How do you BREAK-IN your F10's? Slow & Steady or Hard & Rough?

.... I might I watched too many desperately perverted Super Bowl commercials.

So, how do you guys handle it?

My F10's powertrain is a revelation to me, coming from what I did, so I've been really aggressive on it. In fact, I've never driven a car this hard, not to mention broke in a car this hard (I'm just over 700 miles on this baby and it's seen some aggression in its life thus far). I try and keep it as calm as much as possible, so when I get hard on it, I can feel not-too-badly.

Some guys do the whole "don't take it over a certain RPM until 3K miles", and some guys swear that "the harder you break it in, the harder it runs afterward". I've seen debates go on like this forever, but some guys truly believe a car driven harder will be one that makes more power and is more durable. Not sure if I believe that or not.

I did a combo of both. Most of the time I kept it under 3-4K but I would run it up to 6k every so often to open her up. IMO the breaking in thing is more for the transmission than engine.

One thing I so notice with BMWs is they run smoother after a good hard run.

Alan

Definitely slow and steady as recommended by BMW.

I believe it's fine to take it to redline, but I don't keep it above 3k for very long at all. That's the key, just bursts above 3k.

K-A, your car is leased, so run it hard, no need for break in or warming up , just red line that baby out of your garage

Hard break in every now and then.. almost similar to what Alan said

I guess you've checked the break-in instructions in your Owner's Manual, right? Max rpm 4500 for first 1200 mi has been BMW's rule for decades, both for M cars and the more pedestrian BMWs.

I know people who've taken euro delivery in Munich, and taken the car straight to the Nurburgring and thrashed the living hell out of it; and I've know people who've scrupulously followed the factory break-in instructions; both with pretty much the same results: no apparent harm and the motor lasts a long time.

Probably the more important thing over the long run is to warm up the engine (at least to the 140 mark on the oil temp gauge) before you start to drive it hard.

Originally Posted by The X Men

K-A, you car is leased, so run it hard, no need for break in or to warm it up , just red line that baby out of your garage

Lol ain't that the truth. Yeah that's why I'm driving mine as if it's already broken in. I do want to at least try and do right by the drivetrain but not if it gets in the way of my experience.

My current Mercedes I never really got on hard on it...I hardly go on the highway maybe once or twice a month... even my service rep complained once that he could tell I don't go hard on it at all or not very often (he drove it), amazed he could actually tell so maybe there is something to getting on it every so often so it runs better in the long run but I have always drove the car a little easier the 1st thousand miles and would recommend the same for the BMW and then after that have some fun.

There seems to be a diversity of opinion on how to break-in an engine. Maybe we could ask the moderator to start a sticky entitled "Hot Shoe Break-in Register". The ones who like to thrash the car from day one and wind it out when cold (warms up faster that way) can post their VIN and car particulars on the register, when it's up for sale, for the delectation of prospective buyers who value that kind of "conditioning".

It's all mental. There is no hard evidence that driving hard within the first "X" miles will hurt your engine in the long run. If this was truly the case, everyone would be fully aware and the manufacturer would probably break in the engine at the factory prior to delivery. I had my pedal to the floor within 10 minutes of leaving the dealership with less than 100 miles on the engine. I am not constantly beating on it, but I have been driving it since day one the same as I would be driving it after one week, one month, one year, etc. I occasionally drive it hard, and occasionally baby it, depending on my mood. That goes the same for any other new car I owed in the past and never had any issues.

I drive straight from BMW Welt to the Autobahn and let her rip, well there's one little detour - a pit stop at the gas station to give it a full tank of gas. I hit the Autobahn everyday for maybe a week, then I let the car rest for 6-8 weeks and then finally drive normally which spans from driving slowly behind minivans to the ocassional trip to the dragstrip.

Originally Posted by m6pwr

I guess you've checked the break-in instructions in your Owner's Manual, right? Max rpm 4500 for first 1200 mi has been BMW's rule for decades, both for M cars and the more pedestrian BMWs.

The manual for my X5M says 5,500rpm or 105mph for <1200mi, then up to max speed (159mph) for passing or a continuous 135mph through 3,000 miles. Luckily, I have over 4,000 miles now.

I suggest if any of you thinks following the mfrs recommendations is all that important, sit outside a dealer and watch the sales guys take people for a test drive - ON A COLD ENGINE.

