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      07-20-2013, 12:58 AM   #67
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I've got about 4200 miles on the odometer, and 4 months on the clock, and it seems in the last week my 328ix has gotten noticeably peppier, and not in a bad way.

Same gas, the only change in driving habits were a couple of runs to Seatac airport this week (~30 miles at freeway speeds), and a 600 mile drive last weekend instead of my usual shorter drives around town.

Does the onboard computer let off the chains at some point to rev up the performance? Or does around town driving give my car stodgy habits?
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      07-20-2013, 03:59 AM   #68
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Originally Posted by roundel335 View Post
BMW recommends 1200 miles, which is what I adhered to.
Snap. BMW gives certain limits in the owners manual, and I stuck to those. They seem to know the car pretty well ;-)
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      07-20-2013, 06:53 AM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
I've read something similar here: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

The thing is, surely the piston rings are an integral part of the engine? And so surely, if BMW break in their engines at the factory as I believe they do, the piston rings are already well sealed when your car leaves the production line?
I don't understand how running the engine at high RPMs for 20 miles, is any better than running the engine at low RPMs for 40 miles, if all that you want is a smooth piston ring. It seems like in both cases you would achieve the same smoothness. The total number of strokes would be the same therefore the result is the same. The only variable is time. And in the high RPM method you generate a lot more heat which can't be a good thing. How do you explain that it's better to break in at high RPMs?

Last edited by Bimmerfestool; 07-20-2013 at 01:14 PM..
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      07-20-2013, 07:55 AM   #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimmerfestool View Post
I don't understand how running the engine at high RPMs for 20 miles, is any different than running the engine at low RPMs for 40 miles, if all that you want is a smooth piston ring. It seems like in both cases you would achieve the same result. The total number of strokes would be the same therefore the result is the same. The only variable is time. How do you explain that?
Back in the 'good 'ol days' when materials and machining weren't so accurate, running in was a vital process. It was possible for a piston to be too tight in the bore.
If you ran that engine under load and high RPM, there was a good chance the increased heat produced by the load (more fuel/air per minute) would cause the piston to expand to an extent that the engine seized (heat seize). Not good because it scuffs the piston skirts and potentially the bore too. However running in slowly would ensure the parts would be worn away in a more controlled fashion, eliminating the problem.

The other issue, was that the particles being worn off contaminated the oil. The same oil used as a bearing would be filled with metallic particles, causing secondary damage. This made an early oil change very important.

A mixture of modern oils, oil filtration, materials and machining tolerances (Not to mention the universal adoption of the Japanese size grading system), means that 'running in' is no longer as important as it once was. After all, many of the engine surfaces are actually running in a film of oil, no metal on metal contact at all.

Is it still required at all? Well that is a good question.

I understand that most European engines are run on an engine dyno prior to fitting in a car, mainly to check for leaks, but they are subject to a full power run. Which in it's own way is a 'quality' measure. Cheaper to do it this way than find out once it is in a car at the end of the production line.

You can see why manufacturers still list a running in procedure, but is this for an engineering requirement, or a limit liability requirement?

Certainly there are systems like brakes, and even tyre release oils that need to be 'run in'. It would be a good idea for new owners to 'take it easy' until they got used to the car (I understand that a large proportion of supercar accidents happen within the first days of new ownership).
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      07-20-2013, 07:59 AM   #71
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Took delivery of my 328i the other day. CA told me there is no break in period.
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      07-20-2013, 01:12 PM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NISFAN View Post
Back in the 'good 'ol days' when materials and machining weren't so accurate, running in was a vital process. It was possible for a piston to be too tight in the bore.
If you ran that engine under load and high RPM, there was a good chance the increased heat produced by the load (more fuel/air per minute) would cause the piston to expand to an extent that the engine seized (heat seize). Not good because it scuffs the piston skirts and potentially the bore too. However running in slowly would ensure the parts would be worn away in a more controlled fashion, eliminating the problem.

The other issue, was that the particles being worn off contaminated the oil. The same oil used as a bearing would be filled with metallic particles, causing secondary damage. This made an early oil change very important.

A mixture of modern oils, oil filtration, materials and machining tolerances (Not to mention the universal adoption of the Japanese size grading system), means that 'running in' is no longer as important as it once was. After all, many of the engine surfaces are actually running in a film of oil, no metal on metal contact at all.

Is it still required at all? Well that is a good question.

I understand that most European engines are run on an engine dyno prior to fitting in a car, mainly to check for leaks, but they are subject to a full power run. Which in it's own way is a 'quality' measure. Cheaper to do it this way than find out once it is in a car at the end of the production line.

