how to warm up a 2001 BMW

[sq_man]

Thanks Ronin. That's the answer I was looking for.

[SmokeAndMirrors]

Hi guys, I just bought a 2nd-hand 2001 330Ci Convertible, and I have a little bit of knowledge as to engines, being an engineer and having had a Maserati Biturbo before and also owning a 20 year-old BMW R100RS motorcycle. with over 100,000 miles on the clock and hardly any engine wear.

The problem with letting it sit in idle is, that you might warm up the engine but not the gearbox properly (you are not using it and it has a second oil circuit), so when you then drive away thinking you have warmed up your engine, you might actually cause damage to the gears.

Best really is to start the car and drive away carefully, not revving too much (<30003500rpm) until you have reached about 90C oil temperature (which is somewhat between blue and red.

And just keep changing the oil at the suggest service intervals, sooner if you only commute short distances. Also a nice long distance run every now and then and revving the engine to really heat it up and burn residue keeps and cleaner and eases wear and tear.

SaM

[sq_man]

You know the economy sucks when you can get a 2nd hand 2001 already.

[sq_man]

Question for SmokeandMirrors:

Thanks for the very good response. I noticed you said something interesting..."just keep changing the oil at the suggested intervals,
sooner if you commute short distances (I assume you mean when the engine has not fully warmed up)" I have two questions:

1.) Will the dealership change the oil before the car indicates it's ready?

2.) Doesn't the ECU (or something) automatically adjust that interval based on engine load, environment, etc? I know that when I brought my 2001 325i in for its first oil change the mechanic said that the
oil interval was a little sooner than normal.

Machines taking care of themselves....neat.

PS - I'm also an engineer. (robotics, aero, micromachines)

[ronin]

hi sq_man. thanks for the feedback. I meant what I said and your no.2 question is 100% correct. The MPU calculates all the times it's been started, how long it's been driven, what gear at what rpm and for how long and it measures all these variables and starts shutting your service lights down accordingly.

here in Germany a high mileage (kilometers) car is usually not a factor because it means the car has mostly been on the Autobahn. Not unusual to find a 10 month old car with over 90tkm (about 52Tmiles). That's definitely not achieved through daily shopping at the corner supermarket. Most cars of these type are business cars so they get their normal inspections also.

[ronin]

hi sq_man. thanks for the feedback. I meant what I said and your no.2 question is 100% correct. The MPU calculates all the times it's been started, how long it's been driven, what gear at what rpm and for how long and it measures all these variables and starts shutting your service lights down accordingly.

here in Germany a high mileage (kilometers) car is usually not a factor because it means the car has mostly been on the Autobahn. Not unusual to find a 10 month old car with over 90tkm (about 52Tmiles). That's definitely not achieved through daily shopping at the corner supermarket. Most cars of these type are business cars so they get their normal inspections also.

[nradfordbmw]

In fact, idle an engine and just "reving" is terrible for the spark plugs.
Idleing is the fastest way to wear out your spark plugs.

[sq_man]

Really? Why?