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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Mechanical Maintenance and TSBs: Break-in | Oil & Fluids | Servicing | TSB Break in rule?

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      08-31-2015, 12:56 PM   #1
papa55
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Break in rule?

Drove a brand new 235i automatic a few days ago. Still had plastic on my headrest when i got into it. The salesman told me to floor it going onto the highway to get a feel for the performance/accel. He said bmw's have no break in period. I was skeptical about this and felt bad about flooring it (my acura had a break in period when i got it, my dads new benz had a break in period under 1k miles etc).

Any truth to his claim that bmw's do not specify a break in period? If it is false, this is the precise reason i would want to custom order a car. I dont trust anyone driving it before me. I was sitting at a porsche parking lot a week ago on my phone before i looked around and a guy who who worked there took a cayman s out on the street, sticker in window, probably to grab lunch around noon and basically floored it after getting out of the lot. Who knows how else it has been beat up. I wouldnt want to buy that car...would you??
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      08-31-2015, 02:48 PM   #2
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The short answer is (as per BMW) yes. This is the blurb in the owner's manual (it's available on the US BMW website if you're interested):

Quote:
Breaking-in period

Moving parts need time to adjust to one another (break-in time).
The following instructions will help accomplish a long vehicle life and good efficiency.

During break-in, do not use the Launch Control.
Engine, transmission, and axle drive - Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km

Do not exceed the maximum engine and road speed:
For gasoline engine 4,500 rpm and 100 mph/160 km/h. Avoid full load or kickdown under all circumstances. From 1,200 miles/2,000 km the engine and vehicle speed can gradually be increased.

Tires
Tire traction is not optimal due to manufacturing circumstances when tires are brand-new; they achieve their full traction potential after a break-in time. Drive conservatively for the first 200 miles/300 km.

Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of approx. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimal performance between brake discs and brake pads. Drive moderately during this break-in period.

Clutch
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal level only after a distance driven of approx. 300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period, engage the clutch gently.
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      08-31-2015, 04:16 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by papa55
Drove a brand new 235i automatic a few days ago. Still had plastic on my headrest when i got into it. The salesman told me to floor it going onto the highway to get a feel for the performance/accel. He said bmw's have no break in period. I was skeptical about this and felt bad about flooring it (my acura had a break in period when i got it, my dads new benz had a break in period under 1k miles etc).

Any truth to his claim that bmw's do not specify a break in period? If it is false, this is the precise reason i would want to custom order a car. I dont trust anyone driving it before me. I was sitting at a porsche parking lot a week ago on my phone before i looked around and a guy who who worked there took a cayman s out on the street, sticker in window, probably to grab lunch around noon and basically floored it after getting out of the lot. Who knows how else it has been beat up. I wouldnt want to buy that car...would you??
Your sales guy is an idiot. Simple as that.

If you elect to order a vehicle specific to your desires (which I prefer, as I get exactly the car I want in the way I want it), use a different sales guy... Preferably one that has taken the time to know something about the product he/she is selling.
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      08-31-2015, 04:31 PM   #4
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FWIW, when I picked my 335 up at the BMW Welt in Munich, the delivery specialist was very insistent about not exceeding the 4500 rpm limit before the 1200 mile point, but no mention of speed. When I asked if I had to observe the the 100 mph limit if I found myself on the autobahn during the same period, she just smiled.

I did wait a few hundred miles to give the brakes and tires a bit of a chance to break-in. Surprising just how fast you can get going and still be under 4500 rpm.
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      08-31-2015, 07:28 PM   #5
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I thought the whole point of the "Genius" program was to educate new buyers?

I've been bucking for a Genius job from Oregon to New Jersey and I can't seem to get hired.

Breaking in a new car just doesn't involve Powertrain (Engine + Transmission), everything has to work itself in (Suspension, drive train, etc). There is also a procedure for breaking in Brakes as posted above. I've broken in six BMW's using factory recommended procedure and had zero problems. Not a single one used oil and engine power / torque after break in was excellent.

Hoping this thread isn't going to turn into "drive it like you stole it" break in debate... LOL

.
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      08-31-2015, 07:49 PM   #6
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I listened to what the manual says about break in... mostly. I went until about 1,000 miles until I let mine 100% loose. Other than that, I stayed mostly under 4500RPM but did a good bit of higher load runs up to my previously mentioned RPM limit. Loading the engine helps it break in; not WOT in 6th gear at 30MPH, more like 4th gear 30-60/70.
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      08-31-2015, 08:46 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMatt88 View Post
I thought the whole point of the "Genius" program was to educate new buyers?

I've been bucking for a Genius job from Oregon to New Jersey and I can't seem to get hired.

Breaking in a new car just doesn't involve Powertrain (Engine + Transmission), everything has to work itself in (Suspension, drive train, etc). There is also a procedure for breaking in Brakes as posted above. I've broken in six BMW's using factory recommended procedure and had zero problems. Not a single one used oil and engine power / torque after break in was excellent.

Hoping this thread isn't going to turn into "drive it like you stole it" break in debate... LOL

.

That would be the ones who lease the cars . I babied mine..(still do, now just under 3000 miles in 5months). I have yet to drop the hammer from a start or run the thing to red-line or try launch control. I'm sure it's broken in and it's hit above the century mark (accidentally of course)..but I have yet to run it through the gears hard.
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      08-31-2015, 09:53 PM   #8
papa55
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He asked me to floor it after driving it for about 7 minutes local and highway, if that makes any difference. He said that is what they (bmw) told him at BMW performance training, wherever that was. Since it is the automatic, would that prevent it would breaching high rpms? Or does flooring it break the threshold even in autos?
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      08-31-2015, 10:43 PM   #9
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Simply put, even if you floor it in an auto you will break the 4500 rpm threshold.
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      08-31-2015, 10:45 PM   #10
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Drive it like you stole it ... after a proper warm up of course.
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      09-01-2015, 08:24 AM   #11
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At least bed the brakes properly.


I didn't (most of my break in was stop and go traffic), and they can be a noisy mess at low speeds.
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      09-01-2015, 10:12 AM   #12
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I would go by what the manual says ( ~1200 miles)
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      09-01-2015, 10:45 AM   #13
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Think about it this way...

Just suppose you have a warranty-related issue that somehow BMW could tie into not breaking the car in properly, as per the instructions in the manual.

Now, which set of break-in instructions would you think BMW would say you should have followed.... The ones in the manual, or the salesman's directions?

If driving the piss out of a newly manufactured engine was the way BMW thought you should break-in the car, why wouldn't the Owner's Manual just say that?
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      09-01-2015, 01:50 PM   #14
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Edit.. I wish I could think more highly of the people and techniques associated with selling cars.

Last edited by Spook410; 09-01-2015 at 06:17 PM..
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