vehicles primarily used in urban environments.
To minimize risks—especially if you are not using the specialized products mentioned above—it is critically important to use engine oils recommended by the manufacturer for a specific engine.
Particular attention should be paid to the correct SAE viscosity grade, especially its low-temperature performance characteristics.
Shortening oil and oil filter replacement intervals is also essential for vehicles operating primarily in short-trip conditions, since standard service intervals are based on normal driving conditions.
If a vehicle is primarily used in urban conditions, it is advisable to periodically take longer drives—preferably outside the city, for example on weekends. Such trips allow the vehicle to operate under sustained load conditions recommended by the manufacturer.
This helps evaporate accumulated moisture from the lubrication system, reduces sludge formation, and promotes regeneration of the diesel particulate filter.
