dude are you serious? come on i usually turn the car on...wait a minute or so to find a song on my ipod i like...then head off and i haven't had a single engine problem.
and to the original post - just drive gently when its cold. works for me.
Absolutely serious. There's a long long thread over on Clublexus explaining why 'warming up' is horrible for the car if you want a lot more folks singing the same song. Enough time to find a song is a far cry from waiting 5+ minutes for the temp needle to move though, which is what most folks mean by 'warming up' the car.
I still think the thread over on CL is a joke and digging way too deep into the subject. As long as you maintain your vehcile and change you oil at regular intervals - warm-ups are just a personal preference or nessity depending on your location. Parade duty as it's know is a whole other subject or concern.
It is best to take it easy for the first 10 minutes or so of driving until the coolant gets up to temperature. If you start the car from cold and get right on the exressway, the transmission will stay in 5th gear and not shift into 6th until the coolant gets to temperature. It's part of the design of the car but I still take it easy until it can go into 6th and drop the RPM's.
I CONCOR