When the car is first started in the morning for about a minute it makes a winding or wining noise, is this normal?

I know mine does it, and the RPMS sit around 1000 instead of 800 or whatever. I just figured its normal....

Same here! Almost sounds like a pully or something. I guess I am not the only one after all.

Its always a great feeling to know that your car isnt the only one making strange noises....:buttrock

It is in warm up mode and that is why the RPMs sit at 1100 or so. The noise could be because the belt is rubber and so its just getting warmed and possible slipping on the pullies a bit.

Same here:shifty

its not a belt slipping, its not a squeling noise, its a spinning noise.

hmmm i dunno then

OMG this makes me sleep better. It whined prety loud in warm up, but I figured it was this middle of winter chicago weather, and damn is it cold!

yeah..got my E46 few days ago, right after the Thursday snow storm in Chicago...freaking morning start of the engine...worries me, like the whole damn engine running without engine oil.....so loud

It's the sound of the fresh air pump in the engine... It's pumping fresh air into the exhaust to dilute the carbon monoxide fumes until the cats warm up enough to convert the noxious gases into not so terrible gases. When the cats warm up enough, the pump shuts off.

It's how BMW gets around the cold-start pollution issue.

It's the sound of the fresh air pump in the engine... It's pumping fresh air into the exhaust to dilute the carbon monoxide fumes until the cats warm up enough to convert the noxious gases into not so terrible gases. When the cats warm up enough, the pump shuts off.

It's how BMW gets around the cold-start pollution issue.

Thanks Kev :buttrock

You know your stuff!