[kevin_m235i]

I just got my brand new BMW M235i on Sunday and the dealer didn't say anything about breaking in my car. Does anybody know the proper way to break in my car? I have to be honest since Sunday I have been having a little fun with the car, it is a manual so i've been pushing it all the way to redline at times. My car only has a 100 miles so far and I got it out the dealer with only 15 miles. I'd really appreciate if someone told me the proper way to break in my engine. Thank you

[BentZero]

From the manual found here: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...modelcode=162C

"Breaking-in period
General information
Moving parts need time to adjust to one another (break-in time).
The following instructions will help accomplish a long vehicle life and good efficiency. During break-in, do not use the Launch Control, refer to page 74.

Engine, transmission, and axle drive
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road speed:
▷ For gasoline engine 4,500 rpm and 100 mph/160 km/h.

Avoid full load or kickdown under all circumstances.

From 1,200 miles/2,000 km
The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be increased.

Tires
Tire traction is not optimal due to manufacturing circumstances when tires are brand-new; they achieve their full traction potential after a break-in time. Drive conservatively for the first 200 miles/300 km.

Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of approx. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimal performance between brake discs and brake pads. Drive moderately during this break-in period.

Clutch
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal level only after a distance driven of approx. 300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period, engage the clutch gently.

Following part replacement
The same break-in procedures should be observed if any of the components above-mentioned have to be renewed in the course of the vehicle's operating life."

[M-tavo]

Just Push it like there's no tomorrow!

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by M-tavo

Just Push it like there's no tomorrow!

Especially if it's leased

[Prazision]

Originally Posted by M-tavo

Just Push it like there's no tomorrow!

ping it off the rev limiter for about 2 minutes. That helps everything seat well. Then immediately shut it off for another 2 minutes to cool down. Turn on and repeat 10 times.

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by Prazision

ping it off the rev limiter for about 2 minutes. That helps everything seat well. Then immediately shut it off for another 2 minutes to cool down. Turn on and repeat 10 times.

He has to be sure that the engine is cold too, so wait at least 2 hours (not minutes) in between rebel revs.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Manual says keep it under 4500 rpm for the first 1200 miles ... most people drive like they stole since day 1

Doubt engine will suffer any damages either way

[kevin_m235i]

Thank you so much I appreciate it

[BentZero]

On a serious note, when I break in a car I mostly follow the suggested method.....mostly. It's too tempting not to get on it once or twice.

[EEBreh]

Came across this interesting article from PCA (Porsche Club of America).

New Engine Break-in Conundrum By: Ken Koop

Since I was a young boy, I have always wondered why it takes so long to break-in a new engine–especially those built by Porsche. Most people driving new cars also do not fully understand the real reason for the break-in period. Are you one of them? A good friend of mine just picked up his brand new 911 Turbo and complained about the break-in period taking so long (2,000 miles, not exceeding 4,000 RPM). We have talked about this issue many times over the past few years, always coming up with many scenarios of why such a long break-in period is required. However, we have never agreed on a reasonable answer. Well, you are about to find out the reason Porsche requires the break-in period it has today. The answer comes directly from the engineers at Porsche.

I was on a recent Porsche factory tour and was watching an engine being built and dyno tested. Each engine is built by a single person on a moving production line. Porsche feels that they can obtain better quality control with one person building an individual engine from start to finish. In addition, each engine builder can assemble every type of production engine that Porsche produces and every gasoline engine is still built at the Stuttgart factory. It takes 2-3 ½ hours to assemble each engine, depending on the type. Afterwards, the completed engines are either used in the cars produced at the Zuffenhausen factory or are boxed up and shipped to Leipzig (for the Cayenne and Panamera) or off to Finland (for the Boxster and Cayman).
Before all of the parts are assembled for a particular engine; the pistons, connecting rods and valves are individually weighed and grouped together using similar weights to optimize performance. They are put onto a cart that moves along the assembly line with each engine block. This cart contains every part required to assemble that particular engine which includes each washer, nut, bolt, bearing etc… As a result, if any part is left in the cart at the end of the assembly line, then—Houston, we have a problem!At the end of the assembly line, the engine is filled with Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil. Each engine is then dry run (without fuel), pressure tested and checked for leaks. Every car coming off the production line is also run on a rolling road dyno. This enables all cars and engines to be tested at highway speed before they leave the factory.



