I agree with all those who said something along the line of "wait for the oil pressure to come up, then go but drive gently until operating temperature is reached." Warming up by extensive idling is a horrible waste of fuel and the environment, and it may even put unnecessary strain on the engine, not to mention it makes an easy target for thieves if you're not in the car. The engine will warm up much quicker if you drive it, and the quicker you warm it up (as long as you don't race it), the faster the fluids will reach operating temperature where the least amount of wear occurs.

Firm? Normally when we are in the mood we just go right at it. If cocktails are involved foreplay can get a bit crazy.

I'm in the "warm it up for a minute or so and take it easy until oil reaches opperating temp" camp. Good ol' camp WIUFAMOSATIEUOROT:)

When its below freezing I will let my cars warm up a bit so the oil isn't syrup. Plus I want heat and a few minutes of idleing will give you some heat. When it is zero out a diesel just will not go anywhere until it warms up a bit.

With turbo charged engines you really really don't want to push them until the oil is up to temp.

Just keep the rpms down until it is up to temp.

Normally I only let my cars run long enough for the oil pressure to come up. I do make an exception during the winter months when I'm north. If the temps are below 10F, once I have my pants and boots on I'll go out, start the car and flip on the seat heater. Then I'll come back inside and put on my uniform shirt and belt and head to work. The seat is just starting to warm but, I don't have heat for the first mile or so (until the temp gauge hits ~40C).

I think that Pat Goss has a good approach to this issue. For those who haven't heard of Pat Goss, he is a Washington, D.C., area mechanic with local radio and TV shows about cars. He is also a contributor to the Motor Trend TV show.

He says that allowing an engine to warm up before driving can do more harm than good. One problem is that an engine is at its most inefficient when at a cold idle. Inefficient combustion tends to put more contaminants into the engine oil. It also doesn't necessarily do much good to have a warm engine with a cold transmission and differential.

IMHO, it makes more sense to let a cold engine run for a few seconds to get the oil flowing and then drive gently. That is the quickest way to get all components, including the engine, up to operating temperature.

Yep, agreed. Occasionally, when it gets really cold (-20C ish), I'll let it idle a couple of minutes before driving. Then I take it nice and slow until things warm up and the speedometer stops ch-ch-ch-chattering.