Warming up the car before driving

[Adam]

I really think the most important thing concerning warming up is to be very gentle on the engine until it is fully warmed up. You will extend the life of the engine by following this rule. The oil cannot sufficiently protect the engine until it is warm and dispersed evenly on all the moving parts. I learned this the hard way when I hot-rodded my old 528i when it was cold. Broken lifters aren't fun. My dad's M5 has nifty little lights on the tach that gradually disappear to let you know the safest maximim engine speed as it is warming up.