Some of the engines are also randomly selected to be tested on a dyno stand before they are installed into the car. The assembly plant has 5 dyno rooms located directly off the production line. The day I was on the tour, there were around 40 engines lined up on dollies. Some of these engines were in the process of being tested for quality control purposes. Once the engine is bolted onto the dyno, warm water is circulated throughout the engine to bring it up to temperature. The operator then starts the engine and checks for the correct pressures and temperature before the actual test begins. Engine speed is then increased in RPM steps to about 80% of its red line (the engine’s maximum RPM). The entire engine run takes around 30 minutes. Since each engine type (Turbo, GT3, Boxster or Carrera…) has a different red line, all of the data is recorded and analyzed after the test is completed.After the engine is turned off, the engine is again checked for seal leaks and its actual HP is compared to its advertised HP. To pass final inspection, the engine has to develop, at a minimum, 100% of what its advertised HP rating is. Also, the engine cannot produce more than 5% over that same advertised rating. If the engine falls out of those parameters, the engine is rejected and then torn down to determine why it did not deliver the anticipated HP.

When the test was completed, a Porsche engineer came over to review the results. I couldn’t resist asking the question that I had been searching to find an answer to for all these years. I asked “why does Porsche feel it is safe for a new engine to run at nearly full throttle in the factory, while the customer must keep the engine speed to no more than 4,000 RPM for a 2,000 mile break-in period?” I thought that was a logical question and if I do say so myself-well stated! The engineer replied, “Herr Koop, you do not understand (that I already knew). When we do our engine test, the metals inside the engine never reach the temperatures they would when driven on the street since the test session is fairly short. In other words, the bearings, pistons and cylinders never get a chance to thermally expand to their maximum. Therefore, there is little wear on the moving components. But when you drive a car on the street, the engine parts expand considerably more because of the heat being generated from the engine running for an extended period of time. No matter how tight the tolerances are, there is always a slight amount of expansion in the material. The moving parts can wear quickly if exposed to excessive heat and not always in a uniform way. We also constantly vary the speed and allow the engine to run at both high and low RPM’s”.

“Porsche wants the engine to break-in slowly, which means it needs to maintain a lower operating temperature (below 4,000 RPM) and to allow all parts to adjust (wear-in) within their own thermal expansion parameters. This is also the reason why Porsche wants the owner to vary the RPM throughout the break-in period; therefore the engine doesn’t get use to one operating temperature range”.

“Porsche has been using Mobil 1 Oil since the early 90’s. With its superior lubricating properties, it takes many miles of driving (without getting the engine too hot) before the components actually seat (or break-in). Porsche’s own tests reveal that after 2,000 miles have been driven, all of the moving parts have had a chance to wear into their adjacent surfaces and then an increase in engine RPM is permissible.” I replied, “JA DAS SOUNDS GUT, when you explain it that way, it makes a lot of sense.” I thought to myself “You Dummkopf, why didn’t you think of that”.

The engineer commented that there were many other moving parts other than the engine that needed break-in as well. Wheel bearings, constant velocity joints, tires, brakes and transmission were just some of the other components that were mentioned.

So breaking it down into layman’s terminology, it all comes down to; higher RPM equates to more heat, which leads to greater expansion. For a new engine, that can mean uneven wear on certain parts if excessive heat is allowed to build up. In Porsche’s opinion, the thermal expansion of different parts and various materials need time to adjust to one another. Porsche’s time frame for that to occur is calculated to be 2,000 miles, with the heat restriction being 4,000 RPM. So simple; who woulda thunk.

Many experienced Porsche engine builders and experts on the Flat-6 engine state that the peak power of a Porsche engine is developed around the 20,000 mile mark. This coincides with the principle of what the Porsche engineer was telling me; “Break it in correctly and the engine will last longer and perform better”.

