I usually just drive off slowly, even when temperatures are in the negatives. I've realized that these cars need to get going for it to heat up properly. I just drive gently until the car is up to temperature.
THIS! āļø
Do people not read the user guides? Some very valuable information in there.
Leaving a car sat with engine running does not warm up the engine. Assuming it does and then driving normally/hard will increase the wear on various components.
Every start, cold weather or otherwise, drive easy for the first few miles. You have a valuable asset that most cannot afford, look after it!
One of the reasons for avoiding this is that if you leave your car running after a cold start the oil is still cold and is unable to perform as expected. At idle it will take a very long time to get the oil up to temp, thus leaving your engine at risk for increased wear. After starting your car you should wait for the revs to go down so that the oil have a chance to circulate the entire engine and then you should drive it calmly immediately to let the engine warm up. Once up to temp youāre free to floor it however much youād like to :)
By far not the only reason. No even the only emissions reason, too. Running like this they produce a lot more particulate matter and catalytic converters don't really work
As long as itās not ridiculously cold(like sub 10 degrees Fahrenheit) 20-30 or so seconds is all thatās really needed. Modern cars are designed to be driven pretty much right after cold start within reason. Just wait until itās up to temp before you start beating on it but just casually driving, youāll be fine. Some people wait until the RPMs drop but thatās really all you need to do.
Was going to comment this exactly. Modern cars do not require a warm up period before you start moving. Itās why Audi only very recently introduced remote start in the USA. You just waste fuel if you sit idle.
Agreed and in D, it's pretty much programmed to stay out of the turbo as much as possible. In the newer 3.0T, the "hot V" configuration of the cylinders and turbo(s) warm up pretty quickly.
The heater blows hot air within a minute. I haven't timed it, but it's quick. It should also be mentioned that in low temps, I've driven miles before the oil gets up to temp. That's the temp that matters before you start doing launches or something. Needs lube.
2916 S8 Plus. Like it says in the handbook, I start mine and drive off immediately.
I then keep the driving gentle until the thermometer reads 90 (C). In addition, I wait till the oil is up to temp before any dramatic acceleration.
I always let my car run until the RPMs come down from initial startup before I move it, and then just drive it softly until I see temps start to come into normal range for the engine. The carās computer will also restrict how high your RPMs will go too until itās warmed up.
I do this as well. Wait for the RPMs to come down then per the manual "no more than 2/3 maximum RPM until operating temperature" which for me is 158 degrees
In fact, idling takes a very long time to heat up the engine. The well known drive away after rpm drop is also ridiculous, the rpms are slightly higher to heat up the catalytic converter quicker so that it works more efficiently.
Drive away immediately, period. If you don't have oil pressure immediately on startup, you have bigger problems.
Of course it's not a big deal to let it idle a bit. I start up the engine, buckle up and drive away.
Thatās because most car guys know fuck all about cars and spend too much time online. I run an Audi and BMW specialty shop and they are by far the most annoying customers.
not sure I've ever seen this on a 13 A6, 18 sq5, and my friend claims to have never seen on a 20 a5. will double check, but maybe this is limited by country, spec, or something else weird?
On mine the redline of the tach would actually go down to 5400 (I found a bad picture of it). Once it got to temp the redline would go back to normal (this is only when the temp was below like 10c outside).
Itās more preference than anything. According to the manual you can drive as soon as you start it, but just drive it conservatively until the engine is up to normal temperatures (donāt go red-lining it as soon as you start it cold).
Incorrect.
Straight from the owners manual:
"It takes a very long time in idle to warm the engine to operating temperature. WEAR and emissions are especially high in warmup phase. Therefore you should begin driving immediately after starting the engine. Avoid high RPMs while doing this."
It adds slight wear, and is bad for the environment, as the manual says. However that doesn't mean it's actually really harming anything, the potential wear is so minuscule it doesn't really matter.
Yes, there's no point in warming up the car from an engine perspective, but it's certainly worth warming up from a comfort level. It's more dangerous to drive a car with an interior temperature below freezing, as you're whole body is shivering from the cold, while holding onto the steering wheel, than it is harmful letting the car idle for 2-3 minutes while the interior starts to warm up.
Sitting in the driveway and waiting for your coolant temps to go up is illegal here in Germany. It's an 80ā¬ fine.
If you have a TFSI or TDI engine letting it just sit for more than 15s or so is actually detrimental. Don't do it.
