How do I "Break-in" my new BMW?

[Raine]

Hi, I'm due to pick up my '11 128i Coupe tomorrow.

How do I properly "Break it in"? Is there an oil change after the break in period?

This is my first BMW and I want to get things right =)

[guydude]

Id say take it easy on her the first 600 miles only reving up to 3,500 rpm's....then push it to about 4,000 until u reach 1,000 miles...then just start pushing her harder and harder....also id do an intermittent oil change at 5000 miles....Congrats on ur new 1!!

[Cuz5150]

When you leave the dealership:
10 times shifting @ 3000 rpm
10 times shifting @ 4000 rpm
10 times shifting @ 5000 rpm
5 times shifting @ 6000 rpm
Take the long way home, back way, avoid traffic light...aka idling.
Get home, park it, raise hood and let it cool down completely. aka Heat cycle
Do the same thing the next day............
When you reach 300mile mark, then hit the red line a few times....
She'll be broken in <happy driving>

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by Raine

Hi, I'm due to pick up my '11 128i Coupe tomorrow.

How do I properly "Break it in"? Is there an oil change after the break in period?

This is my first BMW and I want to get things right =)

Unless you have it done yourself, there is no required break-in oil change.

Here is the procedure from P96 of the 2010 owners manual:

[Dak Tirque]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

When you leave the dealership:
10 times shifting @ 3000 rpm
10 times shifting @ 4000 rpm
10 times shifting @ 5000 rpm
5 times shifting @ 6000 rpm
Take the long way home, back way, avoid traffic light...aka idling.
Get home, park it, raise hood and let it cool down completely. aka Heat cycle
Do the same thing the next day............
When you reach 300mile mark, then hit the red line a few times....
She'll be broken in <happy driving>

Not saying I agree or disagree...but get your flame suit on man..

Even as a newb I know that this has been discussed well beyond death.
Search all you want, you'll get a million different responses but you will never really feel satisfied with the "knowledge gained"...

I'm at 1100 miles on my 135i..I tried my best to be good, but it's too damn tempting to go beyond BMW's recommended limits. Still haven't redlined though!

[MarkR171]

Just follow the recommendation from the manual (the 2010 excerpt that aerobod posted is the same as what's in my 2011 manual)

[Sylon]

I'd say stick with the owner's manual, because thats what BMW is going to go by. You can't go wrong if you follow the instructions.

[JB135MDCT]

Originally Posted by aerobod

Unless you have it done yourself, there is no required break-in oil change.

Here is the procedure from P96 of the 2010 owners manual:

At a minimum follow BMW manual. Make sure oil is up to temp before loading, Drive slow and fast back roads, short runs on highway, shift and rev frequently, no loading up to 300 miles, 300-1200 gradual increase loading and revs, short bursts only. 1200-2000 drive it like a race car gradually increasing revs and loads, longer burst of accel/decel and load/unload. Change oil at 2k (cheap insurance). 2k-5k I do mixed driving between highway/back-roads gradually increasing/bursts of aggressiveness. Change oil more frequently like 7.5k instead of 15k. Use BMW Synthetic oil (7qts). I can usually time my oil changes in Spring and Fall.

[BrokenVert]

Hmmm. I drove my car like it was a corolla for about 600 miles, then I stopped my break in and just drove like I normally do.

When I start the car I let it come down to idle (650 rpm) before I move, I let the car heat up before I nail it (which happens once or twice a day) and after 40k miles I haven't had any signs of an hpfp issue.

But take it with a grain of salt because I never read the manual.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by JB135MDCT

At a minimum follow BMW manual. Make sure oil is up to temp before loading

Good advice, but the 128i has no oil temp gauge. So, figure on 3~4 miles of moderate driving to warm up.

Tom

[JB135MDCT]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Good advice, but the 128i has no oil temp gauge. So, figure on 3~4 miles of moderate driving to warm up.

