my bmw 318ti runs like a bag of spanners for 5 min on cold mornings then runs fine

[jobbn]

maybe the engine oil is too thick, try changing it to a winter grade

[simobhoy]

all day? could changing the plugs remedy this

[RobertB]

try your head gasket if its creamy under oil cap its going cus spark plugs are getin damp.

[Graciebaby]

well most cars do ... when the engines cold. it has to warm up.

obviously.

[RickRandom]

May be the hydraulic tappets (assuming it has such things) and the oil doesn't pressurise them very well initially. I had a Passatt that did the same thing - it sounded like it was going to die, but it never did, even at 165000 miles. The sound stopped after a couple of minutes.

[dyslexicden]

Don't take any notice of them lot
It's your automatic choke making the car run on a richer mixture until it reaches normal temp.

[Twitten]

Serious question. Are you using the correct engine oil?

[MadDog]

sounds like you may have a cold start fuelling problem, not to familiar with this engine so may be worth taking it to your local garage.

[CLAYTONM]

get a oil heater dip stick and plug in