warming up/cooling down - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

ram5 · 9th November 2001, 19:13

I'm interested in getting some of your opinions on warming
the car up after you start your engine and before you drive
off. I know people that let their engines idle for up to 5 minutes
before driving. I've heard conflicting stories about the value
of idling the engine before take off. Some say that it's a good
idea to let the oil circulate in the engine before driving. Others
say that engine wear occurs mostly when the car is cold and
the quickest way to get the temperature up is by driving (at
low RPM).

On a similar note, do any of you idle your engines for a while
after parking and before turning it off?

I just picked up my 2002 Sterling Silver M5 a couple of weeks
ago and want to make sure that I'm treating it well. What an
awsome automobile!

One more thing. It's been 2 weeks and there's still no sign
of my Navigation CD. My dealer told me to expect it in the mail
but didn't mention how long it would take. How long did it
take for your Nav CDs to show up?

Thanks much,
Ram5

PhilSeastrand · 9th November 2001, 19:30

Warmup: It is CRITICAL that you let the car get to operating temperates before you drive it aggressively. It is not critical that you warm up before you drive it at all. The engine will actually warm up quicker if you start driving right away -- just don't hammer it until it's warm.

Cooldown: This is only necessary if the water temperature is above normal. If you've been driving hard then it's a good idea to drive slowly and let the cooling system get the car back to normal. It doesn't help to idle once it does get down to normal. Also, it's better to cool down by driving slowly rather than sit still.

NavCD: It really depends upon when they ordered it. In my case, the dealer was on top of things and it was there when the car arrived.

greg · 9th November 2001, 19:49

Not only is it not necc. to warm up before you drive off, it is actually better not to. Of course, you should be very gentle with the car - I keep the revs below 3000 and use very light throttle only - but the faster the car gets to operating temperature the better in terms of minimizing the production of nasty chemicals that are the byproduct of combustion at sub-optimal temperatures.

Also, cooling down before shutdown is not required. You don't have an aircooled engine or turbochargers, where residual high heat is a problem. Yes, if you've been driving really hard I wouldn't shut down immediately - but once you lighten up the coolant temp should drop to normal within a minute. (And you have to push the M5 pretty darn hard to get the coolant temp above its normal level to begin with.)

Barry · 9th November 2001, 19:55

Hey Ram5,
You should join us for dinner tonight and or the ride tomorrow. We need an 02 to complete the model line up. You'll also get a chance to meet some the characters you're chatting with from the board.
Welcome aboard

I let my car idle for a minute before I drive away slowly. Just a common sense appoach, no evidence of any benefit ......yet. Maybe only become an issue once the car has high miles in terms of oil usage etc.

tfung · 9th November 2001, 19:58

I usually let the car sit until the idle stabilizes at about 600rpm... The first 30 seconds when I turn on the car the idle goes up to about 1000rpm.. If I drive around at this time, the car is very unpredictable and sometimes has the bunny hopping syndrome.... Besides, I figure that the only reason BMW set the car to idle higher for the first 30 seconds, is to heat up the engine faster.. so they probably would have figured out the best way to do this already.. no need to improvise anymore and let the car sit for longer than that....

chunpng · 9th November 2001, 22:16

I believe the owner's manual actually says we should drive the car without letting it sit idle first.

I agree with Greg, the key is gentle driving during warm up. Seems to me, initial gentle driving also loosens up the transmission and the clutch asembly, especially on cold days. I never push for high RPM until the car is fully warmed up. The amazing thing about the M5 is that we don't need high RPM to attain high (freeway) speed.

Enjoy.

CP

Philip · 9th November 2001, 22:31

That statement in the manual is to please the EPA and is only emissions related. The EPA does not care about engine life, just emissions! I always allow my cars to warm up (maybe 2 - 5 minutes) before first time use for the day. I have read so many times that frequent oil change and allowing the engine to warm up before driving leads to longer engine life.

My Nav CD came with the car. I would guess that your salesman didn't order it in advance and install it for you because he didn't know, or didn't care. Your suppose to get 1 free update also.

RM5 · 9th November 2001, 22:49

do not idle the car just drive at low rpm and as for the nav disc dealer loads it on when you get the car .you will get one additional cd ( updated ) following year .So tell him to cough up your disc .

pmiranda · 10th November 2001, 02:08

I wait for the redline to get up to 5000 before starting off. Most mornings it comes up at 4500 so this is just long enough to close the garage door and maybe check tire pressures. (I'm guessing winter will change this.)

As for the nav CD, my dealer didn't have any for 2002 on hand and had it fedexed to my house directly from NavTech (the supplier). It took 8 days. Maybe with all the 2002 deliveries going on right now they got backed up.

RSouthern · 10th November 2001, 02:25

Ram5, You don't happen to park that '02 behind building 1 on Mathilda do you?

-R