Don’t Idle Too Long Warming up Your BMW
Learn Why Idling Your BMW May Be Harmful Instead of Helpful
BMW cars are highly advanced machines, especially the engines. With sensors, wiring, and computers galore, maintaining them properly can be painstaking, but worth it. In the end, most of us want to give our Beemers the care they deserve. Don’t you?
To a lot of folks, that means using the best-of-the-best of everything. Whether it’s car care products, fluids, or accessories, buying top-shelf is one way to ensure your vehicle’s care. But there are other simpler, less expensive ways.
What about not idling your BMW’s engine? Sounds simple, no? If you live in an area known for cold weather, then you most likely warm up your engine by idling it. Furthermore, you’ve always known this to be a good practice, so what’s the deal? According to the Engineering Explained video above, idling your engine for more than a couple of minutes could actually damage it.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About Warming Up Their BMW
The logic is that carburetors needed to be warmed up in order to produce the right air and fuel mixture. Nowadays, fuel injection systems figure all that out within 15 seconds. As a result, there’s basically no need to idle the engine. Furthermore, excess idling can lead to fuel leaking into the cylinder walls, and erode whatever lubrication is present.
If the concept sounds a little weird, it’s because it is. To make matters even worse, asking people to stop warming up their engines is basically asking them to give up a habit they’ve had their entire lives. In the end, you be the judge!