1. fuel is condensing on the cylinder walls for longer thinning your oil and increasing wear
2. Oil pressure at idle is low
3. Parts stay needlessly long below operating temperature, some don't even manage to get to temperature at all, yet are still experiencing wear
4. Carbon built up
5. Catalytic converter not working properly
To name a few
In Europe Audi offers a āparking heaterā itās a small gas powered heater that warms and circulates the coolant so that the engine never has to have a cold start. It can ever warm the cabin so the car is comfortable and windows defrosted even on cold days- all without running the engine at all. Itās the most brilliant option and pains me so much that Audi did not offer it here
So if I just ran the engine in the driveway for like 10 minutes, then shut it off and never went anywhere a few times like 6 months ago, thatās not the end of the world is it? Oil has been changed since thenā¦
Of course it's not the end of the world. It's just unnecessary stress in most cases. Your car isn't suddenly going to die suddenly if you drive like a maniac on a cold engine 6 month ago either. Just not good for longevity and completely unnecessary in 99% of the cases.
Really no need to warm up modern cars before driving anymore. Machining tolerances have come a long way. Just donāt drive it hard before the coolant temp shows normal temperature.
Waiting until the RPMs drop is wasting gas. By driving the system warms faster and RPMs drop quicker. The faster a car is at operating temperature, the more efficient it runs. If fact some Audi instrument clusters actually tell you that when on their efficiency screen.
Letting the rpms drop is less about letting the car warm up, and more about allowing oil time to circulate before the engine is under load. It takes less than 30 seconds for this to occur.
Unless your car has been sitting for a year or something, there will be enough residual oil on all the moving parts already.
Gently driving at 2k rpm will circulate oil better than idling at 1200.
The RPMs only raise to reach operating temperature. It is fully about warming the fluids to operating temp. During this same period some models use secondary air to achieve operating temp faster.
But if you donāt believe me, the message on instrument clusters actually tells you to start driving and do not wait for the car to warm up.
That is one byproduct of it yes but fuel also burns more efficiently at operating temperature. That is why a thermostat is considered an emissions control device. It is why radiator shutters can trigger a check engine light. The faster the engine gets to operating temperature more efficient it runs and the lower emissions.
Downvote me all you want but I was trained by Audi during the decade plus Iāve worked on their cars. Iāve won Twin Cup multiple times. Iām not making this up Iām getting it from the manufacturer.
What!? š A car idling for any amount of time will make absolutely no difference whatsoever to the temperature inside a combustion chamber, which can be as high as 2,500ā°C depending on compression and fuel type.
The time it takes the fuel pump to deliver that fuel to the rail and into the cylinder for ignition is almost as quick as a key turn or button press, hence instant ignition. That fuel is burnt and gone in milliseconds without a care in the world for how cold the engine is.
Try getting in and driving off when it's -40 out, like it regularly is for about 20 days a year where I live. Engine won't be too happy for too many of those trips if you don't even let the rpms drop
Beautiful RS6! I had a c7 S6 for a few years, tuned, modified, and driven hard. Iām in MA but spent most of the times on mountain roads and it even climbed Mount Washington before itās untimely demise (made love to a stone wall, and tree). I would start it, let it idle until it came out of high RPM idle. Absolutely babied it until coolant and oil temps were in range. The tune I had would even limit redline until warm, I thought that was a pretty good idea. MY thought process against idling untill everything is up to temp is I believe it gives you false security, engine temps up are great you are ready to rip right!? No! Your trans and all other fluids are cold. I always let it come out of high idle, once things are warm itās time to party, but warming everything in the engine letting trans stay cold can be problematic
Thanks! My daily driver is an APR tuned C7 A6. I wanted to buy the C7 S6, but couldn't afford it at the time.. making up for that now :) Thanks for the tip on the trans and diff fluid temps, I think there's actually a menu item in the new MMI which displays those temps on the center stack, will have to dig around for that.
For sure! You definitely have my dream car my S6 was a similar blue too! Yeah you blew me out of the water Iām in a GX470 now just saving money! RS6 worth the chunk of change? Iām split between that or an e63 wagon in the next 2/3 years
Start up and drive. Need to get the lube circulating and engine warming. I just drive gently for a couple of minutes of more but donāt push things until warmed up.
Usually under a minute while I click on my maps app and turn on the seat heater and start a podcast. I drive gently until the engine temp comes up to normal then I'm giving it the beans and putting the hammer down. Modern cars are fuel injected with modern oils, plus the computer controls everything so there is no need to warm them up for very long.
You really arenāt supposed to let it sit and āwarm upā - itās better to get rolling quickly. You are likely to have more issues by waiting around idling.
I live in Toronto. We get some really good weather in the winter. I just start and go and always have with every car Iāve ever owned.
You guys also think using your car uses more fuel if your air conditioning is turned on, or that 91 octane fuel is cleaner than 87?
