AndrewsQuattros

It does take a while for the temp gauge to come up on our older Audis, on a cold day (most older cars for that matter). However, on a cold day, and cold start, if you have the engine idling for 2-3 minutes open the hood and feel the motor block, it is pretty damn hot! And I guess with the temp sensor location, the gauge indicates all the way cold. If the heat traveled through the cylinders, the water jackets, to the outside of motor block that must mean that the pistons/rings are toasty hot and expanded to normal operation mode. So in that case would you say it is safe to give the engine a hard full rpm acceleration after a 2-3 minute warm up, even though the gauge still says cold ? Alright I know the oil wont be hot yet, but oil is still oil, and should do its job no matter what temp. it is. I mean there probably isnt a reason to do this, but sometimes you may wanna show the car off to people pretty soon after start up, or something like that. :-)

rmahbel

I don't know how cold is cold where you are, but I usually let mine warm up until the temp guage starts to move, then drive gently for a few more minutes. Of course, my car has a real personality, and gets cranky if you abuse it. The oil viscosity really does matter though, and I think audi went a little light on some guages, oil pressure, oil temp, voltage, etc. Im a broke college kid too, so can't afford to have anything go wrong.

AndrewsQuattros

yeah, that is true ! I was just wondering on opinions. I persionally wouldn't abuse the engine until I know it is warmed up, oil and all, because you KNOW everything is stabalized then. Also everything else, like the gear box/or auto tranny, and diff. should be a bit warm too. But I was just wondering if it really matters.