u know idle warming is bad for engines right? just stay below the speed limit/3k rpm for about 2 miles or when temp is right. that way the oil is circulating as it warms with the engine. a hot idle engine is no good.
my heat doesn't even turn on till the temp is normal. thank goodness for heated seats and wheel.

 

I always wait about 15-20 seconds before I leave my garage. I purposely go slow putting my seat belt and radio on. I just drive slowly until it is at the regular temperature.

 

I wait no more than 10 secs, she sleeps in a warm garage- just drive easy for good 5 mins

 

This is exactly how I warm up my car.

 

In the summer not so much, but when the weather gets colder like now and the winter, I will let it warm up. In summer conditions I drive it easy until it warms up completely.

 

I give it about 30 seconds or so if its warm out, or about a minute if she's sat all night and its cold (which it is now).

Can someone *please* explain how a 900-1400rpm idle is BAD for an engine? Sure it'll get hot if you let it sit for a half-hour in the driveway, but come on...

 

From what I heard it can kill sensors like your 02 sensors and oil pools more in certain parts of the motor if left idling for excess periods.

 

darn you, sensors!!!
Thanks, that sorta makes sense...but then again nothing really makes sense on new engines anyway. I still can't imagine 2 minutes in the driveway being more damaging than mashing the gas and finding 5k+ in 2nd gear (which is fun!)

 

My car is park outdoor and I let it idle for about 30 seconds. Then I drive it gently (never over 2500rpm) for about 8-10 mins.

 

It's nonsense what idle is bad for engine. When you drive, engine needs to give much more power. Cold oil doesn't give proper lubrication, but you still force engine to push the car. It's much better to warm the oil without any extra work for engine.


And guys, don't turn the heater right the way. It's gonna blow cold air any way. And it's gonna take much longer to heat up the engine (and your heater too). If you turn it on, heater takes all heat from radiator, and you just make extra radiator cooling.
Wait few minutes, atleast till you can see that temp gauge moved some.

 

Correct me if i'm wrong? Idle shouldn't be a problem. I have had my car idle with the A/C on for 8 hours. (last year's blackout).

 

i was waiting for someone to say that.

 

That's what I'm talking about...

 

I wait till the RPMs drop a bit...roughly to 1000 from 12-1300. That takes 1.5 mins in extreme cold weather

 

Doesn't BMW have tach indicator showing which rpm it is safe to rev up to dependent on engine-readiness?

 

i wake up, grab my viper remote starter, turn on the engine, snooze for 10 more minutes, then head off.

 

This is where synthetic oils -engine & tranny- make a huge difference versus dino oils, dat's one of the reasons all my cars use synthetic oil in at least the engine.

 

No shower? Ewww, stinky.

 

I start the car, and immediatly drive off, no warm up, full throttle everything. Hasnt let me down ever.

 

whats makes you a pro?

 

I let it warm up a couple of minutes, then drive keeping the rpms below 2500 until the temp is normal (fully warmed). With regards to the auto tranny, I keep the OD off until the temp reads normal and I park my car in my driveway so I dont have to reverse out on a cold tranny. I hear that reversing on a cold auto trans and letting a cold auto shift into OD drastically shortens tranny life. I was told this by a Chevy tech....figured it couldnt hurt.

 

Exactly 1 minute for me... but when im running late for work i let it warm up for about.... 5 seconds.

Winter time... a bit longer

 

I rarely ever let mine's warm up..

 

Ditto that. I start mine from inside the house. Let it run for about 15 min and the heater on full blast. Not only is the engine at operating temp, but so are the leather seats

 

Yeah, but what about when it gets cold?

 

oh my gawd. you guys are still on this topic

 

Is it bad to rev the engine while waiting for it to warm up? I got a remote starter on my car but momma dukes doesnt so i usually rev it but not sure if thats really good for the engine.

 

Unless it's scorching hot outside one minute isn't enough to get my temp gauge up to the C. On a cold day it would take at least 5 min.

I've heard it's bad now to fully warm up, and frankly I don't care anyway. Who the hell has the time to sit and let their car warm up for 5 min? I'd rather buy a new one a few thousand miles earlier than engage in that tomfoolery. I personally start both cars and let them run for about 5-10 seconds, tops, then it's off to the races. Actually I do drive with low throttle and rpm until it's fully warmed up, but I never let it idle to warm itself.

 

yeah, I dont have a garage, and I'm not going to sit in my car for more than 5 minutes to warm up. I do usually give it a minute or two, since its been below freezing at night, maybe just to make me feel better (or maybe left over habits from a tempermental carb on my last vehicle ). Our cars warm up very fast once you get moving, but not so much just idling.

 

I still say it's a little silly to waste engine cycles/gas until the coolant guage starts moving.
I would never warm a car up for itself, only warm it up so that it's nice and toasty for the passengers. That leather can get dang cold!!

 

hooray for cloth! (for once)

 

i warm up my max every time i start it up depending on how cold it is especially in the morning when I have left my baby sit for many hours.. It doesn't take long an besides it seems like the car runs like crap if I just hop in it an drive when its the 1st drive of the day..

 

i've done a lot of research on this and i now conclude to just letting it warm for 2 mins. then i drive like granny until i see it reach a little above C

 

Dayam... we're still talkin about this? Anyways, since I read this thread last week or whenever, I've been a stickler for letting my car warm up for a minute, then driving below 3000 rpms until it warms up below C... haha... thanks for messin me up guys... jk, I know, its good for the car...

 

Aha! yes i have remote start, it has a timer to turn itself on 10 minutes before i go outside and be nice and cozy for me

 

I live in NJ. The weather varies from day to day. Some mornings it can be absolutely freezing and then at other times it's a reasonable temperature. If it's freezing I let it run for 3 minutes before moving it.

 

I fail to see how the coolant temperature sensor moving makes the car ok to drive. The engine's already running. Any significant wear on a decently maintianed engine will happen within the first 5 seconds. Waiting until your coolant says it's ok to drive is a waste of time and gas.
Now if you're waiting for your car to warm up so that your butt and hands dont freeze. That's something else.

Want more?
http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2002/0128/...up012802.shtml
http://www.smartmoney.com/consumerre...t116&nav=CR_hp
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...East_id=333153

 

arg. lets end this thread already. get in, start up the car, seat belt, and off you go! (staying under 1.5-2k for a couple of mins)

 

thanks dmplus:


and ya'll said I was crazy for starting and just driving. Start her up, seat belt on, heated seats on, heated wheel on, sunglasses or headlights on, 30 sec. done. Just drive slowly.

 

WHITE BOYS GET NO LOVE DAMNIT!