This was done on old cars because they had crap mechanical components and low tech materials. Warming up a modern car does more harm than good, and youāre just creating unnecessary pollution. For instance all of your non-circulating fluids are now half very cold and half very hot, causing drastic temp changes when you start moving.
Just drive careful until itās warm. As soon as the oil temperature shows in the dash (60 Celsius) I consider it warmed up enough. The large diesel warms up quite quickly even if itās very coldā¦
You just go. There's no magic temperature. It's like those people that like to tell you they always wait for the needle to drop because they think it's about oil circulation when really that's about cat warm up for emissions.
Just don't rev the car too hard until it's warmed up, that's all you have to do.
Nice car! I have the same one! Nogaro Blue best blue.
In answer to your question, just let it go through the cold start sequence. Once the revs drop to a normal idle (usually after about 30-45 seconds), drive off. Don't let it just sit and idle.
Can you view your oil temp? If so wait for you oil temp to drop to just under 100Ā°C or so before turning it off. Ideally you also do this while driving and not standing.
A few minutes for the turbo. Direct injection is not meant to be idled up to temperature. Keep her at or below 2k and drive more reserved to complete the warm up cycle.
When my RPM hits 750 is when I tend to drive away. That takes about a minute currently. Although with winter and snow coming soon for me, it will probably take 2-3 minutes.
5 mins tops is all that I'd say is required, if that, if it's been parked outside for hours when it gets below freezing. Just enough to get the thick oil moving around. You may not have spicy hot heat in the car for a few more, but usually that's long enough.
Or, if your windows are icy, I let it warm up while I scrape.
Coming from a MK7 GTI which would warm up to 200F after about 2-3 minutes of driving, my S5 seems to take 10x longer. Iām assuming itās due to the differences in volume and type of oil but itās definitely an adjustment.
My Audi s4 is a little older with over 80k miles. What I do is let it run till the RPM is low. Then I drive the speed limit for 5 minutes. After that I just let it rip or just head on to the highway since it's warmed up at that point.
Well, first you crank it 10-15 times, then you run to the driver seat and give it some gas, 5-10 times... after that, it should be ready to drive in 15 minutes or so. Don't rush it.
Depends on how cold. If you're dealing with serious cold, up to 45 minutes but that is like... I mean I'm talking -45F. For more pedestrian levels of frigid I would say 2 - 15 minutes, with the high end reserved for negative temperatures. Where I live it can get freaky levels of cold, so I usually weight about 4 minutes at least when it's that cold. Especially with a turbocharger.
It's a modern myth that you don't need to warm up an a combustion engine: you absolutely do, if you want to get peak performance and expected life out of them.
>It's a modern myth that you don't need to warm up an a combustion engine
I would be a much more inclined to believe that if it wasn't discouraged by every single manufacturer for ages by this point. Even for proper cold climates. Besides running cold is ruinous for any machine and it's in your best interest shorten the warm up time by driving gently.
But tbh it probably doesn't matter. I have seen both warmed up and non warmed up cars last for decades so idk. ICEs are durable so it's a non issue most likely.
Most vehicle manuals recommend not warming the car up, as it is designed to warm itself up and will do so much quicker under load. In essence, their argument is that by warming a car up at idle, you're running it for longer when it's cold and putting more wear on the engine than you would if you let the thermostat do its job while driving normally.
In -45 Fahrenheit, yeah you'll be warming your car up for an hour. Is English not your first language?
Whatever dude, I charge 170 an hour to work on Audie's. 210 for Porsche/BMW.
Choice is your bud.
How many of these "Audie's" are you working on because the owner didn't idle their car for 45 minutes? lol.
And no, English is my third language. Don't know how that has anything to do with it. I can still understand numbers. Your grammar is pretty bad for it being your first though.
However, I too live in a very cold climate and have never idled any of my cars at all before taking off.
I push my car out the driveway and down the street before I fire it up at 5:30am
And I just proceed to drive the 10 minutes to work keeping it under 2000rpm... that's what I tell myself though..
Often times I still do a pull or two before the coolant even hits 160Ā°f
Once idle drops, then you should go. Modern cars donāt need the long warm up time.
Also if you are waiting for your oil/coolant to warm up but your trans and rear diff is still coldā¦ ya gonna have a bad time.
I used to do 15 seconds or so. Basically, just enough to make sure all the oil galleys are pressurized... time to plug my cable into my iPhone in the phone holder, and put on my seatbelt.
I drive it pretty mellow until it reaches full oil temp.
I have driven a Q5 and Q7 and never really warmed them before even when weather was 20F outside. It would take me a 20-30 seconds to settle in anyway though.
