[Noor]

2012 BMW 328i, Should we heat up the engine at startup or drive straight away?

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by Noor

2012 BMW 328i, Should we heat up the engine at startup or drive straight away?

Drive it off straight away, but avoid heavy loading/full throttle until the oil has warned up a bit. Leaving it idling from cold is not good for modern engines for a variety of reasons, just one of them being the catalytic converter which needs to get up to heat quickly to avoid long term damage.

No doubt there will be someone along who'll tell you to just hammer it from cold and that I'm living in the past, but they'll probably be driving a company car and won't be paying for any repairs.

[PhiTauFord]

Originally Posted by Noor

2012 BMW 328i, Should we heat up the engine at startup or drive straight away?

Drive off. Manual says that as well.

[SomeRandomer123]

Originally Posted by TonyS

Drive it off straight away, but avoid heavy loading/full throttle until the oil has warned up a bit. Leaving it idling from cold is not good for modern engines for a variety of reasons, just one of them being the catalytic converter which needs to get up to heat quickly to avoid long term damage.

No doubt there will be someone along who'll tell you to just hammer it from cold and that I'm living in the past, but they'll probably be driving a company car and won't be paying for any repairs.

^^ Couldn't say it much better myself!

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by TonyS

No doubt there will be someone along who'll tell you to just hammer it from cold and that I'm living in the past, but they'll probably be driving a company car and won't be paying for any repairs.

Funny, I'm a luddite who doesn't believe in the soft break in, but I always let my engines get up to oil temp before any abuse.

[aarslan]

One question about the engine shutdown: I was told to keep the engine on for about 30 seconds before letting it off. This has been told so that the hot oil in the turbine rotor gets cooled a little, rather than having it stay there and cooled off by itself, which in case deforms the rotor.

Is this a myth or does anyone suggest this?

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by aarslan

One question about the engine shutdown: I was told to keep the engine on for about 30 seconds before letting it off. This has been told so that the hot oil in the turbine rotor gets cooled a little, rather than having it stay there and cooled off by itself, which in case deforms the rotor.

Is this a myth or does anyone suggest this?

I've not had a turbo car before but I've also heard this several times. I think it's valid, especially if the car has been driven hard and then immediately switched off. Like all of these things, it's unlikely to cause immediate problems but could well contribute to the longevity of the engine.

I'd also be interested to see what others have to say on this.

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Funny, I'm a luddite who doesn't believe in the soft break in, but I always let my engines get up to oil temp before any abuse.

I think that's a very sensible approach, and one that I always adhere to.

I've done over 116,000 miles from new in my current E46 330i and never had a single engine/transmission related problem. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I reckon it's because I ran it in when new as advised by BMW and also don't stress it until the temperature has started to come up a bit.

[aarslan]

Originally Posted by TonyS

I've not had a turbo car before but I've also heard this several times. I think it's valid, especially if the car has been driven hard and then immediately switched off. Like all of these things, it's unlikely to cause immediate problems but could well contribute to the longevity of the engine.

I'd also be interested to see what others have to say on this.

Seems as if this is not urban legend then. Let's hear what others know about this.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by TonyS

I've done over 116,000 miles from new in my current E46 330i and never had a single engine/transmission related problem. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I reckon it's because I ran it in when new as advised by BMW and also don't stress it until the temperature has started to come up a bit.

Yeah, my M Coupe had 147k miles when I sold it, no issues and was broken in hard from day one, but never flogged or tracked on cold oil.

[Radari216]

The following is quoted from Mark Miller's Lifetime Maintenance Schedule for BMW owners concerning the care of turbochargers.

"Lifetime turbocharger warm-up and cool-down procedures

Many of my readers who own BMWs powered by turbocharged engines ask how they can help the turbochargers last longer. They are concerned, and rightly so, with the cost of post-warranty ownership of the modern BMW and want to know how to approach it. If you want to keep the car past the warranty the best way to prolong turbocharger bearing life is to do two things:

First, use very high quality full synthetic oil in a viscosity that can withstand tremendous heat, and change it at an interval appropriate to the product, verified by oil analysis. Second, practice traditional turbocharger warm up and cool down procedures. This means allowing the engine oil to reach operating temperature before spooling up the turbos (keep the rpms low), and allowing the turbos to cool down before shutting off the engine by driving gently at low rpm for several miles before reaching the destination.

Now, anticipating your follow up question, "Why doesn't BMW recommend this?" Here is why:

Back in the olden days, every car manufacturer with a turbocharged engine (BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, SAAB, Renault, etc.) detailed this warm up and cool down procedure. But those cars were bought and driven exclusively by driving enthusiasts who knew their way around cars. Car buyers have changed and today’s oil is better, but engine oil lubricated turbocharger bearings have not changed. The nature of turbocharged cars has changed as well. Back then, only sports cars, executive limousines like BMW’s E23 745i, and diesel-powered sedans had turbochargers. People who owned those cars could be counted upon to have a certain degree of automotive knowledge. Nowadays, the family sedan has two turbos to go along with the automatic transmission and the baby seat. If BMW told today’s turbo car buyers they had to follow warm up and cool down procedures first off few would understand it, secondly few would do it, and third-wise a lot of them just wouldn't buy the car.