It only took me 45 years to find out the real answer to this puzzling question. After I returned home, I explained this to my friend. As for our ongoing debate, we now feel a solution to this riddle has finally been reached. Neither one of us had the answer to this complex question totally figured out, but we were on the right path! I am finally able to resolve another one of my life’s unanswered mysteries and now it’s been crossed off the list. I hope this helps explain one of your unanswered questions in the car world as well.

Link: www.yel.pca.org/porsche-engine-break-in/

Sounds like engines are not truly broken in from the factory. I plan on following BMWs break in advice for their M cars. Keep it under 4k RPM for the first 1,000 miles then slowly bring it up.

^^^ From an earlier post I made. I'd follow the break in procedure, you need to allow things to wear in properly.

[BentZero]

Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Just one question though. What does "bring it up slowly" mean? 1,000 rpm per 100 miles over break-in? That would seem reasonable.

I have a 4 hour drive home after PCD. I hope I'll be able to cruise at speed as well as be able to vary my speed, and therefore rpm, enough.

[EEBreh]

Originally Posted by BentZero

Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Just one question though. What does "bring it up slowly" mean? 1,000 rpm per 100 miles over break-in? That would seem reasonable.

I have a 4 hour drive home after PCD. I hope I'll be able to cruise at speed as well as be able to vary my speed, and therefore rpm, enough.

Yeah, that's what I did in regards to bringing it up slowly. During my break in, I was stuck on the highway for a portion of the time. I was constantly changing between 4th, 5th, and 6th. Varying RPMS and accelerating/deaccelerating/bringing it to your chosen RPM. Also, take it easy on the transmission. I was slowly engaging it into gear.

I think I did 3500 tops for the first 600 miles, 4000 tops until 1000 then 4500 until 1200. After 1200 miles I changed all the fluids (see one of my other threads for that info, I make a decent case as to why you should do this.)

I have had no issues with oil burning whatsoever.

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by kevin_m235i

I just got my brand new BMW M235i on Sunday and the dealer didn't say anything about breaking in my car. Does anybody know the proper way to break in my car? I have to be honest since Sunday I have been having a little fun with the car, it is a manual so i've been pushing it all the way to redline at times. My car only has a 100 miles so far and I got it out the dealer with only 15 miles. I'd really appreciate if someone told me the proper way to break in my engine. Thank you

I picked up my M235i in Munich and they advised me to keep it under 4,500 rpm for the first 1,200 miles. I have pretty much adhered to that and have almost reached the magic mark where I can give full throttle. One nice thing about the M235i is that you can accelerate and drive quite quickly with far less than full throttle and also keep it under 4,500 rpm. That being said, I am really eager to see what the car is capable of. I talked to a guy at the Welt who was picking up a new M4 and I asked him about the break in period and he said he was going to drive it like it was stolen, but that was because it was a leased vehicle. I own my M235i.

[Boosted_six]

Word of the week: Wärmeausdehnungs

When parts are toleranced for a 250k mile + lifespan, they are naturally tight when brand new. Revving the piss out of tight bearings gets them very hot, very quick...

[kevin_m235i]

I'm breaking in my engine also, I cannot wait until I can drive the car the way its supposed to be driven

[woodswatchco]

Originally Posted by EEBreh

Came across this interesting article from PCA (Porsche Club of America).



Link: www.yel.pca.org/porsche-engine-break-in/

Sounds like engines are not truly broken in from the factory. I plan on following BMWs break in advice for their M cars. Keep it under 4k RPM for the first 1,000 miles then slowly bring it up.

^^^ From an earlier post I made. I'd follow the break in procedure, you need to allow things to wear in properly.

Thanks for posting this. It makes a lot of sense. I do my best to not fully kill my BMW before 1000 miles. I've only had a hand full of over 5000 rpm runs up to 850 miles so far. A couple of those were unintentional. My car is a lease but I still believe in being a good steward for the next guy. It's also just respect for the engineers and the brand. If you can't wait to get to 1000 miles, plan ahead and take road trip when you get the car. Driving from 50- 90 mph under 4k rpm over a couple days in a brand new BMW isn't exactly torture! Enjoy everyone!

