Anyone experienced problems by not breaking in engine properly?

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

You don't necessarily see anything (besides a slight difference in oil consumption) by breaking in hard vs easy. When it counts is when you have a car that runs like new at 200k miles, or a car that runs like it has 200k miles when it gets there.

For people who lease cars and turn them in, theyll never see a difference. Then again, this is why I never would ever buy an off-lease car.

...or if you do, make sure it's a Buick or a Lexus or something similarly geriatric.

Breaking in seems to be more of an art than a science.... It certainly won't hurt to go easy on the car the first 500 - 1000 miles (what is it in the BMW manual? 1200 miles?) but for sure, if you do feel the need to rev it to the redline, never do it on a cold engine!

[AlBel1214]

I did a hard break in and then my fuel pump failed (However it failied on those who did a standard break in as well)... So I guess it really wasn't the problem...

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by MOCKBA

American designed engine do not require break in.

lol wut? Who told you this?

I just bought a jeep wrangler, it had a 3000 mile break in

[SlickShift]

The result of a poor break-in procedure doesn't usually come up until well into the car's life. Beating on a new car might mean a rebuild at 100,000 miles instead of 150,000 miles. You being nice to your car is really just looking out for the next guy or gal that's gunna own it.

[JHZR2]

That depends... we keep all our cars WAAAAY beyond 100k miles, which is barely broken in for any well-maintained vehicle.

The economics of a depreciating asset such as a car are too poor to NOT keep it for at least 200k miles, which, if treated right, is easy to do on any car.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

That depends... we keep all our cars WAAAAY beyond 100k miles, which is barely broken in for any well-maintained vehicle.

The economics of a depreciating asset such as a car are too poor to NOT keep it for at least 200k miles, which, if treated right, is easy to do on any car.

Agree - and if you haven't seen at least 100k with it, you don't actually know your car. (I never make it to 200k, though. 150k is usually my hand-off point.)

[VALETster]

I half babied my 2008 E92 and half drove it like I stole it. Partly because it's a lease, partly because I couldn't wait. And it's been fine. Of course, typical BMW stuff like finicky electronic issues (hello sunroof), but that of course has nothing to do with the b!tch!n motor. But yea, listen to the smart ones and follow standard operating procedure. Ounce of prevention beats pound of cure, yada yada.

[Just Some Guy]

This has been my experience. If you are truly interested in "breaking in" your engine, UOA is essential. I learned this after going through multiple engines in my '06 350Z due to faulty engine manufacturing for that year. Was finally bought back by Nissan under Lemon Law.

Credit goes to ZeeForce / my350z.com

Here is the break-in method:

1)
- Change the oil ASAP once the car gets home. (Did that at 25 miles)
- Change it again at 300-500 miles
- Change it again at 1000-1200
- Then let the previous oil change go for the entire 3750 miles. Change it and have a sample tested by Dyson Analysis

2)
- At sometime perform, it does not matter when, 5 uphill WOT never over revving.

3)
- Follow BMW recommended break-in – never over-reving past 4.5K rpm.

4)
- Have oil analyzed after every oil change in order to determine if and when the engine components have seated and seal for longevity.

If anyone is interested in my testing results PM me. Will be a little while though. Only have 200mi. on my 135I.

[Tj303]

Originally Posted by Just Some Guy

Here is the break-in method:

1)
- Change the oil ASAP once the car gets home. (Did that at 25 miles)
- Change it again at 300-500 miles
- Change it again at 1000-1200
- Then let the previous oil change go for the entire 3750 miles. Change it and have a sample tested by Dyson Analysis

2)
- At sometime perform, it does not matter when, 5 uphill WOT never over revving.

3)
- Follow BMW recommended break-in – never over-reving past 4.5K rpm.

4)
- Have oil analyzed after every oil change in order to determine if and when the engine components have seated and seal for longevity.

If anyone is interested in my testing results PM me. Will be a little while though. Only have 200mi. on my 135I.

sounds like too much work lol

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by Just Some Guy

If anyone is interested in my testing results PM me. Will be a little while though. Only have 200mi. on my 135I.

I will be interested to see your wear rates as things go along. Terry Dyson is a great guy, and certainly is a good person to put an eye on what is happening in the engine. It is worth the cost, especially with engines of advanced an unknown technology, like on th 135i... sure, there are thousands on the road, but little is truly understood yet regarding fuel dilution due to DI, viscosity and flashpoint losses, effect on wear, etc. It is good to have a baseline to understand.

The first UOA will not tell you anything, besides if you have an intake leak or a coolant leak into your oil. It is merely to show where you are at in break-in, and you expect to see elevated metals. It is the delta between each subequent oil change or sample pulled that gives you insight into when the engine is truly "broken in".

The 1200 mile guidance is a good guideline, but true breakin is when the wearmetals do not deviate much. This can actually be thousands of miles. One technique that can be used is to pull a sample every 1000 miles and plot the variation. Once the delta is small for Fe, Al, Pb and Cu, then things are good.

[Just Some Guy]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

I will be interested to see your wear rates as things go along. Terry Dyson is a great guy, and certainly is a good person to put an eye on what is happening in the engine. It is worth the cost, especially with engines of advanced an unknown technology, like on th 135i... sure, there are thousands on the road, but little is truly understood yet regarding fuel dilution due to DI, viscosity and flashpoint losses, effect on wear, etc. It is good to have a baseline to understand.

The first UOA will not tell you anything, besides if you have an intake leak or a coolant leak into your oil. It is merely to show where you are at in break-in, and you expect to see elevated metals. It is the delta between each subequent oil change or sample pulled that gives you insight into when the engine is truly "broken in".

The 1200 mile guidance is a good guideline, but true breakin is when the wearmetals do not deviate much. This can actually be thousands of miles. One technique that can be used is to pull a sample every 1000 miles and plot the variation. Once the delta is small for Fe, Al, Pb and Cu, then things are good.

Hmmmm, me thinks you familiar with the the value of UOA Seriously though, yes it will be interesting to see the analysis and insight that Terry will provide as my engine "matures". I will certainly share with you. It's actually pretty fascinating to me that so much can be understood about an engine's metals, fluids, and state of overall performance from the oil samples. As well as the recommendations Terry makes on what to do if things appear off in one area or another. And, you are right on the mark. It can take many more miles than many people expect for an engine to "break-in". I've seen in the range of 12K - 20K on the VQ35 motors. Anyway, if someone is keeping the car for the long haul or expects to heavily modify at the proper time, UOA all the way !

Happy motoring.......