All that being said, every turbocharged engine shares one thing in common, which is that if it is in service long enough it will eventually need a new turbocharger -- two in the case of some BMW engines." Mark Miller

In simple terms, I take this to mean don't run the car hard right after you leave the garage and don't run it hard on the way back into the garage.

[aarslan]

Originally Posted by Radari216

The following is quoted from Mark Miller's Lifetime Maintenance Schedule for BMW owners concerning the care of turbochargers.

"Lifetime turbocharger warm-up and cool-down procedures

Many of my readers who own BMWs powered by turbocharged engines ask how they can help the turbochargers last longer. They are concerned, and rightly so, with the cost of post-warranty ownership of the modern BMW and want to know how to approach it. If you want to keep the car past the warranty the best way to prolong turbocharger bearing life is to do two things:

First, use very high quality full synthetic oil in a viscosity that can withstand tremendous heat, and change it at an interval appropriate to the product, verified by oil analysis. Second, practice traditional turbocharger warm up and cool down procedures. This means allowing the engine oil to reach operating temperature before spooling up the turbos (keep the rpms low), and allowing the turbos to cool down before shutting off the engine by driving gently at low rpm for several miles before reaching the destination.

Now, anticipating your follow up question, "Why doesn't BMW recommend this?" Here is why:

Back in the olden days, every car manufacturer with a turbocharged engine (BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, SAAB, Renault, etc.) detailed this warm up and cool down procedure. But those cars were bought and driven exclusively by driving enthusiasts who knew their way around cars. Car buyers have changed and today’s oil is better, but engine oil lubricated turbocharger bearings have not changed. The nature of turbocharged cars has changed as well. Back then, only sports cars, executive limousines like BMW’s E23 745i, and diesel-powered sedans had turbochargers. People who owned those cars could be counted upon to have a certain degree of automotive knowledge. Nowadays, the family sedan has two turbos to go along with the automatic transmission and the baby seat. If BMW told today’s turbo car buyers they had to follow warm up and cool down procedures first off few would understand it, secondly few would do it, and third-wise a lot of them just wouldn't buy the car.

All that being said, every turbocharged engine shares one thing in common, which is that if it is in service long enough it will eventually need a new turbocharger -- two in the case of some BMW engines." Mark Miller

In simple terms, I take this to mean don't run the car hard right after you leave the garage and don't run it hard on the way back into the garage.

Thanks for this nice explanation.

[firatsirma]

Originally Posted by aarslan

One question about the engine shutdown: I was told to keep the engine on for about 30 seconds before letting it off. This has been told so that the hot oil in the turbine rotor gets cooled a little, rather than having it stay there and cooled off by itself, which in case deforms the rotor.

Is this a myth or does anyone suggest this?

Originally Posted by Radari216

The following is quoted from Mark Miller's Lifetime Maintenance Schedule for BMW owners concerning the care of turbochargers.

"Lifetime turbocharger warm-up and cool-down procedures

Many of my readers who own BMWs powered by turbocharged engines ask how they can help the turbochargers last longer. They are concerned, and rightly so, with the cost of post-warranty ownership of the modern BMW and want to know how to approach it. If you want to keep the car past the warranty the best way to prolong turbocharger bearing life is to do two things:

First, use very high quality full synthetic oil in a viscosity that can withstand tremendous heat, and change it at an interval appropriate to the product, verified by oil analysis. Second, practice traditional turbocharger warm up and cool down procedures. This means allowing the engine oil to reach operating temperature before spooling up the turbos (keep the rpms low), and allowing the turbos to cool down before shutting off the engine by driving gently at low rpm for several miles before reaching the destination.

Now, anticipating your follow up question, "Why doesn't BMW recommend this?" Here is why:

Back in the olden days, every car manufacturer with a turbocharged engine (BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, SAAB, Renault, etc.) detailed this warm up and cool down procedure. But those cars were bought and driven exclusively by driving enthusiasts who knew their way around cars. Car buyers have changed and today’s oil is better, but engine oil lubricated turbocharger bearings have not changed. The nature of turbocharged cars has changed as well. Back then, only sports cars, executive limousines like BMW’s E23 745i, and diesel-powered sedans had turbochargers. People who owned those cars could be counted upon to have a certain degree of automotive knowledge. Nowadays, the family sedan has two turbos to go along with the automatic transmission and the baby seat. If BMW told today’s turbo car buyers they had to follow warm up and cool down procedures first off few would understand it, secondly few would do it, and third-wise a lot of them just wouldn't buy the car.

All that being said, every turbocharged engine shares one thing in common, which is that if it is in service long enough it will eventually need a new turbocharger -- two in the case of some BMW engines." Mark Miller

In simple terms, I take this to mean don't run the car hard right after you leave the garage and don't run it hard on the way back into the garage.

Thanks guys, I had no idea about this and it sounds really important actually..

[jwickers]

And what would be safe warm up / cool down temp ?

If it is important is it indicated on the oil temp gauge or instrument panel ?