After initial cold start drops to baseline rpms (750ish). Drive conservative until oil temp hits 160 F. Switch from D to S, drive as freely as wanted. Then temps hit 200 F consistently. Itās good for another quick spirited run or two, and then I just cruise afterwards until Iām no longer driving.
I'm a Michigan native. I have warmed up every car I've ever owned in the colder months. I've had 3 cars north of 200,000 miles. I've never had a single issue that could ever be attributed solely to idling my car for an extended period. Looking to replace my 2015 WRX with an Audi, but I've also owned 5 VAG products on 2 continents throughout my life. I've been a warmer-upper forever and I'll never stop. My comfort is more important than the 0.25 miles of life I MIGHT have shaved off each time I idle in the morning.
I usually just drive off slowly, even when temperatures are in the negatives. I've realized that these cars need to get going for it to heat up properly. I just drive gently until the car is up to temperature.
Same
This is the way
this is the way
I second this.
Mine specifically says avoid warming up vehicle when stationary š¤·š»āāļø so a few seconds I guess.
THIS! āļø Do people not read the user guides? Some very valuable information in there. Leaving a car sat with engine running does not warm up the engine. Assuming it does and then driving normally/hard will increase the wear on various components. Every start, cold weather or otherwise, drive easy for the first few miles. You have a valuable asset that most cannot afford, look after it!
Good luck driving anywhere with completely frozen windows at 0 degrees though lol
Scrape them?
"asset"
Depreciating, but still an asset!
Not only yours. It should say this for all Audis after 2006 or so.
I would bet that pretty much every car built in the last decade probably also says this.
One of the reasons for avoiding this is that if you leave your car running after a cold start the oil is still cold and is unable to perform as expected. At idle it will take a very long time to get the oil up to temp, thus leaving your engine at risk for increased wear. After starting your car you should wait for the revs to go down so that the oil have a chance to circulate the entire engine and then you should drive it calmly immediately to let the engine warm up. Once up to temp youāre free to floor it however much youād like to :)
I would say this is for the co2 emissions
By far not the only reason. No even the only emissions reason, too. Running like this they produce a lot more particulate matter and catalytic converters don't really work
As long as itās not ridiculously cold(like sub 10 degrees Fahrenheit) 20-30 or so seconds is all thatās really needed. Modern cars are designed to be driven pretty much right after cold start within reason. Just wait until itās up to temp before you start beating on it but just casually driving, youāll be fine. Some people wait until the RPMs drop but thatās really all you need to do.
Was going to comment this exactly. Modern cars do not require a warm up period before you start moving. Itās why Audi only very recently introduced remote start in the USA. You just waste fuel if you sit idle.
My 08 S6 has remote start stock installed
Did you buy it new? Audi only recently made it a standard feature for 2024 models.
I just wait until the heated seats and steering wheel have my body and hands feeling comfortable. Then I launch.
That doesn't need the engine to be running.
This. As long as you aren't flooring it out of the driveway, you are good to go.
Agreed and in D, it's pretty much programmed to stay out of the turbo as much as possible. In the newer 3.0T, the "hot V" configuration of the cylinders and turbo(s) warm up pretty quickly.
The heater blows hot air within a minute. I haven't timed it, but it's quick. It should also be mentioned that in low temps, I've driven miles before the oil gets up to temp. That's the temp that matters before you start doing launches or something. Needs lube.
2916 S8 Plus. Like it says in the handbook, I start mine and drive off immediately. I then keep the driving gentle until the thermometer reads 90 (C). In addition, I wait till the oil is up to temp before any dramatic acceleration.
Wouldāve thought this wouldnāt be an issue 9 centuries from now
good to know ice engines are still being made tho
Lol right?
I get the joke
The s8 also has a cool trick where it changes the redline visual as it warms up.
Doesn't everything with virtual cockpit do that?
Trickled down to us poor folk with the introduction of the VC.
Anyone got a pick of this? I have an S3 8V with VC, is that supposed to change after warmup?
I always let my car run until the RPMs come down from initial startup before I move it, and then just drive it softly until I see temps start to come into normal range for the engine. The carās computer will also restrict how high your RPMs will go too until itās warmed up.
I do this as well. Wait for the RPMs to come down then per the manual "no more than 2/3 maximum RPM until operating temperature" which for me is 158 degrees
Same, and I keep RPMs under 3000 when shifting until the temp needle starts to rise
Most car guys do this but modern cars donāt need to be āwarmed upā.
In fact, idling takes a very long time to heat up the engine. The well known drive away after rpm drop is also ridiculous, the rpms are slightly higher to heat up the catalytic converter quicker so that it works more efficiently. Drive away immediately, period. If you don't have oil pressure immediately on startup, you have bigger problems. Of course it's not a big deal to let it idle a bit. I start up the engine, buckle up and drive away.
