[QP Sport]

On another post regarding caution when buying a used Maserati, one of the concens noted was driving without warming up the car - "My neighbor, husband & wife, get into their quattroporte, starts it up and immediately takes off with .01 seconds of warm up time every morning."

My question is, how long does it take you to warm up? Let me rephrase that! How long should one let a Maserati warm up before driving off? I have been waiting for the engine check light to go off (10-15 seconds), then drive non aggressively till the engine temp gets up to 90C. Until it does, the shifting (only drive in Manual / Sport) can be jarring to say the least! The ambient temperature is often well below zero in winter. Should I be letting the car idle longer before driving off? I had always thought it is better for the car to warm up by driving cautiosuly rather than letting it idle. Is this a "garage myth"?

 

[GrndLkNatv]

Don't worry that much...

In the old days, Maserati's had a problem if you didn't warm them up good, oil pressure probs, seal problems, etc. Today's car is more than okay if you take off and let it warm up while driving, just keep the revs below 3500rpm or so and it won't be any different than it warming up sitting still. There is a section in the owners manual which tells you exactly the same thing and the rpm limit is there as well.. If you are warming up a car sitting on your drive way or driving it easy until the engine is warm, there is no difference..

 

[s3200h]

Hi to all

you need to drive the car to warm it up properly, it is no good sat on the drive. 10 ish steady miles to warm the engine, gearbox and diff, then you are ok to press the loud peddle

 

[GregD]

I always wait until the temp gauge has at least lifted from its resting place before driving.
You don't need to wait until the car reaches its average operating temp,
but at least a minute or two if its really cold.

The neighbor I was referencing starts the car, engages 1st gear, and accelerates all within a
continous movement. There is zero warm up time and no feathering of the throttle down the street.

 

[GrndLkNatv]

Kind of Crazy.....

So a buddy of mine's grandfather, Bomps McNab, was the designer of the Bruce McBeth Ice House engine... According to Bomps, the only time a engine get's wear is when you are starting it as the oil isn't circulating. He once told me that his engines would run for an eternity as long as they had fuel.. They changed the oil while the engine was running.

 

[demoe]

I always listen to the engine

my Spyder tends to rev a bit higher on startup and in approx 20-30 seconds, the revs drop to its normal Rpm range, that is when I start to go

 

[Niteroi]

my Spyder tends to rev a bit higher on startup and in approx 20-30 seconds, the revs drop to its normal Rpm range, that is when I start to go

I do the same. When I start the car it idles around 1300 rpm, then after a couple of minutes it drops down to 1000 rpm, and that's when I take off.

 

[GCalo]

If you want that engine to last, allow it to warm a few minutes minimum, and change that oil every 5K miles at the most.

Think of an engine being like a woman; it operates best when propely "warmed"!

 

[BigFoot]

Well, I never really warm up the GS but do tend to drive it moderately for the first 10 minutes or so.

Dealer told me to change oil at 5k km.

Hope I am not busting it

 

[RickBullotta]

I usually try to let my Coupe CC warm up at idle for 2-5 minutes, otherwise I get a "rough launch".

 

[milanojess]

start the car, wait for the yellow engine light to go out, put in gear and move. Drive mildly till oil temp reaches normal driving condition before gunning it.
This allows ALL power train and moving parts to warm up, not just engine.

jess