Should I warm the engine up or drive of straight away?

[Alex225]

You can just drive and it’ll warm up pretty much from the off. Probably 30 seconds until the idle settles perhaps but that’s all it needs.

More important thing is to keep the revs relatively low until the engine oil is up to full temp.

 

[Peter Michaels]

But there’s nobody there to steal it. I went to Cleethorpes a couple of weeks ago and it was closed!

Lol

 

[Peter Michaels]

You can just drive and it’ll warm up pretty much from the off. Probably 30 seconds until the idle settles perhaps but that’s all it needs.

More important thing is to keep the revs relatively low until the engine oil is up to full temp.

Yes that is what I started doing now, it doesn't take long like you said.

 

[Peter Michaels]

OP, the car is 10 years old. just get in it and drive, what's more important is whether the FIRST owner drove it properly. Whatever you do now is not going to make much difference to the engine, obviously you want to treat it right or you would never have posted the question. But any damage done (if any) was done years ago.

I have no idea who put the first 100000 miles on my car and how they drove it, if I was that concerned I would never have bought it. Just enjoy your MB.

PS from what I hear about this (Mitsubishi ?) engine is that you should be more concerned about the cam chain and sprockets. Others on here know way more than I do , but they are a weak spot that trashes the engine and usually scraps the car. Check if they have been done.

That is a good idea, will do this week. You say they are foreign engines? I have to Google that. You think you get a engine that is build in Germany don't you. At least it was put together in Germany. I have heard that before BMW engines apparently are not build in Germany. And whatever parts are available to MB and other luxury cars are available to any car manufacturers same quality in different variations. Makes you wonder how much is made in Hong Kong

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Just wait 10secs or so until the revs automatically dip below 1k RPM then head off.

 

[Petrol Pete]

That is a good idea, will do this week. You say they are foreign engines? I have to Google that. You think you get a engine that is build in Germany don't you. At least it was put together in Germany. I have heard that before BMW engines apparently are not build in Germany. And whatever parts are available to MB and other luxury cars are available to any car manufacturers same quality in different variations. Makes you wonder how much is made in Hong Kong

2008 C class, are you sure its from Germany ? More likely to be South African. Easily checked through your VIN. My car is a 2006 C class 55 AMG and the paperwork says it was built in Bremen Germany , the Engine was defiantly built in Germany, but it is still possible the main part of the body of my car was built in South Africa and shipped to Germany for AMG 'treatment', why build a bespoke body in Germany when you have a factory in South Africa banging bodywork out ? admittedly my car is 8.5 cm longer than a normal C class and has a CLK front end but the rest of the tin work is bog stock W203 C class. the bonnet , wings and nose could be left on the floor in South Africa and AMG stuff bolted on in Germany as could the AMG body kit . Not much wrong with cars being built in South Africa or anywhere else really. But none of us get what we pay for these days.

Buy a new Honda Civic (including Type R) only to find out it was made almost entirely in Swindon Wiltshire , not Japan..even the engine (Swindon) and seats (Highworth) !!

PS the seats in my AMG are made by LEAR , they have factories in Germany but are a USA company. So nothing is truly what you think it is.

 

[SukySangha]

To be honest i've never waited to warm up my CLS 55 AMG for a drive beforehand. When its cold and i start the beast up, i must say its a moment to be enjoyed, with that thunderous V8 noise music to my ears but not so friendly to the neighbours lol. I would suggest take it easy until temperatures are normal as others have stated here.

 

[Alex225]

Yes that is what I started doing now, it doesn't take long like you said.

Also I really surprised how quickly the oil gets up to temp too.

My CLS has an oil temp gauge which flashes until it’s up to temp (80 degrees). It gets to that temp within about five minutes. Prior to that I always assumed the car would take 15 minutes of driving at least.

 

[chrisk2010]

I just wait for the revs to drop after turning the key for a minute then set off and drive gently till temp gets to where it should be.

 

[190]

My CLS has an oil temp gauge which flashes until it’s up to temp (80 degrees). It gets to that temp within about five minutes. Prior to that I always assumed the car would take 15 minutes of driving at least.

I'm surprised that oil temperature gets to 80 DegC in 5 mins. All the data I have seen previously shows oil temperature lagging coolant temperature by at least 5 mins. They must have built in some heat transfer from the coolant. Even then 5 mins is impressive.

 

[GeeJayW]

Depending on how cold the cold-start is, engine oil temperature can easily take 10-15 miles of driving to reach a stable value. I've done tests where it took 30+ minutes of motoring (not sitting in traffic) to fully stabilise. The dashboard temperature display is usually coolant temperature and that may be fully up to temperature in 3 or 4 miles of motoring though again can be longer depending on the start point.

Just start the engine and drive away in a sensible manner. As a reference, the European emissions drive cycle (NEDC) specifies 11 seconds of idle before driving away. Modern 5W-40 or 0W-40 oils are designed to flow at low temperatures in order to protect the engine, whilst the VI additives help once the oil and the rest of the engine is at normal operating temperatures.

 

[BTB 500]

My experience is also that oil temp lags behind coolant temp to a significant degree.

 

[David404]

Start engine, put seat belt ON, radio On, Heated seats ON (if needed) handbrake OFF. The engine will now have run long enough to establish good oil circulation/pressure so drive off but drive gently until engine at normal operation temp.

