First off, I've had my Cooper S eight days and I absolutely love it, it's the most fun I've ever had driving. Now to my question.
I know the manual says to drive away after you start the car and I've found a lot on the forum about it, but I have a specific question. I live less than a mile from school and on many mornings I drive straight there. I know not letting it warm before a long drive is okay because it will warm up during the drive but what if you are only going to drive about a mile and then shut it off? Does this have adverse effects on the car?

Thanks,
Christian

 

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but how about walking? Should only take about 15 minutes, and it will save significant wear and tear on your car, not to mention reducing your impact on the environment. Going through the engine warm-up process before each mile you drive makes you a pretty bad polluter, since this is when emissions are highest.
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"Meine dispatcher says there is something wrong with deine cable"

 

I would think that your 'short' driving pattern would actually be pretty hard on the engine.

Other than driving in really dusty areas, just starting, bringing up to operating temp (or close to it) then shutting it off to cool down would not be the 'ideal' way to drive a MINI.

I think the reason the book says to just start driving is because of emissions and warming up the cat. converter.

I certainly would NOT agressively drive your car during that short trip as it's just getting to the proper temps.

Also, monitor your readout of 'miles to next service' as the computer is actually calculating that based upon how you drive your MINI.

 

If you're driving less than a mile, you shouldn't drive unless you have to because of the weather or having to transport a lot of stuff. Walking or cycling would be better for you, and your MINI, not to mention the world in general.

The greatest amount of engine wear occurs before the engine reaches operating temperature. If the car's not allowed to warm up, you increase the amount of wear to a number of components. It's especially bad for your catalytic converter, and it's not too good for your pistons/cylinder walls either. They need warm oil for proper lubrication.

Alternatively, I'd suggest leaving earlier and taking a more circuitous route that will allow the car to reach operating temperature. Idling the car will warm the oil, although not as efficiently as driving. And idling does nothing for the catalytic converter, or tranny.

 

Thanks for the help. I usually try to leave a little earlier and run a few errands before school so the car gets a little time to get up to temp, plus I'm trying to rack up the break in miles . I was just concearned about the occasional time when it's raining and I go directly to school. I won't be worried about it too much longer as after May my commute will become much longer.

 

You might shorten the total life of the car, but why worry?

Motor-on.

 

Letting a car idle for long periods is very hard on the engine. It takes a long time for an idling engine to warm up. While the engine is cold, it will be running a very rich fuel mixture. This results in poor economy, additional pollution, and increased engine wear due the the excess unburned fuel washing oil off of the internal engine parts. The best bet is to start the car and then drive conservatively until the engine reaches normal operating temperature. An idling engine, even though it eventually will indicate a normal water temperature, will have a lower oil temperature than an engine that has been driven and operated under load. We want to get the oil up to its normal operating temperature as quickly as possible.

 

1 mile! Ride a bike, rollerblade, skateboard, motorscoot, trot or skip there.
I've completed 18 marathons so I am a bit biased I admit.

For those who do walk regularly a 1 mile walk is quite nice except if you have more than 4 pounds to carry. I wear a pedometer each day and try to get in at least 10,000 steps daily. 1 mile would hardly put a dent in my total.

For your car. Don't idle it.
Take your MINI for a drive of at least 10 minutes at least some of the time you do drive which is much much better than driving on very short trips. It's very hard on your car and creates more trouble.

MINI says to turn left when you should turn right and take the long way around on every trip to increase your Motoring pleasure. I'd have to agree and for the last year I do just that more than I have ever done in any car I have ever owned.
I'd say that about 15% of my total miles are to go a round about way or just to drive.

Have fun.