Fwiw in my 06 R53 the car is considered warm (gauge in the middle) at 165dF. And it heats up pretty quickly too, 32 (it's in an unheated garage) to 100 in under a mile in 15dF weather with 2 stop - starts

 

I have a 07 mcs. That has had two timing chains replaced in less then a year and a half and the service rep at mini said That I needed to warm my car up first. That cold driving was hard on the tensioners. Needless to say I did what they suggested and warm my car up even though the manual says no then today yellow ingine lights on . I checked the codes that come up and they are for a dmtl pump and also the dme super knock code. So looks like I will be checking on getting timing chain replaced for a third time. Since on start up for last two weeks it sounds like a deisel again.

 

Forgot to add that I just drove easy, no fast acceleration and I didn't drive over 35mph.

 

After I opened up the exhaust I do the same thing but it's just to irritate my neighbor who is an ***!

 

Thanks for letting me know that it gives me a piece of mind this entire post does! I had to replace my engine on my r56 a month after I got it and this is the first winter I have with it and wanted to know its nothing to worry about. My previous car was a 97 maxima lol that i had to warm up.

 

Is it true that idleing for a long amount of time (warming up) could potentionally cause damage?

 

IIRC the mini reduces the turbo boost via a valve on startup when cold... that causes a louder engine sound for the first minute or so. It also reduces engine power in order to make the engine work harder and warm up quicker, which explains why it "feels" different...

just get in, start, let it run for 20 seconds or so to get oil flowing nicely, and drive off gently. if you have an ultragauge you can watch the reduced boost pressure until the engine warms up a bit.

 

I just get in and drive just like I do in the other 3 seasons. Of course I don't rev the snot out of it until it's warmed up.

 

I live in Northern Maine, the past few mornings the temp has been -5, -2 and 6 degrees. I normally start the Mini, turn the seat heaters on, scrape my windows and drive away. I nurse it until it is warmed up and I can feel the shifter loosening up.

 

Mine sits in a garage that doesn't get below 65 - but I let it warm up for a minute or so.

 

I get in, start the car, then fiddle around hooking my phone up and starting my podcast player. Then I have a 30 to 60 second drive down the driveway, Then it's 30mph limits for 5 minutes or so, and during that time the heat starts. My Roadster S and my wife's Clubman are both the same, and don't get any other special treatment. The only warmup I do is sometimes with the Clubman (which lives outside) if there's snow or ice to clear.

 

Mine always seems super, super torquey when it's cold. I really have to baby the clutch when I head out in the morning, and leaving work. It just seems like it makes gobs of power.

 

Our cars are garaged as well. We start and drive. On a cold day leaving from work by the time I get my phone and tunes set up it's ready to go. Typically 20 seconds or so. No need to wait and it warms quicker. Like most others I take it easy until the engine is fully warmed.

 

Recently a lady fell asleep while driving n totaled out my mini for me. I'm a volunteer fire fighter and when I had mine I did allot of hopping in going up the driveway and then ripping it down the road toward my station. I did it all the time and never had any issues. I also had quite a few aftermarket upgrades which may have helped.

 

OK, slight update... Started it cold today and drove off. No sign of the trans issue... How odd.