how long to idle in the morning before setting off?

[Phil_beeza]

30 seconds..1 minute...2 minutes?

or on any journey if the engine has cooled down i suppose ?

[aceman]

I was once told by an old boy who used to work in the labs developing lubricants that you should never leave the car idling first thing in the morning (apart from the first 10 seconds of course to make sure the oil pressure is up) because the quickest way to get the oil warm was to drive the car, obviously don't nail from the start but drive of steady and you will be OK. Modern technology in automotive oils allows this in quite extreme weathers so I wouldn't worry about it.

[Phil_beeza]

is that for petrol and diesel?

[chillcupra]

You should not leave it idleing at all in the morning. Just drive it gently for a bit before giving it the beans.

[CHR15B]

The manual states that on a diesel car you should drive the car as soon as the engine is started, it won't warm up idling like a petrol car does.

[Tall-Paul]

Yeh i know petrols warm up in minutes when idleing but mine would take forever for the needle to move!

[Cupra R]

Yes, start up and drive away, petrol or diesel. Just be gentle until it's warmed up.

[Fishy]

Don’t forget that even though the temp gauge says that its up to temp, that’s not always the case, give it another 5 minutes of driving before giving it some heavy right foot action.

Fish

[aceman]

Originally Posted by Phil_beeza

is that for petrol and diesel?

Yes, especially diesels.

Remember the temperature guage on your dash is the waer coolent temperature and not oil temperature which takes significanlty longer to reach the same temperature (around 90 degrees).

[LDoR]

I read in a question and answer in evo recently that what you should do after you start up is rev your engine a few times. This has the effect of slpashing oil around the engine (i assume they where talking specifically about the sump) and putting some heat into the engine. This is safe to do on modern engine because damage due to lack of lubrication only happens when the engine is loaded up (i.e. you are driving it). Reving it when its in neutral doesn't put any load on it. This was an answer to a question about why in motor sport engines are started, reved and then shut down.