Yes, the fuel injection runs rich during start and cold operation and the cats are still cold so if the car is sitting idling for long periods of time on a consistent basis the extra fuel can ruin the cats.

Just keep control for 5 mins and all will be good and right with the world when you floor it!

All this "never let the motor warm up at idle' is the car manufacturers, all of them, requirement to comply with federally mandated MPG requirements. Obviously, an idling motor gets zero MPG, so to comply with the EPA, they say don't idle. But a motor at idle has essentially no load, and with a thermostat it will warm up quickly. Since the most motor wear occurs while its cold, a motor warming up with no load will definitely last longer than a motor that is cold and being driven.

I'm not saying idle the engine until it reaches operating temperatue, but letting the car idle for a few minutes before driving is much better than driving off within seconds of starting the car. Don't believe the hype of car companies.

You can install a remote start on a manual trans. just by-pass the clutch switch behind the pedal, so you dont have to wait 5 mins. inside the car before the needle starts to move. :cool: And also I read avoid "jack rabbit" take off on a cold engine. :dance:

An indy mechanic said that high revs when cold probably caused my 2nd gear problem ($3600).
Less than a mile from home is a wonderful uphill hairpin turn with good visibility followed by a nice straight stretch. So now I only enjoy it when already warm.

As has been already said, owner's manual says to not let the car idle and warm up. After reading this (the day I got the car), I've followed it. You can tell when the car is cold and running the secondary air injection because the revs drop off very slowly compared to a warm engine, and the shifting is a bit sludgy until the fluid warms up more. But I just follow the manual: drive as soon as the car's started/ASAP, don't exceed 80% throttle when car's not up to temp, don't exceed 4000 rpms when car's not up to temp. I also follow the colloquial rule of thumb of keeping the revs over 3000 as much as possible. I figure as long as I'm following the manual, Porsche can't say I caused problems by not driving the car properly.

I actually rather enjoy having to restrain myself to driving a certain way to let the car get up to temp. It can actually be kind of fun, and makes me pay more attention to what I'm doing as opposed to when I drive my DD econobox. It would suck if my commute were 100% city...I just make sure I make as much use of the stints on the higway as possible.

My commute to work is usually just long enough to get the water up to temp, depending on how long it takes me due to traffic, lights, etc. I know that's not good for the car, but I'm not going to leave extra early to take the scenic route just to let it get up to temp and then some...that's what my long drives to nowhere are for. My commute from work to my campus is about twice as long as my commute from home to either of the two places, so the car has plenty of time and road to get up to temp without being babied the entire way.

So, the short answer to your question: I make a game of sorts out of it, and have confidence that I'm not hurting the car by doing what Porsche says to do.:dance:

I installed an oil temp gauge.
Knowing when the engine is really warmed up helps a lot

So why is it in my UK handbook circa 1997?

Sorry, but I think you're wrong. it's best not to let it idle to warm up because it takes longer and exposes the engine to wear and it also means the gearbox and other parts aren't warming up much if at all. So even if you do warm it up by idling, it's not really read to really go from the moment you pull away.