You can see why manufacturers still list a running in procedure, but is this for an engineering requirement, or a limit liability requirement?

Certainly there are systems like brakes, and even tyre release oils that need to be 'run in'. It would be a good idea for new owners to 'take it easy' until they got used to the car (I understand that a large proportion of supercar accidents happen within the first days of new ownership).
Totally agree with you, in fact I should have asked my question differently. That was meant for people who say breaking in at high RPMs is better than at low RPMs. I think it makes no difference or it's actually even worse because of the heat. I will edit my message accordingly.
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      07-21-2013, 03:05 PM   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328iGurl View Post
Took delivery of my 328i the other day. CA told me there is no break in period.
Your CA is obviously ignorant of manufacturer recommendations. My CA made sure I knew about taking it easy for the 1st 1200 miles even though I've purchased 3 cars from him in prior years. It's just common sense.
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      09-10-2013, 04:18 PM   #74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NISFAN View Post
Back in the 'good 'ol days' when materials and machining weren't so accurate, running in was a vital process. It was possible for a piston to be too tight in the bore.
If you ran that engine under load and high RPM, there was a good chance the increased heat produced by the load (more fuel/air per minute) would cause the piston to expand to an extent that the engine seized (heat seize). Not good because it scuffs the piston skirts and potentially the bore too. However running in slowly would ensure the parts would be worn away in a more controlled fashion, eliminating the problem.

The other issue, was that the particles being worn off contaminated the oil. The same oil used as a bearing would be filled with metallic particles, causing secondary damage. This made an early oil change very important.

A mixture of modern oils, oil filtration, materials and machining tolerances (Not to mention the universal adoption of the Japanese size grading system), means that 'running in' is no longer as important as it once was. After all, many of the engine surfaces are actually running in a film of oil, no metal on metal contact at all.

Is it still required at all? Well that is a good question.

I understand that most European engines are run on an engine dyno prior to fitting in a car, mainly to check for leaks, but they are subject to a full power run. Which in it's own way is a 'quality' measure. Cheaper to do it this way than find out once it is in a car at the end of the production line.

You can see why manufacturers still list a running in procedure, but is this for an engineering requirement, or a limit liability requirement?

Certainly there are systems like brakes, and even tyre release oils that need to be 'run in'. It would be a good idea for new owners to 'take it easy' until they got used to the car (I understand that a large proportion of supercar accidents happen within the first days of new ownership).
^^ This is pretty much what I gleaned from researching the topic at length.

The BMW break-in recommendations are so generic, vague and lacking in prominence that it's hard to believe that there's really any merit to strictly adhering to their recommendations to baby the car for a full 1200 miles.

In terms of the "conventional wisdom" out there, it seems that half of it contradicts the other half... e.g. "keep it under 4500rpm with conservative throttle inputs and speed" kinda negates "flooring it to burnish piston rings" ... same with "break it in how you plan to drive it" vs. "baby it all the way to 1200 miles"

I guess what I'll do with my soon-to-be-delivered 335i is pretty much the same process that I did on my last 3 BMWs (2 of which I've kept for 125k+ miles)... that is, drive gently with varying speeds, etc., for the first ~500 miles, then gradually ramp up to full attack mode over the next ~500 miles.
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      11-13-2013, 11:03 AM   #75
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Hey guys I have a question, my car is in break in period but that other day I passed 3k rpm on 2nd gear by fault, I avoid idling and letting the car to warm on idle, I always maintain shifts at about 1.8-2.2 max with max speed 60 mph at high way.. I'm afraid that I might did some damage
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      11-13-2013, 11:29 AM   #76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rustyminded View Post
Hey guys I have a question, my car is in break in period but that other day I passed 3k rpm on 2nd gear by fault, I avoid idling and letting the car to warm on idle, I always maintain shifts at about 1.8-2.2 max with max speed 60 mph at high way.. I'm afraid that I might did some damage
See the comment above yours.

There is no need to be overly cautious. I just got my F32 and I am one of those who does believe in a break-in period. And my car has been in idle for many minutes the first couple of days while playing with all the settings.

As for the revs, you actually want to vary it up to about 4000 rpm. So a few strong accelerations will do no harm and will actually be beneficial. Driving at constant revs or low revs throughout the entire break-in period is not recommended.

Enjoy your car. It is a performance machine and wants to be driven like one.
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      11-13-2013, 12:02 PM   #77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gitte View Post
See the comment above yours.

