[BeMorWit15]

Originally Posted by ocso1606

Well thats out the window. Going with the hard break in. Wish me luck!

Have you had any issues with the reverse or first gear poping out of gear when cold? speciffically when you first get in the car?

I have a similiar car, in mineral grey, which has this issue

[ocso1606]

Originally Posted by BeMorWit15

Have you had any issues with the reverse or first gear poping out of gear when cold? speciffically when you first get in the car?

I have a similiar car, in mineral grey, which has this issue

No issues with anything. The car was broken in like I stole it!!! Fast as hell and lovin it. 5,000 miles on it.

[ric124]

Originally Posted by ocso1606

No issues with anything. The car was broken in like I stole it!!! Fast as hell and lovin it. 5,000 miles on it.

Lol bad Breaking in doubt you will feel the effects at 5000 miles. It's not like your engine is going to fall out and die. Most likely what will happen is not optimal fuel efficiency and poor oil consumption.

[BmwF30alpine]

Originally Posted by ocso1606

No issues with anything. The car was broken in like I stole it!!! Fast as hell and lovin it. 5,000 miles on it.

Been a few months now. Still all good?

[DVC]

Originally Posted by RPM90

I don't see ANY reason to treat a leased car any differently than a loan purchased car...I never understood why people would abuse a car that is not theirs...

My sentiments exactly... I cringe every time I read someone's comments to the effect that they couldn't care less about abusing it because it's a lease.

Originally Posted by RPM90

For the record, I don't do soft, gentle, or slow break in.
I consider the BMW manual method to be a slow and gentle break in.

The only thing I don't do for at least the first 1000 miles is no standing WFO throttle starts red lining gears through a 1/4 mile run.
My engines see red line well before 1000 miles, but the engine gets there in a controlled steady manner using light to moderate throttle.
I use and hold each gear steadily to red line and then let the throttle off letting engine braking bring the rpm back down to around 1000rpm, then the next gear, so on, until I can't use the higher gears to red as speed would be too high.

The idea is to let normal engine braking and vacuum full set the piston rings so that compression remains good for life with minimal blow by of oil into the combustion chamber or fuel into the oil.

No need for slow and gentle break in, IMO and experience.

Originally Posted by NISFAN

I am an advocate of the 'ring seal' run in. But I used to race bikes so could see the benefits.

The soft break in method is a little old fashioned, stems back to older machining techniques that left rough surfaces that required 'bedding in'. There were surfaces that potentially broke through the oil film and caused metal on metal contact.

Todays modern engines are machined to a much finer tolerance, and have both improved oil contol and oil technology. So the old 'bedding in' process is no longer important.

For most manufacturers new engines are run on an engine dyno and then again in the finished car on a wheel dyno.

They test for power on these tests, as it is the best engine 'quality check'. So in truth that engine you are babying started life running at full power within a few minutes.

So why the manufacturers running in guide?

A new car is not just a new engine. Brake components need bedding in, tyres need the release agent scrubbed, clutch discs need bedding, etc so it is common sense to drive well within the limits of the car until these systems reach optimal performance. This if done correctly only takes 50 miles max.

It is not difficult to imagine why a car manufacturer might recommend a running in regime. Theses reasons have little to do with mechanical sympathy.

At the end of the day, it is your car, and whatever method sits well with you is the best method

This approach is starting to make sense to me...
Typically, I have taken it easy, varying revs and speed as much as possible for the 1st 500 miles or so, then gradually adjusted to full attack mode over the next 500 miles. But it sounds like it would be best to incorporate an initial ring seal process at the outset.

Anyone have any advice specific to M Sport brakes? e.g. Do they require the same bedding process that Brembo recommends for their BBKs?

[Sedan_Clan]

Good to see some fellow race bike riders in this thread. With that said, the small tolerance for race applications require something different than our cars IMHO.


I get on my cars pretty damn quickly. Never had an issue.

[glangford]

This is my first BMW, but I had a R56 mini prior to this. I followed the manufacturer's recommendations. The service department can read your key fob and see max rpms, etc, so if you exceed recommendations don't you run the risk of a warranty claim rejection?

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by glangford

This is my first BMW, but I had a R56 mini prior to this. I followed the manufacturer's recommendations. The service department can read your key fob and see max rpms, etc, so if you exceed recommendations don't you run the risk of a warranty claim rejection?

Nope! Been doing it this way for over 10 years. Never had an issue.

[trey100]

In all my cars, I've never waited 1000+ miles to increase revs. I mean I don't drop the clutch and drive like a hooligan but I definitely enjoy the car from mile 1. I've never had an oil burning issue or anything else. Life is too short. Enjoy the car.

I also read somewhere that each BMW is revved pretty high as it leaves the factory. Some kind of test I assume but the point being it's not babied out of the factory.

[Foose]

any hideous pings after turning the car off after breaking it in hard?

[mhanism]

I never understood the massive debate over break-in methods..

Why not keep things simple (and sensible) and follow the 'factory recommended' method - 1,200 miles no WOT and nothing over 100mph; with varied speeds and RPM.

I don't understand why this is questioned so often, and why people are in a rush to find a shorter or simpler way. If you want to break in ASAP, then a long highway drive should do it.

My first car, a 1997 Acura Integra GS-R, I redlined coming out of the dealership, being the 16 yr old that I was, I was brash, and just stupid, and didn't truly consider how such aggressive engine break in would impact the cars life... The car would die a sad death at around 117k miles with damaged oil rings, and leaking oil, and poor engine pressure.

For those who say they've had no problems after gunning it with 0-100 miles on the car - you're probably fine the first few years, but consider 70-80k+ miles and 4-5 years down the road, if not for you (leasers), then at least for the next purchaser of your car.