In the MINI owners manual it says that you are not supposed to start your car and allow it to warm up at a stand still. Your are supposed to start the car and drive it away immediatly.

What is MINI's reasoning behind this? I doubt starting up the car for 15 minutes or so can hurt the car....


Mike

 

I've owned my MCS since July 2002.
It's got 12k miles on it now.
I start it every morn'n and let it sit for 5-15 minutes...

It's fine....
Don't worry...
Be happy :smile:

Peace,
D

 

I've always heard that starting your car was bad b/c the car took longer to come-up to temperature and that the oil took longer to circulate throughout the engine. Hence, warming-up the car could be causing slightly more wear than just starting the car and immediately driving away, while keeping the RPMs low.

 

The car only need around 30 second to get the oil around the engine before driving. Warming the car is not good for 15minutes, I never do it. Why? First the engine will warm quicker if it is under load. driving at a moderate speed not reving the engine will have the engine at running temprature in a few minute and the interior warm too.

Second if you let your car idle you are wasting fuel, this might not be an issue for people in the states as seeing that fuel is cheap.

Third the cataletic converter when you idle the car cannot work properly until you get it to running temp. so this means you are polluting the atmosphere more so with cold idling engine than if you ran a hot engine. Again this may not be an issue for people who live in the states unless you live in LA Ca, So not idling for periods of time will help the atmosphere and smog.

Hey, I understand that no one wants to get into a cold car. Put the seat warmers on and start driving but remember no spirited driving until the engine has warmed up to its optimum temp.


Motor on folks.

 

Most auto experts will tell you that warming up a car is a waste of time and gasoline. If you think about it there are usually a few red lights along the way to sit at and idle. Believe me, I live in Mpls-St.Paul...it dosen't get much colder any place else in the country.The only advantage of course is warming up the engine to get heat from the heater(heated seats take care of that). Another drawback is, letting your car sit unattended makes it that much easier to steal! It's gotten so common here that they made it illegal to let you car idle unattended! Who wants to sit in an idleing car for 15 mins when it's 10 below outside??

 

drdave11,

I will have to agree with you leaving your keys in the car idling and having the fear that someone will steal it. When I fill my car at the filling station I lock and take my keys with me when I go and pay. I see it all the time people leave there cars unattended with the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked when the go and pay for gas. Not only are these people giving a theaf the keys to the car they just bought them a tank of gas to get away.

Food for thought.

Charles

_________________
Red/White launch edtion cooper 399/500, Bonnet stripes, white wheels

 

TIP hit the nail on the head. The quicker you warm your engine up the less condensation you will have. Your engine will warm up quicker under load.
Motor On. :smile:

 

I have been living in Germany for 4 years now. All German auto manufacturers tell owners NOT to warm up the car. In fact, it is illegal to warm your car up for prolonged time. You can actually get sited for it. I'd say, 30 seconds at most to get the oil circulating. I have always taken off with a cold engine after a 30 second warm-up time and never have any problems. Europe's concern is with the environment and keeping the air clean. Check this out... it is also illegal to wash your car in the driveway unless you have a seperate drainage system than the one on the streets. Europe is very environmental conscience.

 

Moving parts are moving parts, wether sitting or driving, oil doesn't long at all to move through the engine. what ever floats your mini should be just fine.

 

Actually, letting the car sit for an extended period of time can have adverse effects (in the long tem). When first started the fuel / air mixture is quite rich. Unburnt fuel can condense on the cold cylinder walls and ultimately end up in the crankcase. Fuel in the crankcase = diluted oil which doesn't protect as well as it shoud.

Best method is to start the car, let it sit briefly (15 - 30 sec or so unless it's really cold and then maybe for only about a minute). Then drive off slowly and drive gently as the engine comes up to normal temperature.

 

>>Actually, letting the car sit for an extended period of time can have adverse effects (in the long tem). When first started the fuel / air mixture is quite rich. Unburnt fuel can condense on the cold cylinder walls and ultimately end up in the crankcase. Fuel in the crankcase = diluted oil which doesn't protect as well as it shoud.
>>
>>Best method is to start the car, let it sit briefly (15 - 30 sec or so unless it's really cold and then maybe for only about a minute). Then drive off slowly and drive gently as the engine comes up to normal temperature.
>>

Yup don't rev up a cold motor. Keep the revs under 4500 or so untill the motor reaches operating temp.

 

Modern fuel injected engines do not need a warm up like older, carbeurated engines. As a matter of practicality and safety one may want to warm up the car to insure the windows are frost free and the cabin is warm. However, driving gently to warm up is preferable for the following reasons:
-The entire drivetrain warms up more quickly and uniformly if you are driving gently. When idling to warm up, thermal pockets are created in the motor and the transmission stays cold. Since metal expands as it gets warmer it is better to heat everything up consistently.
- oil pressure is typically quite low at idle. By driving gently (again, don't rev it hard) the oil pressure will increase significantly providing better protection for all moving parts.
-the car is not very efficient at idle and carbon deposits form over time and degrade the oil as mentioned above. The quicker the car warms up, the quicker the ECU will lean out the air fuel mixture to a more efficient ratio. This carbon build up, of course, can be cured by flogging the living daylights out of the car once it has reached normal operating temperature!

 

I've been starting my cars and driving away within 30 to 60 seconds for years and has never hurt the car or performance.

Only time I ever started a car and let it warm up was when living in North Dakota and that was so I would have heat on the windshield and in the car at 30 below zero.