Tom

I actually warm up/down about 5 minutes every day ( even after break-in) before I tear the beasts heart out. I guess old school turbos needed this, perhaps don't need to do this any more with the latest engineering.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Good practice on a device (turbo), that runs at 1800 degrees F in normal operation. Warm up also allows the pistons to expand to size, oil to thin so it flows better, etc.

Two years ago, when I asked my dealer about warmup time with no oil or water temp gauge, the service manager said that there had been a special BMW seminar stating that the motor was "sufficently warmed up" after 90 seconds of running. However, I'm much less nervous with at least 3~4 miles of moderate driving before exceeding 3,500 revs.

And since the sensors & software are there and blank real estate on the dash is available, how hard would it be to have some sort of temp readout for the NA motor - in both the current 1 and 3 series?

Tom

[wolfe]

I'm looking at a scangauge II for the temperature readout, but it's not a very elegant solution unfortunately. Maybe it'd be useful to install temporarily and see how long it takes the car to warm up.

[Raine]

Thanks for the replies all!

lol...it's so hard to drive this car at like ~60 on the highway...the acceleration is so smooth and beautiful =)

i like that "drive as if it were a corolla" comment, i'll certainly try to do that!

[Papa13]

Its been well documented that if you break your car in hard it will perform better in the long run. You will in turn get more power and less engine wear.

The Porsche dealer tells you to break the car in, "how you're going to drive it." Great advice. The Lambo dealer says that there is no break in procedure. Drive it, have fun. BUT remember to vary rpm's for the first 1,200 miles and engine breaking helps setting the rings and seals.

I didn't hit the red line or 6k for that matter until I had 500 miles on her and she has not given me any problems.

Here's a little eye candy for you manual followers. http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[Taymaishu]

Flog the absolute shit out of it.

That's pretty much what i was told by my dealer, but he said not to exceed 200km/h for a while. So I revved it hard, hard, hard. A couple of times bouncing off redline

First service came at 15,000km and they said the engine and all parts looked perfect and wore in very well.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

You'd think these would be std. equipment in all performance cars.

same thing with turbo cars having boost gauges...it's not just a tuner thing a boost gauge can be a valuable piece of information

[Papa13]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

I'd like to see that independent scientific engineering test data with control to see how you reached your conclusions that breaking-in a car "hard" provides better power and less wear...

The factory knows a lot more about the proper engine break-in than some dealer paper pusher... I'd follow the factory prescribed method since they are the ones putting their money where their mouth is. Even though Porsche dynos their engines they recommend you not rev the engine over 5000 rpm for the first 600 miles. Most car makers have very similar recommendations because they have the scientific test data to support this is the proper means to burnish in all all the parts without causing hot spots and micro welding.

As far as Moron Man is concerned the first thing you should notice is that he has a big disclaimer that says when you damage your engine he's not responsible. Compared that to the car maker who says they will warranty your engine for $50K if you follow their break-in procedure - and they put their money where their mouth is unlike Moron Man who doesn't even know how piston rings function.

Informed consumers are free to inflict all the damage they want to their vehicles by following bad advice from clueless people but don't expect the car maker to pay for your mistakes because they won't.

As you can see this thread is turning into a mirror of the many other break-in threads... SOS, DD.

That is why it's better to use the SEARCH feature than rehash the same unsubstantiated beliefs over and over again.

The BMW OM information in post #4 is exactly how you should drive your new BMW to properly break it in and almost identical to Porsche, Audi, M-B, etc.

Factory does "know" what's best, but are they going to tell you? Of course they will tell you to baby it. That's the safest way right? It's what I would tell my customers.

I am speaking from first hand experience, multiple BMW technicians have verified this for me. Still, I do a mix of the manual and the "hard" break in, because EVEN I don't believe it all the way. But, this is a forum and he should get ALL possible routes to accomplish his goal. So sos or dd? whatever those mean. Let him make his own opinion on it. It has been tested on over 500 engines and has been used on many, many more, there has to be some truth to it...