I agree with the post above that says warm the car up properly first. Also, don't turn the car off immediately after a hard run. Run the car a couple of miles easy to bring it back down to operating temps before shutting off.

Originally Posted by jjsC6

I agree with the post above that says warm the car up properly first. Also, don't turn the car off immediately after a hard run. Run the car a couple of miles easy to bring it back down to operating temps before shutting off.

Best to follow the BMW recommended break-in on the engine, clutch, brakes (seating pads) and tires.

A good read on break-in period for a Porsche that will also apply to BMWs.

Read reply # 151.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/Web...f9dd9b/149#149

I was breaking- in my new 550 slow and steady the other night and suddenly found myself behind a salt spreader. lol.

I've always followed a drive it how you're going to drive it thought process during the break in period. For me that means that sometimes it's going to cruise, other times it's going to see the redline. I think that two things are essential during this period though. First, the car doesn't see any one driving state for an extended period of time. Don't get on the freeway, set the cruise at 65, and see how far you can go on a tank of gas. Second, if you're going to the local 7-11 take the bike and leave the car in the garage. When you do drive it, you want it to get completely up to temp, as was noted in the edmunds post that was referenced earlier. The only other thing I'd add is if the car has a manual transmission avoid lugging the engine. Beyond those caveats, I say have at it.

Mike

Very, very gentle when the engine is cold. Moderately on long distances (motorway - 140 kmh max) until 2,000 km, with occasional full load when overtaking (or just for fun). Then gradually increasing max constant speeds; that's all.

Currently am at some 2700km and on a motorway go up to 180 kmh.

Mine was doing 100mph on the Autobahn at 75 miles or so on the odometer. 150mph when it had 150 miles or so.

Other than routine maintenance, this car has never visited the dealer for warranty work. (I'm still amazed.)

Of course, your experience may vary.

Proper breaking-in (or lack of it) is not going to manifest in short term (you are speaking about warranty period - it's 3 years in the USA afaik), but a much longer term of 150 thousand kms and 10 years of service. My 330i had 200,000km on the clock, and it only took 9.2 l/100km on average (with very sporty driving), and no oil between changes...

Originally Posted by MoldCAD

Proper breaking-in (or lack of it) is not going to manifest in short term (you are speaking about warranty period - it's 3 years in the USA afaik), but a much longer term of 150 thousand kms and 10 years of service. My 330i had 200,000km on the clock, and it only took 9.2 l/100km on average (with very sporty driving), and no oil between changes...

The longest I ever kept a new car was about 210,000km. I broke it in hard and had no engine/oil issues. I don't keep my cars beyond 80,000km anymore, but that's due boredom not reliability.

I was always under the assumption that you shouldn't turn off your motor at all until warmed up (something I unfortunately can't follow much of the time at all). If that's true, then wouldn't the start/stop be an issue to the health of the motor?

Originally Posted by K-A

I was always under the assumption that you shouldn't turn off your motor at all until warmed up (something I unfortunately can't follow much of the time at all). If that's true, then wouldn't the start/stop be an issue to the health of the motor?

Really good point!

(Does anyone know if there's like a "safety" for auto start/stop?


Frankly everything I've ever been told by mechanical engineers is that almost all the wear of a motor occurs during starts, especially cold starts.

This auto start/stop feature strikes as cheap,ass fuel saving gimmick which will destroy long term engine life. Perhaps that's an intended consequence?

RTFM and
And do not be afraid to really drive the new car after your motor oil is warm.

Originally Posted by mryakanisachoad

Really good point!

(Does anyone know if there's like a "safety" for auto start/stop?


Frankly everything I've ever been told by mechanical engineers is that almost all the wear of a motor occurs during starts, especially cold starts.

This auto start/stop feature strikes as cheap,ass fuel saving gimmick which will destroy long term engine life. Perhaps that's an intended consequence?

Agreed. My car will turn off at the first light coming out of my place, on a totally cold motor. It's not uncommon for someone to leave their house on a cold morning/evening/etc. and hit traffic, with constant start/stops on a totally cold motor.

I wonder if BMW would have an explanation for this, in terms of how they can justify it being safe for the motor?

Unfortunately I have done lots of WOT with a cold motor and have had to take very short trips and then leave my car off. My area requires that kind of driving (for hard runs obviously not required, but required if I want to get some fun out of the car). Yes, my car is a Lease, but I always like to romanticize that every car I own is one that I would have "forever". lol