Engines are built so everything fits correctly at normal running temp, all the bits are made of different materials so they expand at different rates so when the engine is cold nothing fits correctly and that's why most engine wear occurs in the forst few miles.

As others have pointed out the gearbox will only warm when your on the move.

The only possible exception is where engines are fitted with pre heaters but these are very rare in the UK.

 

[Peter Michaels]

2008 C class, are you sure its from Germany ? More likely to be South African. Easily checked through your VIN. My car is a 2006 C class 55 AMG and the paperwork says it was built in Bremen Germany , the Engine was defiantly built in Germany, but it is still possible the main part of the body of my car was built in South Africa and shipped to Germany for AMG 'treatment', why build a bespoke body in Germany when you have a factory in South Africa banging bodywork out ? admittedly my car is 8.5 cm longer than a normal C class and has a CLK front end but the rest of the tin work is bog stock W203 C class. the bonnet , wings and nose could be left on the floor in South Africa and AMG stuff bolted on in Germany as could the AMG body kit . Not much wrong with cars being built in South Africa or anywhere else really. But none of us get what we pay for these days.

Buy a new Honda Civic (including Type R) only to find out it was made almost entirely in Swindon Wiltshire , not Japan..even the engine (Swindon) and seats (Highworth) !!

PS the seats in my AMG are made by LEAR , they have factories in Germany but are a USA company. So nothing is truly what you think it is.

So much it's sourced to elsewhere propably one of the big causes of unemployment in the uk.

Depending on how cold the cold-start is, engine oil temperature can easily take 10-15 miles of driving to reach a stable value. I've done tests where it took 30+ minutes of motoring (not sitting in traffic) to fully stabilise. The dashboard temperature display is usually coolant temperature and that may be fully up to temperature in 3 or 4 miles of motoring though again can be longer depending on the start point.

Just start the engine and drive away in a sensible manner. As a reference, the European emissions drive cycle (NEDC) specifies 11 seconds of idle before driving away. Modern 5W-40 or 0W-40 oils are designed to flow at low temperatures in order to protect the engine, whilst the VI additives help once the oil and the rest of the engine is at normal operating temperatures.

In mine it is the coolant temperature.

 

[markjay]

2008 C class, are you sure its from Germany ? More likely to be South African. Easily checked through your VIN. My car is a 2006 C class 55 AMG and the paperwork says it was built in Bremen Germany , the Engine was defiantly built in Germany, but it is still possible the main part of the body of my car was built in South Africa and shipped to Germany for AMG 'treatment', why build a bespoke body in Germany when you have a factory in South Africa banging bodywork out ? admittedly my car is 8.5 cm longer than a normal C class and has a CLK front end but the rest of the tin work is bog stock W203 C class. the bonnet , wings and nose could be left on the floor in South Africa and AMG stuff bolted on in Germany as could the AMG body kit . Not much wrong with cars being built in South Africa or anywhere else really. But none of us get what we pay for these days.

Buy a new Honda Civic (including Type R) only to find out it was made almost entirely in Swindon Wiltshire , not Japan..even the engine (Swindon) and seats (Highworth) !!

PS the seats in my AMG are made by LEAR , they have factories in Germany but are a USA company. So nothing is truly what you think it is.

Quite right.

My two Vauxhall Omega cars were built in the Adam Opel AG factory in Rüsselsheim, though the Ellesmere V6 engine was actually assembled Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port car plant here in the UK.

My W203 was built in Mercedes Benz East London plant in South Africa (R in VIN), though the M271 engine was built in Untertürkheim, Germany.

My W204 was built in Sindelfingen, Germany (A in VIN), while the M274 engine was also built in Untertürkheim, Germany.

So... does this matter? Not to me it doesn't.

 

[Alex225]

I'm surprised that oil temperature gets to 80 DegC in 5 mins. All the data I have seen previously shows oil temperature lagging coolant temperature by at least 5 mins. They must have built in some heat transfer from the coolant. Even then 5 mins is impressive.

It’s really quick and I was genuinely surprised. Says in the manual to not use maximum revs until basically the gauge stops flashing.

It’ll do that within ten mins of idling and less driving. My rule of thumb had always been that when the water temp was up, give it another ten mins before using more revs.

To be fair force of habit I still wait until the oil temp shows higher but yes, remarkably quick.

 

[Neiltodd]

I wait till the oil temp stops flashing before using anything more than low revs, usually about 5 mins driving

 

[Peter Michaels]

I wait till the oil temp stops flashing before using anything more than low revs, usually about 5 mins driving

Yes I drive round a few low traffic roads at low speed for five minutes and then slowly increase.

 

[Merc220cls]

The only time I would run the engine before moving is to de frost the windows.
For obvious reasons it would unwise to drive off right away although I have seen some lunatics doing so.

It’s about the only thing I miss from my Jaguar XF with its heated screen.

 

[Peter Michaels]

The only time I would run the engine before moving is to de frost the windows.
For obvious reasons it would unwise to drive off right away although I have seen some lunatics doing so.

It’s about the only thing I miss from my Jaguar XF with its heated screen.

My screen is heated on the back only. I drive of very slowly and careful like an old grandpa, that's after clearing the windows lol