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      12-01-2013, 10:15 AM   #1
dvk92
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Break-in period...Recommendations?

As an about to be first time BMW owner, I'll be tempted to 'punch it' from the start.

What break-in periods (kms/miles) have people used and are there any driving styles/types of trips people really think should be avoided?

Also - any advice on 'setting' M-Sport brakes during this period would be appreciated.

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      12-01-2013, 10:30 AM   #2
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There are endless threads on this. Consensus seems to be to follow what BMW say - although there are those who disagree with this.

Personally, while there are some very knowledgeable people on here, as someone who isn't privvy to any special knowledge on the subject I'm inclined to just do what the guys who build the car say instead of confuse myself with the disagreements of random people on the internet. Also, personally I like to take it easy at first anyway as it gives me time to get used to the car before I start pushing it.

Enjoy your new wheels!
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      12-01-2013, 11:57 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
There are endless threads on this. Consensus seems to be to follow what BMW say - although there are those who disagree with this.

Personally, while there are some very knowledgeable people on here, as someone who isn't privvy to any special knowledge on the subject I'm inclined to just do what the guys who build the car say instead of confuse myself with the disagreements of random people on the internet. Also, personally I like to take it easy at first anyway as it gives me time to get used to the car before I start pushing it.

Enjoy your new wheels!
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      12-01-2013, 01:15 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Feanor
There are endless threads on this. Consensus seems to be to follow what BMW say - although there are those who disagree with this.

Personally, while there are some very knowledgeable people on here, as someone who isn't privvy to any special knowledge on the subject I'm inclined to just do what the guys who build the car say instead of confuse myself with the disagreements of random people on the internet. Also, personally I like to take it easy at first anyway as it gives me time to get used to the car before I start pushing it.

Enjoy your new wheels!
Sage advice. Was really looking to see if anyone had a 'nightmare' story of avoiding BMW's recommendations.
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      12-01-2013, 01:26 PM   #5
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The consensus is while at the dealership do a couple of donuts and floor it on your way out.

When I was looking for my car it was tough to come up with a good deal. I found the car I wanted with my exact specs about 300 miles from home. I also got 6000 off MSRP deal at a time when msports had just been freshly minted. Then the question came of how many miles were on the car. Guess what she had 45 miles on her. Those 45 miles must have been test drive or dealer type driving. I feel sorry for the car for what she experienced in those miles. Well she is around 10000 miles old and no issues so far. She did have a drivetrain malfunction but this has nothing to do with break in.

Just floor it man
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      12-01-2013, 01:38 PM   #6
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The break-in period is specifically listed in your owner's manual if I remember correctly. Take a look there first..
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      12-01-2013, 01:48 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Anodite10 View Post
The break-in period is specifically listed in your owner's manual if I remember correctly. Take a look there first..
+1 let the parts and the engine stay easy for first 1200 miles. it wouldn't take long my friend. then you can do whatever you want.

there are many thing to break-in. not just the engine itself. first i hated the brakes were too soft and the exhaust note was bad. after the break-in period everything worked out perfectly. now i am starting my mods to make the car a better driving machine. this is my thought. hope this can help you.
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      12-01-2013, 01:52 PM   #8
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Having a new 435 with M Performance Packs I & II like you have, and having a 2007 E92 for 7 years, I can say that following BMW's recommendation made for a car that has never burned oil to the point that it had to be added between changes.. I'm doing the same for the 435, which by butt dyno, has measurably more grunt than advertised, even below 4000 rpm. You'll be hard pressed to keep out of trouble even following their recommendations.. no need to beat it at all during break in. You'll see that you can pretty much bury the marker on the torque scale (goes to 400 ft-lbs) even being nice..

The Brakes will seat without much fanfare. Just don't be too hard / lock them up for the first 100km or so.
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      12-07-2013, 12:36 AM   #9
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The initial break-in period of 1200 miles will seem like it takes forever when you're doing it. Keeping your revs down is actually not that hard under normal driving, but occasionally you'll have to punch it to get into traffic or what have you. Once your period is over, the miles will fly by and you'll be glad you did the break-in. If I was driving a lease, I wouldn't care. However, I bought my car and I want to keep it for a while, so I did what the factory recommended.
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      12-22-2013, 08:02 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m2michael23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anodite10 View Post
The break-in period is specifically listed in your owner's manual if I remember correctly. Take a look there first..
+1 let the parts and the engine stay easy for first 1200 miles. it wouldn't take long my friend. then you can do whatever you want.

there are many thing to break-in. not just the engine itself. first i hated the brakes were too soft and the exhaust note was bad. after the break-in period everything worked out perfectly. now i am starting my mods to make the car a better driving machine. this is my thought. hope this can help you.
+1
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      12-22-2013, 08:36 PM   #11
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Ignore BMW's recommendation. I followed it and my 335 loves oil as a result.

What's MPPK I&II. Curious about the II part.
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      12-23-2013, 03:50 AM   #12
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How do you know it's as a result, out of interest?
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      12-23-2013, 07:14 AM   #13
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There was another thread about break in an those who seemed to be aggressive weren't seeing oil consumption. I've gone through 5 quarts in 15k miles. Nothing scientific on my end, just an observation.
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      12-24-2013, 07:46 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Axman85
Ignore BMW's recommendation. I followed it and my 335 loves oil as a result.