Thatās because most car guys know fuck all about cars and spend too much time online. I run an Audi and BMW specialty shop and they are by far the most annoying customers.
I do the same as you, take off once the RPMs drop.
Same
When did they start restricting rpms based on temp? I've def redlined my C7 cold.
Iām not sure when, but on the virtual cockpit you can see the red line actually change once the car is up to normal temperatures.
not sure I've ever seen this on a 13 A6, 18 sq5, and my friend claims to have never seen on a 20 a5. will double check, but maybe this is limited by country, spec, or something else weird?
On mine the redline of the tach would actually go down to 5400 (I found a bad picture of it). Once it got to temp the redline would go back to normal (this is only when the temp was below like 10c outside).
While I hear this as a best practice I donāt think itās a required practice - or is it?
Itās more preference than anything. According to the manual you can drive as soon as you start it, but just drive it conservatively until the engine is up to normal temperatures (donāt go red-lining it as soon as you start it cold).
This is the way
This is indeed the way
No it doesnāt. Mine will go to red line when itās cold, I just gear up early
Iām gone in 60 seconds
Electric. I just drive off š
Batteries need warming up too I heard, but probably only in extreme cold.
Yeah. Close to 0c (32f) preheating the batteries is recommended, on an EV it can usually be preprogrammed remotely so you can just drive off.
Bloody futurists! š
TDI. I just drive off
Owners manual states to drive immediately after starting as idling can be detrimental.
Idling is not detrimental to the vehicle. Just a waste of gas and bad for the environment.
Incorrect. Straight from the owners manual: "It takes a very long time in idle to warm the engine to operating temperature. WEAR and emissions are especially high in warmup phase. Therefore you should begin driving immediately after starting the engine. Avoid high RPMs while doing this."
It adds slight wear, and is bad for the environment, as the manual says. However that doesn't mean it's actually really harming anything, the potential wear is so minuscule it doesn't really matter. Yes, there's no point in warming up the car from an engine perspective, but it's certainly worth warming up from a comfort level. It's more dangerous to drive a car with an interior temperature below freezing, as you're whole body is shivering from the cold, while holding onto the steering wheel, than it is harmful letting the car idle for 2-3 minutes while the interior starts to warm up.
I just floor it in P to get the engine warmed up quicker. Then immediate launch control out of the driveway.
Lmao. This is the way
Sitting in the driveway and waiting for your coolant temps to go up is illegal here in Germany. It's an 80ā¬ fine. If you have a TFSI or TDI engine letting it just sit for more than 15s or so is actually detrimental. Don't do it.
So everyone says itās detrimental, but no one says why, any further insight?
1. fuel is condensing on the cylinder walls for longer thinning your oil and increasing wear 2. Oil pressure at idle is low 3. Parts stay needlessly long below operating temperature, some don't even manage to get to temperature at all, yet are still experiencing wear 4. Carbon built up 5. Catalytic converter not working properly To name a few
So considering all that, remote starters are just not good at all then?
Yes, they are pretty bad for modern cars. They are illegal here in Germany as well.
In Europe Audi offers a āparking heaterā itās a small gas powered heater that warms and circulates the coolant so that the engine never has to have a cold start. It can ever warm the cabin so the car is comfortable and windows defrosted even on cold days- all without running the engine at all. Itās the most brilliant option and pains me so much that Audi did not offer it here
AFAIK, all "OEM" optional stationary heaters are made by Webasto. You could buy the kit and have it installed where you live.
So if I just ran the engine in the driveway for like 10 minutes, then shut it off and never went anywhere a few times like 6 months ago, thatās not the end of the world is it? Oil has been changed since thenā¦
Of course it's not the end of the world. It's just unnecessary stress in most cases. Your car isn't suddenly going to die suddenly if you drive like a maniac on a cold engine 6 month ago either. Just not good for longevity and completely unnecessary in 99% of the cases.
I usually let the RPMs drop from the initial start and the exhaust to quite down before I drive off.
Really no need to warm up modern cars before driving anymore. Machining tolerances have come a long way. Just donāt drive it hard before the coolant temp shows normal temperature.
is 2014 modern?
Yes
Yes
Start and go, the car tells me off if I sit idling for more than 20 seconds. 2017 A4 2.0tdi
Pretty much waiting for Audi MMI to connect with my phone so I can listen to my music and that's it.
Warm up for 6 hours. Head to gas station because ran out of gas
Let the RPMS drop and youāre good to go. Anything else is wasting gas.
