Re: idle time at cold start. For "everyday car" like a Honda, Ford, Etc. they actually don't recommend warming up the car by idle for more than say 1 minute. The reason is they need heat to be efficient and the heat is generated during loaded use, not idle. The cats light off very quickly in new cars. Once the cats light off, it's good to start driving.
In M cars, I'm agreeing that a little bit longer idle time is a good thing but it's still technically not necessary. On average mine runs in the garage in the morning for 2, maybe 3 minutes. The key is to drive moderately at all times that the oil temp is low.
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