What's MPPK I&II. Curious about the II part.
In Canada there are two 'M performance' packs as options.

One is for brakes, suspension, sport steering and performance summer tires.

Two gets you the exhaust and extra power.

The exhaust is awesome - great tone and nice 'burbles'.
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      02-03-2014, 09:59 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dvk92 View Post
As an about to be first time BMW owner, I'll be tempted to 'punch it' from the start.

What break-in periods (kms/miles) have people used and are there any driving styles/types of trips people really think should be avoided?

Also - any advice on 'setting' M-Sport brakes during this period would be appreciated.

Car gets off the train Monday - hope to have it Thursday.
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See the manual it says dont rev over 4500. until 2000km. dont exceed 160kmh.
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      03-27-2014, 06:58 PM   #16
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I'm choosing to NOT follow the BMW recommendation. I'm driving it like I stole it, from the day I got it. I've had too many friends of mine that did the same with their new German cars and the results have been amazing. They all seem to have "ringers". They're all faster than other cars of the same make and model. My friends 2009 335i ran 13.53 ET at San Antonio Raceway. Another buddy in his S4 ran 13.19!

I no longer believe these modern cars need a real break-in period. I was instructed by an engine builder to drive it like I wanted it to perform. I did the same thing with my BMW motorcycle and my bike is faster than another friends bike - same exact model. I'm sold on the hard break-in.
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      03-27-2014, 07:51 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seangd View Post
I'm choosing to NOT follow the BMW recommendation. I'm driving it like I stole it, from the day I got it. I've had too many friends of mine that did the same with their new German cars and the results have been amazing. They all seem to have "ringers". They're all faster than other cars of the same make and model. My friends 2009 335i ran 13.53 ET at San Antonio Raceway. Another buddy in his S4 ran 13.19!

I no longer believe these modern cars need a real break-in period. I was instructed by an engine builder to drive it like I wanted it to perform. I did the same thing with my BMW motorcycle and my bike is faster than another friends bike - same exact model. I'm sold on the hard break-in.
Seriously? What did the engine builder say was the logic and reasoning behind this?
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      03-27-2014, 07:56 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TractionControlOff View Post
Seriously? What did the engine builder say was the logic and reasoning behind this?
Seating the rings properly is the reason for a hard break in

http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm
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      03-29-2014, 02:06 AM   #19
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I just drive it according to the manual book, which is really simple, drive it not more than 100mph and 4500rpm for gasoline and 3500rpm for diesel
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      04-04-2014, 03:10 PM   #20
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Drive it in the northern Italian Alps. Just make sure to keep it below 4500rpm, so 4200rpm is good. Going up curvy mountains roads on 2nd and 3rd gear around 4200rpm is good. 20k miles so far, and no low oil warnings whatsoever.
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      05-09-2014, 10:57 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seangd View Post
I'm choosing to NOT follow the BMW recommendation. I'm driving it like I stole it, from the day I got it. I've had too many friends of mine that did the same with their new German cars and the results have been amazing. They all seem to have "ringers". They're all faster than other cars of the same make and model. My friends 2009 335i ran 13.53 ET at San Antonio Raceway. Another buddy in his S4 ran 13.19!

I no longer believe these modern cars need a real break-in period. I was instructed by an engine builder to drive it like I wanted it to perform. I did the same thing with my BMW motorcycle and my bike is faster than another friends bike - same exact model. I'm sold on the hard break-in.
Completely agree, these break in periods are.....crap. The only thing I did that BMW didn't say to do was change my oil at 2000 miles, just as a precaution. I did this on my F10 also and have no trouble with either cars. Bottom line, forget the break in period, just change your oil at 2000 and half way between BMW rec 10K miles
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      06-11-2014, 01:25 PM   #22
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I used to hand build engines (for Mazda's) and did tuning on the side to feed my racing habits. I'm also a mechanical engineer, have been racing for 10 years, and did engine research as part of lab work for a semester. I'm NOT an expert, but i have a solid background.

The RPM limit they recommend isn't bad, and the first 500-1000 miles it is reasonable to follow that. Varied load really is important. Relatively high throttle opening with some boost helps seat and wear the rings in, and can help reduce oil consumption, when doing that though, it's important to have some decent long decel periods immediately after. That helps wash the walls and pull vaccum to get the oil and metal shavings off.

The main reason for the recommendation as they give it in the manuals is if anything is tight, or people bounce it off the rev limiter (or fuel cut) you can get wear patterns or friction buildup that is less than ideal. Modern engines are so damn well toleranced now that catastrophic failure is essentially unheard of. The lighter loads DO help seat anything that may be slightly out of alignment and allows some of the assembly fluids to work their way out.

Also, many bearings and seals don't fully lubricate out and wear in until they've had some revolutions on them, and can heat up excessively with too many rpm's (hence the recommendation). Giving time for them to "loosen" and lubricate at temperature is another reason for the low rpm's for XXX miles recommendation.

I typically try to go out to the twisty roads for the first 200 miles in one session with lots of moderate cornering and up and down decel with limited rpm's and periodic large throttle opening. Higher pressures with low (but at operating) temperature seats the rings best with the least risk in my opinion. So that's what I do. I'm also absolutely adamant about an oil change at 1k. If you saw how much metallic glitter comes out during that oil change you'd think you damaged something.
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