Cold starts

[nomodlowkmgti]

Is it ok to drive straight away if you keep the rpm say below 2000 would the engine wear be mutch more than say 2min warm up then driving.I know if i start it and drive at high rpm when cold it could cause wear, is it also the load that play a part say if i used light throttle but rpm over 3500 does it wear the same as heavy throttle at same rpm?

[bfeboi]

Light driving does not hurt the modern engine unlike the older ones. They are now designed with quick start and go in mind, so as long as you don't go crazy and red line from the start it should be ok. Warm up is always good but sometimes time is against you.

[insanekiwi]

Recently with modern engines, recommended to start driving immediately, to keep the RPM under 3000rpm for around 3-5km or so.

I heard idling and warming up before starting is excessive these days and just increases the fuel consumption.

[mozzzy_2000]

Thats exactly right. You should start & go as soon as possible because the engine actually warms up far quicker under load. If you idle it in cold weather it can sit there for 10 mintutes and still not be warm. You'll wear out the internals quicker that way so its best to get going as quick as possible and of course no sudden acceleration and its up to temperature.

[Chuck]

id say give the oil time to get out of the sump and circulate...maybe 10 seconds or so - just to be on the safe side

[Gti Dave]

I generally wait til it settles down and its quieter b4 I drive off.

[pixl]

I generally wait til it settles down and its quieter b4 I drive off.

+1

I wait for the relay "tick" sound and the revs to drop to regular idle.

[Jmac]

New engines should not be left to idle too long cold or you can introduce bore glazing. A well run in engine it wont matter so if you like to wait till the secondary air pump shuts off all good and well. Starting any engine up and getting into it like a someone posessed is never good, for cooling system or the lubrication system, commen sense should kick in there.
Jmac

[Petrina Polo]

so whats the answer? drive half assed?

I dont see how idleing the car cold can hurt it? Surely driving at 2000-3000rpm while cold is worse than ideling while cold at 1000rpm?

Sure your not gonna go full throttle cold but there has to be an advantage in properly warming up your motor before adding load.

[AcoustiK]

Heres a scenario, parents 1998 car has done 240,000kms and not missed a heart beat, they never warm up the car, its off they go immediately, thing is they drive it as a 'parent' from start to finish.

As long you drive like chaffeuring your inlaws for the first 3-5k's or till the temperature normalises you should be fine.

[leasaunce]

in the manual booklet it says "Drive after 10sec" or a simpler answer, just drive the car after all the lights in the dash goes off.

[Jmac]

so whats the answer? drive half assed?

I dont see how idleing the car cold can hurt it? Surely driving at 2000-3000rpm while cold is worse than ideling while cold at 1000rpm?

Sure your not gonna go full throttle cold but there has to be an advantage in properly warming up your motor before adding load.

Ridiculous reaction to a sensible answer. Common sense is the answer if you read the post. I was talking about a Brand new engine and concluded that common sense would prevail, seeing as its not a brand new engine in question , merely mentioned it mid reply. Feel free and fang it cold , just make sure you buy enough Kleenex when your engone goes west.
Jmac

[Blitzen]

New engines should not be left to idle too long cold or you can introduce bore glazing. A well run in engine it wont matter so if you like to wait till the secondary air pump shuts off all good and well. Starting any engine up and getting into it like a someone posessed is never good, for cooling system or the lubrication system, commen sense should kick in there.
Jmac

so whats the answer? drive half assed?

I dont see how idleing the car cold can hurt it? Surely driving at 2000-3000rpm while cold is worse than ideling while cold at 1000rpm?

Sure your not gonna go full throttle cold but there has to be an advantage in properly warming up your motor before adding load.

Mmmmm...Which bit of advice will I take...??

I could go with the seasoned VAG Trained mechanic with 17 odd years of experiance on VAG products who works on them every day...

Or I could disregard Jimmys advice, or that of the owners manual(What would VW know about the engine they themselves produce??), and go down my own track and bash the advice given...

Ridiculous reaction to a sensible answer. Common sense is the answer if you read the post. I was talking about a Brand new engine and concluded that common sense would prevail, seeing as its not a brand new engine in question , merely mentioned it mid reply. Feel free and fang it cold , just make sure you buy enough Kleenex when your engone goes west.
Jmac

Petrina, you need to clean out that filter that exists beteen you brain and finger tips before you engage them again.

[pixl]

This is good to hear. Now I don't feel bad for only waiting 20-30 seconds before setting off.

While we're on the topic and Jmac is around, what's the best thing to do when making a short trip (ie. Not long enough to get the engine warm) -- Do you just start it up, get there and get back (sensibly) as quick as possilbe or is it wise to take a slightly longer route to at least get some warmth into the engine.

[Jmac]

I think this is starting to get a bit lost, Question was do i have to heat up engine before i drive off???? I only mentioned the bore wear on a brand new engine as a bit of trivia mid explaination. As i mentioned a bit of common sense is reqd, and what i meant by that was dont just start your car up thats sat all night and then gun it down the road straight away, and thats where the common sense i hope would kick in. There is no problem starting up a modern engine and driving away, the guys waiting for which i have been reading here for around 10 secs or so arent doing anything wrong other than being sensible, so im in no way asking you to drive your car half assed. Same goes for switching it off after a spirited drive , the engine bay will have masses of heat in there and would make sense to idle it a bit before switch off, another part where common sense should kick in.
Cheers
Jmac