Well here comes Andys Anal Question of the day:

how long do you guys wait to warm your car up, and in this time what do you push the engine too?

i have always waited right until the needle is normal water temp, and never go above 3k in this time. Although its an idication of water temp rather than oil (which id rather the latter TBH) i wondered if people were more or less fussy than me?

I just let it warm until the front and back windscreen is defrosted and then im off. so about 3-4 mins

sorry i should have been more specific - warm up as in "give it the beans" - how long before you think its safe to drive above 3,000rpm without potential damage to engine

Same here. Just a few minutes until the windows are cleared. Then just take it handy until the needle goes up a bit.

hhmmm, to me it all depends on the weather and of cause time. but generally a couple of minutes but if its really cold and frosty probably 5 to 10 mins due to the time it would take to scrape the ice of the windows and demist the front windscreen.

Mustard

I stick to about 2k revs till the temp gets to the 1/4 mark

With the Coupe (2.0 gen 1, for those who don't know) I used to keep under 2.5K until the temp needle started to move, then drove it normally - used to warm up well quick though. If it was proper cold I'd start it, then by the time I'd defrosted the windows it'd be ready to drive off. Otherwise I'd just wait for the lifters to quieten and then drive.

With the Rover (2.0 Turbodiesel 200 SDi) under 2K until warmed on account of the turbocharger. On account of some modifications I have made, it does take several miles to warm, about 15mins of static idle for the needle to begin to move, for that reason I start it, lock it and clear off back up the house for a cuppa. Diesels are more thermally efficient too, which would make for some chilly mornings at this time of year

stop being a tart and drive the bloody thing.mine comes out the drive and it goes.either fast or slow depending how rushed i feel

but 90% of engine wear occurs within the first 10 mins of driving.... supposidly

If only we could all wait for the engine to warm up in the mornings. I try not to boot it until its warmed up though.

Its a catch 22, wait for it to warm up and then hammer it to get to work on time, or drive it straight off the drive cold. I suppose there is the other option of getting up 5 mins earlier but that rarely happens

i leave it 5 mins before i move off and i dont floor it until the needle is in the hot position on the dial

I like to let it warm up for afew minutes for starters before even driving, then i try not to floor it for a further 5-10 minutes, at least until the water temp is up at full running temp.

Or get an oil temp sensor and dont give it the beans until its warmed up

but you buy thick oil and your oil doesnt get round as quick and damage occurs.so you cant win.if you cant afford time to let your car warm up your nacked either way

Too thin = BAD, too thick = BAD

Jeez, can't go wrong with 10w40, IMHO - buy cheap, change often. Always been good enough for me

i wish i had chance.but when they ring up and want you then.....its hard to tell em to wait! never had much trouble with thin oil just change it regular

I was once told and so have usually gone by (may be rubbish).

The oil takes obviously longer to warm up than the water/colant, so however long it takes for the temp gauge in the car to get to the correct place ( in between those dots) then you should wait that same amount of time for the oil to reach the correct temperature.

Incase i havnt written it tidy, for example if it took 5 minutes for the water temp gauge to reach normal then you wait another 5 before the oil is at normal operating temp and therefore can give it beans .

Obviously its not going to be perfect but i would have thought a good guide, tell me what you think.

Well at the moment the engine is usually warm by the time I leave as I have to de-ice another car in order to get mine off the drive so it's going the whole time I'm sorting the other one.

Usually I stay bellow 3k until shes up to temp.

it's all well and good letting the engine warm up, but every seems to be forgetting the gearbox and running gear. while your sitting there waiting for the engine the running gear isn't doin anythin at all.

Therefore ill let the windows clear make sure engine noise has calmed down then drive off slowely not goin over 3k, once the water temp is up and i;ve done about 1 1/2 miles then ill open it up if need be.

Just buy the right grade oil and oil that has passed the required spec's (found in the handbook) and just like tyres don't skimp on it.

Thats my opinion

you ever seen 53 angry drunks sat on a coach thats broken down? we dont tend to get much back! same with moaners.the longer it takes the more compo they get

when temp gauge reaches running temp + 2 or 3 mins.

I was always told that modern engines didn't need warming up and that is was better to drive off soon after starting but to keep the revs down until warm. Usually pull away within 30-60 seconds of starting the engine.

One other issue i can't see mentioned above is Catalytic Convertors need to be hot to work properly and by running the engine "cold" you can (over time) block ("plug"??) the CC whilst it idles on the drive so getting the car moving is better in this regard.

Hmm. I've always been told that a cold engine uses more fuel (esp fuel injected engines) to maintain engine speed when idling until it is warm and the engine management computer would reduce fuel flow as it warms up. So better to use the engine at lower revs until warm than waiting 10 minutes for it warm up on a drive...

Again just what I've been told.

Seems this is one of those subjects with no definitive answer!

Is it only me that thinks he gives it long enough to warm up because he is driving carefully because of the weather??

@ -Sie-

Quite possibly. It is a pet hate of mine to see these bloody idiots tooling around with a 'porthole' cleared on the windscreen and ice or snow everywhere else. Should be shot in the head.

i think the point most people miss here is how many of you are going to keep your car long enough to see any damage caused by not warming it up?answer about 0.1pc

would the car still be on the road by the time damage shows?

very doubtful

well ill prob be paying my off for the rest of my life so i kinda don;t have much choice

but also, who buys a brand spanking new car everytime? (i know therre are some out there) do you run it in as your should? a high percentage of engine wear can be accounted to following the running in procedure.

Also, can any one who has a second hand car be sure that the previous owner or the owner from new didn't it?
theese are the risks you take when buying a 2nd hand car.

I'm not expert, but I usually leave my motor 4-5 minutes to warm up, usually hosed the car in De-Icer, or broken a couple of Credit Cards trying to scrape the damn ice off the screens. By then my temp gauge is usually registering something, even then I take it easy for a mile or two. Quite honestly I don't hack it if it's cold anyway, slippery road surface et al., but generally when I've found the country roads the engine in plenty warm.

Not to start a fight regarding oil or anything, but isn't Magnatec oil meant to protect your engine from a colder tempreture, [or from the moment you turn the key, if you believe what Castol Say]

I can't testify too much, but I change oil regularly and mine hasn't blown up yet, so I guess that's something.

well a never new 90% wear was in first ten mins of driving better start let a warm up av always jus engine on then off the flooring it gets the temp str8 up so a can get warm from me heaters lol

you dont have to let your car 'warm' all the way up just a few seconds for the oil to get to the top end. I use the 3k rule dont rev above it until the engine is at operating temp easy .

johny


how would you feel if i told you its also very bad for an engine to be left ticking over?



ok it'd have to be one hell of a long time but still. Be afraid Be VERY afraid

i wanted to say that johnny but i was too scared incase duple called my a southern pansy again

oh please dont feel disapointed and let down

YOU SOUTHERN PANSY
that better mate??? now stop namby pambying listen to the highly sensible johny105......who admittedly has a name that sounds like he should be played by jude law in A.I. as a giggolo robot.........

BUT he's right

go and drive the bloody thing and stop faffing like me granny(norvern speak)

Oi! There's nothing wrong with being southern!

Especially when you don't bother nambying around with this warm up malarky. Usually start the engine then as long as it takes to pick a playlist and turn the bluetooth on, then away to the red line...