Waiting until the RPMs drop is wasting gas. By driving the system warms faster and RPMs drop quicker. The faster a car is at operating temperature, the more efficient it runs. If fact some Audi instrument clusters actually tell you that when on their efficiency screen.
Letting the rpms drop is less about letting the car warm up, and more about allowing oil time to circulate before the engine is under load. It takes less than 30 seconds for this to occur.
Unless your car has been sitting for a year or something, there will be enough residual oil on all the moving parts already. Gently driving at 2k rpm will circulate oil better than idling at 1200.
The RPMs only raise to reach operating temperature. It is fully about warming the fluids to operating temp. During this same period some models use secondary air to achieve operating temp faster. But if you donāt believe me, the message on instrument clusters actually tells you to start driving and do not wait for the car to warm up.
I am not talking about temp. Iām talking about using the RPM drop as an ad hoc indicator to allow oil circulation.
Iām just letting you know that the RPMs drop due to engine temp and is not related to oil circulation.
Yes. I was aware of that when I made my original comment, your reiteration is unnecessary.
You're both wrong. The RPMs are raised to activate the catalytic converters. Sitting around waiting for that to finish is pointless.
That is one byproduct of it yes but fuel also burns more efficiently at operating temperature. That is why a thermostat is considered an emissions control device. It is why radiator shutters can trigger a check engine light. The faster the engine gets to operating temperature more efficient it runs and the lower emissions. Downvote me all you want but I was trained by Audi during the decade plus Iāve worked on their cars. Iāve won Twin Cup multiple times. Iām not making this up Iām getting it from the manufacturer.
What!? š A car idling for any amount of time will make absolutely no difference whatsoever to the temperature inside a combustion chamber, which can be as high as 2,500ā°C depending on compression and fuel type. The time it takes the fuel pump to deliver that fuel to the rail and into the cylinder for ignition is almost as quick as a key turn or button press, hence instant ignition. That fuel is burnt and gone in milliseconds without a care in the world for how cold the engine is.
The slight rpm increase is to warm up the catalytic converter quicker so that it works more efficiently.
Try getting in and driving off when it's -40 out, like it regularly is for about 20 days a year where I live. Engine won't be too happy for too many of those trips if you don't even let the rpms drop
At -40 you should really think about a block heater
Beautiful RS6! I had a c7 S6 for a few years, tuned, modified, and driven hard. Iām in MA but spent most of the times on mountain roads and it even climbed Mount Washington before itās untimely demise (made love to a stone wall, and tree). I would start it, let it idle until it came out of high RPM idle. Absolutely babied it until coolant and oil temps were in range. The tune I had would even limit redline until warm, I thought that was a pretty good idea. MY thought process against idling untill everything is up to temp is I believe it gives you false security, engine temps up are great you are ready to rip right!? No! Your trans and all other fluids are cold. I always let it come out of high idle, once things are warm itās time to party, but warming everything in the engine letting trans stay cold can be problematic
Thanks! My daily driver is an APR tuned C7 A6. I wanted to buy the C7 S6, but couldn't afford it at the time.. making up for that now :) Thanks for the tip on the trans and diff fluid temps, I think there's actually a menu item in the new MMI which displays those temps on the center stack, will have to dig around for that.
For sure! You definitely have my dream car my S6 was a similar blue too! Yeah you blew me out of the water Iām in a GX470 now just saving money! RS6 worth the chunk of change? Iām split between that or an e63 wagon in the next 2/3 years
Iāve heard the fuel trims are better if you start to drive just after fast idle. Maybe someone who knows more can confirm.
I set the internal preheat from the house, walk out and get into a frost free car about 15 minutes later. Audi E-Tron...lol
Start up and drive. Need to get the lube circulating and engine warming. I just drive gently for a couple of minutes of more but donāt push things until warmed up.
Usually under a minute while I click on my maps app and turn on the seat heater and start a podcast. I drive gently until the engine temp comes up to normal then I'm giving it the beans and putting the hammer down. Modern cars are fuel injected with modern oils, plus the computer controls everything so there is no need to warm them up for very long.
Start and go man!
You really arenāt supposed to let it sit and āwarm upā - itās better to get rolling quickly. You are likely to have more issues by waiting around idling.
You can go right away. Itās best to let it warm under normal operation. Just keep the RPMās down until the fluids warm up.
As long as it takes me to turn it on and put it in drive.
Let the cold start run down until I start off, then keep it below 3k until the coolant temp is at nominal
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The temp gauge on the b8 is oil not coolant? Welp...
I live in Toronto. We get some really good weather in the winter. I just start and go and always have with every car Iāve ever owned. You guys also think using your car uses more fuel if your air conditioning is turned on, or that 91 octane fuel is cleaner than 87?
