Engine Break-in For Noobs

[Van1ty]

Engine break-in is recomended by the factory and is followed by most members on this board. The consensus is that proper break in will increase engine life and avoid oil burn. Warming up the car properly also adds to the longevity of the engine. The guy at the dealer will tell you to use their break-in procedure. I used the Procedure recomended by the guys at the performance center and my car never burns a drop of oil. I redline her everytime the road is clear.Clutch,brakes and tyres break in at about 500km. One can also use the ZEKHAUSEN METHOD TO BED-IN THE BRAKES .ALWAYS FOLLOW WARM-UP PROCEDUREENGINE BREAK-IN:1. Dont stay at a certain speed or gear for too long, always vary. Dont excede 170kmph and no full throttle. If you have SMG dont use S5-S62. For the first 900km dont shift above 4300-4500rpm3. After 900km you can shift at a max of 5500rpm. If you go over it is not the end of the world, IMO it helps.4. At around 1300km take a nice road trip about 300km. Remember to vary speed and gear. After the road trip the engine should feel loose and very responsive.5. Make an apointment at the dealer and tell them not to over fill your oil. Wait an hour or so. Make sure the oil is between the two notches on the dipstick and off you go. 6. Dont "abuse her" too much till after 8000km. 7. At 16000km the engine will have full power...But thats most engines.- KILO15 @ M3Forum.net

 

[turbology]

How about the "drive as hard as you can for the first 100km" procedure ?

 

[Van1ty]

How about the "drive as hard as you can for the first 100km" procedure ?

I think that's part of the "If You Want To Buy A Second Car" guide. =p

 

[turbology]

I think that's part of the "If You Want To Buy A Second Car" guide. =p

hmm.. interesting.
Well, I am the opposite and new school kind of guy.
I believe drive it hard for the few miles help piston rings to seal better.

Top 10 seaches in google for "engine break in" all mentioned "drive like you stole it".
Most agree that putting load on the piston rings at earliest stage help to prolong engine's life better.

This is a controversy debate, and everybody's opinions is different.
And some say, the break-in procedure in your Car User Manual is more from a lawyer perspective, rather from an engineers :wink:

Cheers

 

[-fm-]

what do you all think about this?...

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

 

[B33mEr]

hmm.. interesting.
Well, I am the opposite and new school kind of guy.
I believe drive it hard for the few miles help piston rings to seal better.

Top 10 seaches in google for "engine break in" all mentioned "drive like you stole it".
Most agree that putting load on the piston rings at earliest stage help to prolong engine's life better.

This is a controversy debate, and everybody's opinions is different.
And some say, the break-in procedure in your Car User Manual is more from a lawyer perspective, rather from an engineers :wink:

Cheers

I think our engine is quite a low revving engine (for M54 anyways) and to drive like a bat out of hell before 1200 miles will definitely put unnecessary strain on d silky smooth inline six ... plus it will exacerbate d Vanos seal issue and not to mention gearbox, brakes, tires and etc that needs to break in as well. You're right about d user manual from lawyers perspective :top: in fact you can add from the accountants point of view too... imagine d cost of repairing of engines and drivetrains that are still under warranty if everyone were to drive their car like they stole it during the break-in period. BMW wouldn't be offering extended warranties i can tell you that.

 

[Van1ty]

hmm.. interesting.
Well, I am the opposite and new school kind of guy.
I believe drive it hard for the few miles help piston rings to seal better.

Top 10 seaches in google for "engine break in" all mentioned "drive like you stole it".
Most agree that putting load on the piston rings at earliest stage help to prolong engine's life better.

This is a controversy debate, and everybody's opinions is different.
And some say, the break-in procedure in your Car User Manual is more from a lawyer perspective, rather from an engineers :wink:

Cheers

Wow. I have to apologise. I really thought you were being sarcastic. This is the first time I've read of such a thing. Very interesting.

 

[turbology]

Wow. I have to apologise. I really thought you were being sarcastic. This is the first time I've read of such a thing. Very interesting.

No problem. Just want to get the info out.