i was wondering when the car is completely cooled, to warm up the car, how many of you guys drive it for ten miles or more and how many of you just let the car idle for a few mintues then shut the engine off. is it bad to just start the car, let it idle for a few mintues then shutting it off, like in the morning?

 

If you start the car in the morning and shut it down after a few minutes, no harm will come---if you do it only once-in-a-blue-moon. However, there is more to it than just that.

If you start the car and let the coolant temp reach the normal operating temperature, then all will be good. However, if you continually shut the car down before that time, then that is where problems could arise. Best thing to do: drive car.

Best practice: start car and let idle for about 30 to 60 seconds. No need to wait any longer as you will be only wasting gas. When you do pull off and the coolant temp is still showing cold, don't rev the engine any higher than 2500 to 3000 rpm. As the temp needle starts to lift, you can increase your rev range until finally, when the engine is at normal operating temperature (about 10 minutes driving), you can utilize the entire rpm range. ** I forget which model BMW it is, but it has an adjustable redline that autmatically sets the "red" depending on the operating temperature of the engine. I believe it may be the M5, but I am not sure **

This, I believe, is even more important for the VE engine due to the VTC oil thingy. Just be sure to use 5W-30 or 0w-30.

$0.02