There is no need to be overly cautious. I just got my F32 and I am one of those who does believe in a break-in period. And my car has been in idle for many minutes the first couple of days while playing with all the settings.

As for the revs, you actually want to vary it up to about 4000 rpm. So a few strong accelerations will do no harm and will actually be beneficial. Driving at constant revs or low revs throughout the entire break-in period is not recommended.

Enjoy your car. It is a performance machine and wants to be driven like one.
Thanks, this is my second F30 though I'm not that pro but I get concerned .. what about changing the oil because the dealer puts shell which sucks I was thinking of changing it to castrol after 1200 miles, will that hurt or it's beneficial because I heard in new engine there is some metal due to friction without full lubricated
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      11-13-2013, 02:04 PM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rustyminded View Post
Thanks, this is my second F30 though I'm not that pro but I get concerned .. what about changing the oil because the dealer puts shell which sucks I was thinking of changing it to castrol after 1200 miles, will that hurt or it's beneficial because I heard in new engine there is some metal due to friction without full lubricated
Well if am not mistaken BMW dealers always put Castrol in (somebody may need to correct me on this).

I believe the general consensus is that you do NOT need a post break in oil change. This was more important for old cars that really released a lot of metal crud. You should be fine until you need to do your first scheduled oil change.

If you truly feel that you have poor quality oil then change it for your peace of mind but unnecessary to change it immediately after break-in.
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      11-13-2013, 03:54 PM   #79
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gitte View Post
Well if am not mistaken BMW dealers always put Castrol in (somebody may need to correct me on this).

I believe the general consensus is that you do NOT need a post break in oil change. This was more important for old cars that really released a lot of metal crud. You should be fine until you need to do your first scheduled oil change.

If you truly feel that you have poor quality oil then change it for your peace of mind but unnecessary to change it immediately after break-in.
I think i'm gonna change because what they offer here is the shell 10 thousand kilometer range but castrol edge offers 15 so it's huge difference especially in hot country like here, I noticed something I asked the dealer before how much oil recommended for this car they said 4.5 liters and when my last car was new I pulled out 5 liters and I did search here found official technical data 5.75 almost 6 liters so that means the dealer doesn't know any better and I shouldn't follow their advice ?
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      12-19-2013, 03:46 PM   #80
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Thanks guys, This post was very helpful.
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      12-21-2013, 05:01 AM   #81
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I will get my new car next week.

When I asked my dealer here in Campinas, Brazil, he said that there was no break-in period for the 2013/14 320i Activeflex. But I will see what the manual says, and follow the advices given in this thread anyway.

I guess I will not push it before the engine is warm, and then do a little of everything for the first 2000km and change oil after 1000km.

that's my conclusion from reading this thread, on what to do to be on the safe side.

Did I miss anything?
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      12-28-2013, 11:33 AM   #82
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I picked up a 2014 335xi last week and the sales agent indicated there was no break in period. Sure enough when I checked the manual it was clearly written what the break in was.

So far I have about 500km on it and aside from the test drive I've managed to keep it under 4,500rpm. If you keep it in comfort mode it isn't too hard to keep it under the 4,500 mark

I think if it's in the manual it's likely there for a reason and you can't do no harm sticking to it.
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      12-30-2013, 02:17 PM   #83
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I've got the same info in the manual. So will stick to it to be safe.

Still have to wait 1½ weeks to get the numberplates though
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      07-08-2015, 08:02 AM   #84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328iGurl View Post
Took delivery of my 328i the other day. CA told me there is no break in period.
For what it's worth, the dealer here in the UK i got my 435 from last week told me the same. As did another colleague who used to be a sales guy for BMW - he now works at Porsche and they are told to advise the customers the same, that no prescriptive break in is necessary and simply to treat the car with a bit of respect (ie: let it warm up properly) before driving it as you normally would, that being "normal" but don't be afraid of driving it harder every now and then. Nannying a new engine won't do it any favours, as if you keep everything at low RPM for extended mileage, it won't fully have loosened up when you do start fanging it around. The running in period is apparently more for the transmission's benefit than the engines.

Caught in between what the handbook says, what the BMW dealership say and what friends/forums also contribute, I'm bloody confused.

So I see no harm really in just driving the car how I normally do - so letting it warm up properly before going anywhere near 4500rpm, and fluctuating the engine load and revs in a full fashion, but in a gradual way - not smashing up and down the gears and stamping the throttle wide open all the time.
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      07-08-2015, 08:56 PM   #85
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Aside from brakes and tires, I suspect BMW also wants new owners to become familiar with the dynamics of the car before flogging it.
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