So I know idling your car with the engine on is bad for the spark plugs and thusly the engine, but I sit in my car for sometimes 10-15mins before I go into a place because of the job I do. I’m wondering would it be bad for the car if I only turned the battery on, like didn’t turn the key the whole way to turnover the engine so I can keep my phone charging or whatever? Would it only lower how much battery I have? Or would it mess something else up in the car?
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?? Having the key turned to the first notch just turns on the accessories. It has nothing to do with your spark plugs. Why would you be turning the key to the 2nd notch (which the dash lights up with red)?
Assuming it's to the 1st notch:
15 mins of radio and phone charging? No, that's tiny amounts of power.
15 mins of AC turning desert into arctic? That's a little more risky especially if you aren't driving long enough afterwards to fully charge back up.
Newsflash: the compressor is driven by a belt which requires the car to be running. Unless it's a hybrid or electric vehicle. Running the a/c with just the ignition turned on, only runs the blower motor , which is just a fan.
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Just to hijack this one, you absolutely do not need to worry about the engine in idle. Provided you don't already have any pre-existing issues, the only thing that is really in use or "being worn down" is your gas and oil life. Idle RPMs is absolutely less wear and tear on an engine than any road use would be.