When one has the new mini Cooper S:
a) how many klm. must one make with it so that he can be able to hit the throttle without fear!
b) should the the engine be warmed before going to places? how much time should the warming take?

 

2000 km for break in. Remaining below 4500 rpm with no full throttle. After 2000 km ease more and more into the throttle and rev range.

The only warming the engine should receive should be 20-30 seconds at most and then drive lightly till the engine is up to operating temp.

Sitting idling for long periods builds acids in oil and causes premature bearing wear.

 

Which, unfortunately, MINI only provided an idiot light for, and not a gauge

 

I wonder if warm air out of the heater shows it's up to "operating temp."

Anyone know?

 

I think it depends on where you live. Where I use to live, I pulled out onto a 4 lane highway with people driving 70+ mph. The car had to be fully warmed up before since it was going to be run hard pulling out into traffic.

If you live in a place where you can take it easy as the engine warms up then that just as good. My Toyota truck that sat idling for at least 7-10 minutes before the highway maneuver has 380,000 miles. My Nissan Sentra who gets the same 5-10 minute warmup, and on occasion longer warm up has 215,000 miles. Neither use oil; Nissan only holds 3 quarts of too. I don't by the acids building up theory in the oil. Both use Quaker state dinosaur oil (non-synthetic). That doesn't mean I'm right, just what I've experienced. Both cars may have gotten to the same mileage with lesser warmups. No "control" in the experiment to check.

 

Never got this warm up thing, unless you are planning on riding the engine by bouncing it off the rev limiter. When I quarter mile a car I warm the engine. I "warmup" my engines by driving down the road. The price of fuel alone isn't worth leaving an engine idling for period of time at a traffic light, nor is an engine efficient in lower rpms.

 

My warm up consists of starting, opening the garage door (manually), backing out, closing the garage door (manually), getting in and belting up, going slowly down a longer than average drive way. Plenty of time for the oil to get everywhere. The next mile, to the first stop sign, is driven conservatively to about 45 mph. By then, I'm getting heat from the vents.