Break-In Period for 328i?

Hi guys, I've heard mixed opinions on this break-in thing with bmw's. On one hand, I've heard you should play it safe and keep rpms below 4500, speed below 100, etc. On the other, people have told me that BMW engines are already heavily broken in at the factories and the break-in procedures in the manual are only there as precautions.

So I basically have 2 questions:

1) Are BMW engines somewhat broken in already in the factories?

2) Since I've only heard about breaking in a car recently, I think I may have "pushed" my car a little harder than I was supposed to in its first 300 miles or so, with possible, brief instances of going over 4500 rpm. Has there already been damage or is it not too late to let it heal?

Sorry if these questions sound noobish, I'm kind of new to all this haha.

Thanks!

Most car manufacturers test their engine at the factory, they run it hard for a few minutes, but in no way do they do the full break in. All break-in procedures are precautionary, its not require. If you dont follow it, it doesnt mean your engine will fall apart. The break-in procedures is there to ensure all new parts wear slowly into its operational state.

Originally Posted by jimikins5226

Hi guys, I've heard mixed opinions on this break-in thing with bmw's. On one hand, I've heard you should play it safe and keep rpms below 4500, speed below 100, etc. On the other, people have told me that BMW engines are already heavily broken in at the factories and the break-in procedures in the manual are only there as precautions.

So I basically have 2 questions:

1) Are BMW engines somewhat broken in already in the factories?

2) Since I've only heard about breaking in a car recently, I think I may have "pushed" my car a little harder than I was supposed to in its first 300 miles or so, with possible, brief instances of going over 4500 rpm. Has there already been damage or is it not too late to let it heal?

Sorry if these questions sound noobish, I'm kind of new to all this haha.

Thanks!

Don't over think it, and check out your vehicles manual, it has a section on breaking in the engine. It is on page 156ish under Driving Tips.

You didn't do any harm to your car, everything will be okay, she can take it.

This has been discussed ad nasuem. Bottom line: some people don't follow break-in at all and redline their car with only 2 miles on the odometer and haven't had any problems even years down the road. All that really matters is just making sure your oil is up to temperature (takes about 4-5 minutes after starting the engine) before going above 4K RPM. If you do that, you should be fine.

I break in the car for a full 2500 mi. It is painful.

I do extreme break in, like a granny driving except varying speeds and nothing fast. This is for the first 500 miles.

I continue to 1000 miles with a modified granny driving. That means up to the speed limit but nothing sudden and varying the speeds a lot.

Up to 2500 mi., I still to it.

Part of break in is also not to lug the engine if you have a manual. I don't do that the first 1000 miles and try not to do it the entire 2500 mi.

I will do the break-in for my new bmw at the first 2500miles.just make sure it will always be a nice car....dont want the engine die early.....or have any problem with my bimmer..although it 's really hard to do that,and also very painful......

Originally Posted by BMW220i

I break in the car for a full 2500 mi. It is painful.

I do extreme break in, like a granny driving except varying speeds and nothing fast. This is for the first 500 miles.

I continue to 1000 miles with a modified granny driving. That means up to the speed limit but nothing sudden and varying the speeds a lot.

Up to 2500 mi., I still to it.

Part of break in is also not to lug the engine if you have a manual. I don't do that the first 1000 miles and try not to do it the entire 2500 mi.

Really???

I say follow the manual. These engines are robust and meant to be driven hard. I believe excessive babying does more harm than good. These engines need to be redlined occasionally to keep them limber. Think about this. In 1000 miles how many times does each piston go up and down? How many revs the rods bearing have seen? How many gallons of gas have been pumped through the fuel pump? How many heat up/cool down cycles in that time period. See what I am getting at? I believe that most of the real breakin occurs in the first 2-300 miles.

You are missing a lot of fun miles in a brand new car when you baby it excessively.

Just finished the first 1000 miles... drove her gently until now... ready to let her rip!

Originally Posted by The X Men

Most car manufacturers test their engine at the factory, they run it hard for a few minutes, but in no way do they do the full break in. All break-in procedures are precautionary, its not require. If you dont follow it, it doesnt mean your engine will fall apart. The break-in procedures is there to ensure all new parts wear slowly into its operational state.

As for break-in procedures....
Who do you trust? Someone on the internet who has not one dollar invested in your car...or BMW??
Take the time to do it right...and enjoy many years of great performance.
I have...and have run my 3 series (2 cars) to well beyond 100,000 miles each....with NO issues.

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

This has been discussed ad [nauseum].

...and then some. Yet one key fact is repeatedly omitted: The break-in period is for the car, not just the engine.

Everything needs mileage to wear in properly: Bearings, transmission components, differential(s), CV joints, brakes and on and on. It pays dividends in the long run, in the form of smoother performance for a longer lifetime than if you just thrash the car from Day One. Plenty of people argue otherwise, often vehemently, because there is no denying the differences are small. But hop into two cars with 150K-200K on the clock, one of which was properly run-in and another that was not, and run them through a few gears up to redline--you will know immediately which one had a proper break-in.

Follow the break-in procedure in the manual. It doesn't take long and it's worth it.

(BTW, machinery is not alive and does not "heal." Minor excesses during break-in cannot be undone but they do no serious harm, either. Just don't make a habit of it.)

See the thread that I started just recently in this forum for more answers:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=666011