Car running with garage door open?

Question

I accidentally left the car running with the garage door OPEN for 1.5 hours. I'm reading sites this may be a risk for CO poisoning, but unclear with it open and only 1.5 what I should do. (PS -- it's the only car in the family, so is it safe to drive right now for anything?)

Answer 1

It should be o.k......because the garage door was left open.   It should be safe to drive now.    Check your car for overheating though.

Answer 2

let it sit outside with the windows open

Answer 3

Should be safe,   the door was open so fumes couldn't build up.    Just to be sure,   roll the windows down for a block to air the car.

Answer 4

It will be okay if the door was open. Warm air (exhaust) rises and will go out the open door. Hopefully the car's rear was towards the door and no pets were in the garage. Just air everything out. It is not much different than sitting in a tunnel or driving in very heavy traffic.

Carbon monoxide poisoning starts with headaches but eventually leads to nerve damage. A friend had a leaky muffler and rusty floorboards. Over time she developed severe health problems and lost some capabilities. She eventually found out the car's condition was the cause but the damage was permanent. So you are right to be concerned but if you weren't actually exposed, you should not have a problem.

PS: If the garage is attached to the house, be sure and air it out, too.

Answer 5

Well, the garage door open does provide ventilation. I would think it would be safe to drive...But if you need to feel safe, I suggest allowing the car and garage to air out for a little while.

Answer 6

once you turn it off wait 30 minutes and it will be safe to enter and okay to drive co disputes once  there is fresh  air.