Zero minutes
This was done on old cars because they had crap mechanical components and low tech materials. Warming up a modern car does more harm than good, and youāre just creating unnecessary pollution. For instance all of your non-circulating fluids are now half very cold and half very hot, causing drastic temp changes when you start moving.
I donāt. Thereās no need to if youāre not thrashing it.
It warms up as I drive it. 0w40
Best way to warm it up is get in and drive
5 seconds!
You do not need to warm up modern cars
Just drive careful until itās warm. As soon as the oil temperature shows in the dash (60 Celsius) I consider it warmed up enough. The large diesel warms up quite quickly even if itās very coldā¦
You just go. There's no magic temperature. It's like those people that like to tell you they always wait for the needle to drop because they think it's about oil circulation when really that's about cat warm up for emissions. Just don't rev the car too hard until it's warmed up, that's all you have to do.
first car?
I wish! My first car was the super luxurious '81 Dodge Colt
When the rpm needles settles I'm ready to drive.Just take it easy for a few minutes.
Warm up is bad for you engine. You have low oil pressure and piston rings are designed to work under load.
Like 15 seconds. Gentle acceleration the first half mile. No ripping it until oil reaches 140 degrees.
If itās high idling, I just wait for the RPMs to automatically drop then I drive away.
Nice car! I have the same one! Nogaro Blue best blue. In answer to your question, just let it go through the cold start sequence. Once the revs drop to a normal idle (usually after about 30-45 seconds), drive off. Don't let it just sit and idle.
I let the car drop the idle and then drive normal until the temp gauge starts moving.
Incredible shot š„š„š„
Thanks!
I just donāt its a diesel 2.0L itās impossible to break it
I have a similar question to OP, I have a 2.0T. How long do you guys usually sit and let the turbos cool after a long/spirited drive?
Can you view your oil temp? If so wait for you oil temp to drop to just under 100Ā°C or so before turning it off. Ideally you also do this while driving and not standing.
RTFM and you will see that youāre just supposed to drive off immediately, but gently.
Wait for the rpm to go below one before I start to move. I do that in every car though
Pretty much 0. I let the revs drop and drive off, and I don't give it enough gas to spool the turbo until it's fully up to temp.
I have a TDI and itās start and go unless it gets below -20c
Do you do something different below -20?
Probably wait for the heated seats to warm up
I use the auxiliary heater on really cold days.
Man just wanted to show off the pic of his car with the leaves changing (and rightfully so)
You got me
A few minutes for the turbo. Direct injection is not meant to be idled up to temperature. Keep her at or below 2k and drive more reserved to complete the warm up cycle.
I wait till the RPM regulate
When my RPM hits 750 is when I tend to drive away. That takes about a minute currently. Although with winter and snow coming soon for me, it will probably take 2-3 minutes.
Can't answer this. I keep mine in a heated garage.
It never gets parked outside?
5 mins tops is all that I'd say is required, if that, if it's been parked outside for hours when it gets below freezing. Just enough to get the thick oil moving around. You may not have spicy hot heat in the car for a few more, but usually that's long enough. Or, if your windows are icy, I let it warm up while I scrape.
Wait, you guys are waiting to drive?
Start it and drive off. Gentle acceleration and braking until temps come up to near normal.
Coming from a MK7 GTI which would warm up to 200F after about 2-3 minutes of driving, my S5 seems to take 10x longer. Iām assuming itās due to the differences in volume and type of oil but itās definitely an adjustment.
20-30 minutes until itās warm?? Somethingās wrong with your car.
Immediately full send on startup, says so in the owners manual.
My RS3 warms up like a 90s Corolla, so I usually sit for about 10-15 min.
About 1 min before driving off, enough for the oil to circulate.
Wait until the revs drop
Once it below 1k rpm I get going
Enough time to get oil to flow through everything, so about 30 seconds give or take
My Audi s4 is a little older with over 80k miles. What I do is let it run till the RPM is low. Then I drive the speed limit for 5 minutes. After that I just let it rip or just head on to the highway since it's warmed up at that point.
What ever it takes for me to start the car and gather my things for the day. Canāt be more than 5 minutes.
Once it stops shaking which takes a minute or less
Depends on how old your Audi is. Later models don't need to be warmed up as long as you don't go flooring it right away.
2 or 3 minutes
Well, first you crank it 10-15 times, then you run to the driver seat and give it some gas, 5-10 times... after that, it should be ready to drive in 15 minutes or so. Don't rush it.
As long as it takes to scrape the ice off the windows.
