Jerky

How do you treat your baby in the morning?

Teh Jatt

warm the car every morning.

Casper42

So when you say warm it up, do you mean let it sit idling until the engine temp starts rising?

I dont sit at idle to warm it up, but I do drive it gently (dont exceed 4000 rpms) until the engine temp gets to a decent level. So is that Warm it up or dont warm it up?

cM3go

let it sit for 5-10 seconds, don't drive hard till car's engine temp reaches normal level. Warming up your car by letting it sit at idle for lenghty periods of time is bad. I believe we had a thread about this.

rets

I did the similar thing to my cars as cTLgo does. I crank the engine and shift gears after 5-10 seconds, and slowly drive away from the Garage. Besides, I won't run it until the engine temp is up to the middle.

Casper42

That sounds like what I do. Ima vote for warm it up then.

gochan

i warm it up every time except for when i'm in a big hurry then i go slow til the temp is in the middle

caball88

i do the same thing. there is no point to wait for the temp gauage on the dash to be in the normal position, everything else is still cold.

Teh Jatt

I let it sit there for 5 -10 minutes while i do other things.

sparkz

I warm it up for 20-30 seconds and then just take it easy

SSMTL04

i let it idle for 2-3 mins...then go gentle until the temp gauge goes up a quarter way

Repecat

If the engine is cold, I usually run it at idle about 10 or 15 seconds, then drive out through the neighborhood which has a 10 mph limit. By then, the temp needle has moved off its peg and I'm in a 35 mph zone for 2 miles at which time the coolant has normalised.

da_illist_onE

Ditto...

Toby

Warm it up? What, these are 1948 Chevrolets with babbit bearings? Warming up a car is somthing my day did. With modern automobiles a warm up is a waste of fuel and does nothing to save wear and tear on your engine and drive train. The bearing quality, tolerances and technology available today eliminate the need for such behavior. Conversely, probably not a good idea to put your foot completely in it for a few miles.
'04 TL, 10K miles, never "warmed up". Probably be just fine for 200K miles.

da_illist_onE

I do it not so much for the benefit of warming the engine, but to build adequate oil pressure before driving off.

ensley696

I warm it up just enough for the RPM gauge to fall below 1K RPM's at times almost like some kind of choke gets turned off, at other times I warm until the temp gauge begins to go up. I then drive it easy until the temp gauge is at normal operating temp.

GunnmeTaLCURA04

yeah. i turn on my car and just let it sit there while i unluck my gate and then just go.. i guess its ike 15 or 20 seconds.. then i do drive it slow.. only in mornings. the rest of the day, just GO

AcuraVic

Also, my garage is heated although I really dont need that here in Atlanta. I do drive moderate in the morning. By the time I leave my neighborhood (about 3 mins) the engine is warm.

1995hoo

I hit "other" because my reason for selecting "No" wasn't on the list. I park indoors at home and at work and the engine warms up very quickly--in the mornings, it's warm within half a mile of leaving my driveway. I was told years ago not to rev an engine above 4,000 rpm until the needle reaches the normal level, so I don't, but it's irrelevant anyway because I would never pop it up that high in a residential area anyway.

With that said, I do wait in the driveway for a few seconds, but the reason has nothing to do with the engine--it's because I want to make sure the garage door stays down. When I first moved in I had a problem where the inside handle on the garage door was tripping the autoreverse sensor on the opener and the door would go back up; I fixed it, but ever since then I always wait to make sure it's down before I drive away. I guess the side benefit is that it lets the car idle briefly and I can hit the "OK" on the Navi before driving off.

Canadian Mike

I wait to hit ok on the navi and then go. I'm still braking mine in so I try my best to stay under 4000rpm.

J RIDE 81

ME 2 !!!!!!!

Brewmaster

I'm in with my friend from the North .. On the days that the temp is below 40, I let it idle until Navi OK screen comes up .. hit that then start easing it down the driveway ...

JSK22

I start the car, wait for about 30 seconds, then drive it gently until the temp guage comes to its normal position.

I treat my car like myself, I'm not a morning person and am not the one to wake up and run 2 miles, so I don't push the car hard as soon as I jump in.

cvajs

just enough time to get the oil flowing (30-60 sec), then away i go...

on cold days (30 or below), i don't drive the car too hard until the temp is up.

ludachrisvt

iTrader: (2)

what if the car has ice or snow or even frost on it? you guys wouldnt let it idle then either?

Repecat

I might, but it would be rare, and I think only to demist or defrost the windshield.

druthadamaja

I've been warming it cuz it's been relatively cold in the morning and I like a warm, defrosted car in the morning

TL MaN 05 WdP

i warm it up i know alot of people think its waste gas but i rather have everything flowing nice so i wait till temp gauge is warm up and also RPM are down

1995hoo

I haven't had that issue since I've only had the car since August, so I couldn't say Generally as I am parked indoors I never have to deal with those things. When I have to park outdoors in the snow I sometimes use a Brookstone windshield cover that my parents gave me years ago--it does a pretty good job of keeping the windshield free enough of ice and snow that the defroster will clear it with no scraping.

JSK22

I don't think wasting gas is the issue, I think people don't do it because it is not good mechanically for the car.

(btw, I have WDP as well...good choice)

Donte99TL

Does farting on the seat count as warming up your car?

No but seriously, I let the car ideal for about thirty second before driving off. I don’t do this to let the engine warm up. I do it so the oil has a chance to get flowing into the engine. After sitting over night most of you oil is in your oil pain and not in the engine where is should be.

Teh Jatt

Yes it does then you don't have to turn on the seat heater.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

I've read before (in reputable magazines in the Tech section) that all you need is 10-15 seconds of warmup, and then you are ok to drive away, not driving aggressively until the Temp guage has been in the middle for a few minutes.

ResearchFreak

Haven't warmed up a car for many years. But I do take it easy for the first couple of miles.

KawBoy

I do, on every morning and every time the temperature gauge shows the engine is cold. And I live in Florida.

Road Rage

That's the way to do it - let the engine revs stabilize, ensure there is oil pressure, then off you go. I let the seat heaters take care of me, only wish a wheel warmer was also part of the package. I do not even turn the heat on until the engine is in its normal zone, which of course is not even close to it snormal operating temp (the gauges are not linear). As for proper oil temp - fahgedabowdit for at least 15-20 minutes in Xhicago weather. I do not romp on the engine for at least that long, year 'round.

I have posted on why idle warm-ups are not the best thing for an engine, so at this point people do what they want. Let's just say that one fo the downsides is setting conditionings that lead to sludge. But they'll blame Acura for that one.

DJ_JUST

I put mine in the garage and I nver need to warm it. Just drive it easy till it warms up nicely.

MisterLawyer

I live in a cold winter climate but I use a garage, so it doesn't take too long to warm up the car. I just let it idle for a few minutes when it's really cold. I also find it takes less time to warm up when I keep the garage door closed while it's idling.

SpecialFX

Start up, wait 15-20 sec. then drive off slowly until it's warm. I don't beat on my cars anymore so that's not an issue. Letting it idle for long periods of time, even in warmer weather but especially in the cold weather, is bad for the motor. Cold oil is harder to pump up to the top end where it's needed to lube the cams, valves etc. At idle there's not much oil presure to overcome the higher viscosity of the cold oil. Drive slowly until it's warm and the oil pressure will be high enough to ensure everthing gets oil.

kosh2258

I usually wait 30 seconds and then start driving summer or winter. In winter, the car warms up faster if the engine is under load and it wastes less gas from sitting and idling.

Like others have posted, I go easy on the car until the engine is up near operating temperature.