[woodswatchco]

I had one more thought on this topic. I purchased my 2013 328i, M Sport, 6 speed manual from a very enthusiastic, knowledgable, sales associate. I special ordered the car with the options I wanted. My sales advisor went on and on about how I made a great choice by going with the manual transmission. When I took delivery of the car, it had 18 miles on it! I always felt like the car had a very weak first gear. It honestly was the one huge disappointment that I had with the car. So...... I think my sales guy raped the car when it was brand new and wore something in the drivetrain. That being said, I'd recommend taking as long as you can stand it to break you car in. My M235i got absolutely terrible mileage for the first three tank fulls of gas. That leads me to believe that the BMW engines are very tight when new. I'm talking that I got 12-14mpg keeping it under 4500rpm's and staying out of sport mode. My mileage has increased dramatically after 500 miles.

[EEBreh]

Originally Posted by woodswatchco

I had one more thought on this topic. I purchased my 2013 328i, M Sport, 6 speed manual from a very enthusiastic, knowledgable, sales associate. I special ordered the car with the options I wanted. My sales advisor went on and on about how I made a great choice by going with the manual transmission. When I took delivery of the car, it had 18 miles on it! I always felt like the car had a very weak first gear. It honestly was the one huge disappointment that I had with the car. So...... I think my sales guy raped the car when it was brand new and wore something in the drivetrain. That being said, I'd recommend taking as long as you can stand it to break you car in. My M235i got absolutely terrible mileage for the first three tank fulls of gas. That leads me to believe that the BMW engines are very tight when new. I'm talking that I got 12-14mpg keeping it under 4500rpm's and staying out of sport mode. My mileage has increased dramatically after 500 miles.

Interesting perspective. I've heard about stuff like this and I made it pretty clear to the sales guy I didn't want it beat on. When I got the car, it was completely wrapped up and didnt have the front plate installed, etc.

[chaddy74]

This is what i would do for the first 1000km Take into the hills load up the engine and fluctuate the RPM - never hold or just sit on the freeway ! Drive hills as many a you can. Avoid going WOT but certainly don't baby it or you will end up with oil usage issues and a lazy car! Then take it back to the dealer and have them replace the oil and filter , After that you can start getting stuck into it and I mean driving the car very hard ! Good luck

Originally Posted by kevin_m235i

I just got my brand new BMW M235i on Sunday and the dealer didn't say anything about breaking in my car. Does anybody know the proper way to break in my car? I have to be honest since Sunday I have been having a little fun with the car, it is a manual so i've been pushing it all the way to redline at times. My car only has a 100 miles so far and I got it out the dealer with only 15 miles. I'd really appreciate if someone told me the proper way to break in my engine. Thank you

[bowjol]

Originally Posted by BentZero

From the manual found here: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...modelcode=162C

"Breaking-in period

Engine, transmission, and axle drive
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road speed:
▷ For gasoline engine 4,500 rpm and 100 mph/160 km/h.

Avoid full load or kickdown under all circumstances.

From 1,200 miles/2,000 km
The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be increased.

"

Opps I drove it hard from the beginning.

Will my engine damage in near future?

[Boosted_six]

Originally Posted by chaddy74

This is what i would do for the first 1000km Take into the hills load up the engine and fluctuate the RPM - never hold or just sit on the freeway ! Drive hills as many a you can. Avoid going WOT but certainly don't baby it or you will end up with oil usage issues and a lazy car! Then take it back to the dealer and have them replace the oil and filter , After that you can start getting stuck into it and I mean driving the car very hard ! Good luck

This is pretty much how I normally do it too!

I think dropping the oil is a must after break in. I had a magnetic sump plug on an Civic type R, after swapping in new cams and valve springs the next oil change presented a large clump of iron particles on the magnet. Imagine the material from a whole new engine!

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

I think I waited 17 miles before I put the loud pedal down. Break in is highly over-rated.

Majority of the wear and break in happens at the factory.

Biggest problem I see is when people buy cars from different states then drive 400 miles or more on a long trip home, that's the worst.

Heat cycling the engine and varying RPM is how to do a proper break in. That includes time letting the engine cool.