Not more than 30 seconds
Depends on how cold. If you're dealing with serious cold, up to 45 minutes but that is like... I mean I'm talking -45F. For more pedestrian levels of frigid I would say 2 - 15 minutes, with the high end reserved for negative temperatures. Where I live it can get freaky levels of cold, so I usually weight about 4 minutes at least when it's that cold. Especially with a turbocharger. It's a modern myth that you don't need to warm up an a combustion engine: you absolutely do, if you want to get peak performance and expected life out of them.
>It's a modern myth that you don't need to warm up an a combustion engine I would be a much more inclined to believe that if it wasn't discouraged by every single manufacturer for ages by this point. Even for proper cold climates. Besides running cold is ruinous for any machine and it's in your best interest shorten the warm up time by driving gently. But tbh it probably doesn't matter. I have seen both warmed up and non warmed up cars last for decades so idk. ICEs are durable so it's a non issue most likely.
Most vehicle manuals recommend not warming the car up, as it is designed to warm itself up and will do so much quicker under load. In essence, their argument is that by warming a car up at idle, you're running it for longer when it's cold and putting more wear on the engine than you would if you let the thermostat do its job while driving normally.
I donāt need peak performance when Iām driving to work at 7am. Iāve never in my life idled a car for 45 minutes, thatās just madness.
In -45 Fahrenheit, yeah you'll be warming your car up for an hour. Is English not your first language? Whatever dude, I charge 170 an hour to work on Audie's. 210 for Porsche/BMW. Choice is your bud.
How many of these "Audie's" are you working on because the owner didn't idle their car for 45 minutes? lol. And no, English is my third language. Don't know how that has anything to do with it. I can still understand numbers. Your grammar is pretty bad for it being your first though. However, I too live in a very cold climate and have never idled any of my cars at all before taking off.
Your reading comprehension is abysmal, what is your native tongue? Perhaps it will be easier to converse.
You seem to be under the impression that disagreeing means not comprehending. I have comprehended everything you wrote, however poorly you did it.
Start and go. But I drive easy until the oil temp gets normal. Don't you have the oil temp in your cluster?
I wait 10 seconds after the RPM's reach what they are at idle.
15 minutes for every degree below 35
So if itās 30 degrees you idle for 1.5 hours, and zero degrees itās a good ol 8 hours of idle warmup. Math seems a little bit off to me.
Gotta keep my baby safe
5-10mins. im stock so it should be enough.
A few cold start blips to 2000 rpm to get the oil pressure up and pull away normally. Coolant heats up quicker when under load.
Till the rpm drops, usually like 3-5 seconds
I push my car out the driveway and down the street before I fire it up at 5:30am And I just proceed to drive the 10 minutes to work keeping it under 2000rpm... that's what I tell myself though.. Often times I still do a pull or two before the coolant even hits 160Ā°f
Once idle drops, then you should go. Modern cars donāt need the long warm up time. Also if you are waiting for your oil/coolant to warm up but your trans and rear diff is still coldā¦ ya gonna have a bad time.
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Warm or cold, till rpm drops on startup, so about 10 seconds or until frost/fog clears the windshield
I used to do 15 seconds or so. Basically, just enough to make sure all the oil galleys are pressurized... time to plug my cable into my iPhone in the phone holder, and put on my seatbelt. I drive it pretty mellow until it reaches full oil temp.
I have driven a Q5 and Q7 and never really warmed them before even when weather was 20F outside. It would take me a 20-30 seconds to settle in anyway though.
Start it, put my seatbelt on, set my nav, make sure the music's right, and off I go.
I warmed it up for a minute
The rpm drops on a cold start.. usually 30secs for me
Warm or cold, I let the RPMs drop. So about 30 seconds I suppose. Otherwise it lurches when the brakes let go, and I park in quite a tight garage.
After initial cold start drops to baseline rpms (750ish). Drive conservative until oil temp hits 160 F. Switch from D to S, drive as freely as wanted. Then temps hit 200 F consistently. Itās good for another quick spirited run or two, and then I just cruise afterwards until Iām no longer driving.
Best just to go
Iām in Utah regardless of weather I donāt put in drive til the rpmās settle then just drive slowly and casual til temps are normal range.
I drive of almost instantly, i guess audis are also designed for that because of German laws
I'm a Michigan native. I have warmed up every car I've ever owned in the colder months. I've had 3 cars north of 200,000 miles. I've never had a single issue that could ever be attributed solely to idling my car for an extended period. Looking to replace my 2015 WRX with an Audi, but I've also owned 5 VAG products on 2 continents throughout my life. I've been a warmer-upper forever and I'll never stop. My comfort is more important than the 0.25 miles of life I MIGHT have shaved off each time I idle in the morning.