I'll give you a quick lesson on the two highly respected ways of breaking in your car.

Option 1. Warm up the engine, and putt around at progressively increasing RPM's. Start by staying below 1/4 throttle, and work your way up to some 1/2 throttle and 3/4 throttle pulls. Eventually after a few 3/4 throttle pulls, shut her down, retorque and repeat. The theory here is to let all the mating parts "mate" without putting any premature strain on anything. This, in theory, allows the rings and bore to seat together, and ensures everything is properly clearance and happy before pounding on the new engine.

Option 2. Warm it up to operating temperature to ensure the piston, bore, etc are at operating size and temperature. Then ride it like you stole it! The basic theory here is that breaking it in hard will give you better ring seal. Riding at higher RPM's for sustained times produces higher combustion pressures than putting around. High combustion pressures acting on the backs of piston rings forces them against the cylinder wall with more force. Forcing rings against the cylinder wall with more force will ensure even loading all the way around the bore, instead of possible uneven loading from lower combustion pressures and uneven ring forces around the bore (more likely with "soft" break in). Because the rings are seated at a higher and more even load, the mating surfaces are more uniform and gives you better sealing for the rest of the life of the rings. This theory is based on the fact that there is really nothing else to be afraid of failing. The piston is brand new and at its perfect shape. If your cylinder wall clearance is correct and your engine is warm, you shouldn't have any concerns with seizure. If the engine was assembled correctly, riding it like a raped ape immediately after warm up, in theory, is a good way to seat those rings.

Not being rude, but it's a highly regarded topic on many drag racing forums. Many more people then you think live by this technique. So, it's up to you on how you perceive it.

This subject is sort of like politics I guess. Everyone has their own opinion, and you will very rarely be able to change someone's mind. Whatever works for you is probably the best way. Just MAKE sure the engine is warm before you do anything, and you shouldn't have much trouble.

[JB135MDCT]

Originally Posted by Taymaishu

Flog the absolute shit out of it.

That's pretty much what i was told by my dealer, but he said not to exceed 200km/h for a while. So I revved it hard, hard, hard. A couple of times bouncing off redline

First service came at 15,000km and they said the engine and all parts looked perfect and wore in very well.

[MyCorvette]

During the first hundred or 1200 miles you should really follow the factory manual.

The reason you should not run your engine hard is simple:

When the engine is NEW, the force of the piston ring that contacts the cylinder wall is inhomogeneous (which means location A of the ring press 1000N force against the cylinder, and location B of the ring press 2000N force against the cylinder). Therefore in order to better seat the ring with cylinder wall, the first step is not to execute the 'seat' action, but instead you should first make the ring contact force homogeneous!

Run the engine with lower RPM and vary the RPM help gently 'smooth out' the piston ring force, after this you gradually increase your RPM starts the 'seating' step, which is exactly the factory manual tell you to do after 1200 miles. So do not consider the 'break-in' process equals to 'seating the ring', it's just the preparation step of doing so.

What happen if you directly execute the 'seating' process instead of the 'preparation step'? It is not hard to understand: it will create hot spots in several isolated location of the cylinder walls and piston rings (the locations where the contact force are larger) . Difference in temperature means uneven strain and uneven expansion for the piston ring, which leads to uneven deformation, and uneven seating.

Remeber the theory of sealing: although 99.9999% of your whole location have perfect contact, once you have a single location leak, the whole system just won't seal. Therefore if you run your engine hard at the beginning, uneven seating will finally punish you with a poor seal between the ring and the wall.

[Scoobs]

Drive it like it's stolen:

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[Dak Tirque]

Originally Posted by Scoobs

Drive it like it's stolen:

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Read previous replies in threads much?

Seriously all...I've only been here for 2-3 months, and this "break in" crap is getting OLD. Like I said in my first reply to this thread..discussed well beyond death...

Just search OP, there is nothing to see here...