335i Conv Performance Center Delivery scheduled for 7/23/07. Two more weeks :-(

I searched a little on the forum and couldn't find a recent thread discussing break-in. I saw 1,200 miles somewhere. What is the recommended break-in period/process for the 335i? I have about a 300 mile drive back from Spartansburg after delivery.


Thanks in advance.

We discussed this a while back and there were some heated debates. 1200 miles is recommended, keeping it under 4500RPM and 100mph. The manual even recommends that (when you get your car, if you end up reading it). Some people don't believe in the break-in period, but I followed mine. It is a bit of torture, but think of it as the initial dating period, you are patient initially and get rewarded later.

Thanks for the info.

How about using cruise control at 65 - 70mph for extended periods? Is running at a constant RPM (even low) still a concern?

Drive your car like you will drive it every day. However, don't go crazy with the rpms. The bigger question does your car come factory fill with SYNTHETIC OIL. Cars should be broken in with regular oil. After the break-in go BACK to synthetic. It seems counter intuitive but synthetic oil is too good for a proper break-in for the piston rings. I recently left Mitsubishi Motors North America. The same company that makes the Turbos for your car. The Evolutions that were broken in on regular oil always had stronger motors. This should only be done for the break-in period. You also need to make sure that you let the car idle at least two minutes before shutting her down. If the TURBOS are hot and you shut her down the oil will literally cook inside the turbo. That's why manufacturer's run synthetic because they stand up better to the heat generated by the turbos.

Thanks for the info.

How about using cruise control at 65 - 70mph for extended periods? Is running at a constant RPM (even low) still a concern?
It is recommended to vary the RPM. If you used cruise control and have a manual, the trick is to just change gears, which if you don't do too slowly will not cancel the cruise. I guess you might be able to do that with automatic using the steptronic function.

You also need to make sure that you let the car idle at least two minutes before shutting her down. If the TURBOS are hot and you shut her down the oil will literally cook inside the turbo. That's why manufacturer's run synthetic because they stand up better to the heat generated by the turbos.
I thought someone mentioned the water pump keeps running after the engine is shutoff to cool down the turbos/oil, so in this case you can shut it off without waiting.

dmorris900zxi,

I've had my 335i 6MT sedan for about 2 wks and 600 miles. Breakin procedure has been to keep revs below 4500 RPM for 1200 miles, easy on the clutch for the first 300 miles, and easy on the breaks for the first 300 miles. BMW also recommends avoiding full throttle.

335i Conv Performance Center Delivery scheduled for 7/23/07. Two more weeks :-(

I have about a 300 mile drive back from Spartansburg after delivery.

Thanks in advance.

If not using cruise, don't worry about it. If using cruise, vary your RPMS (change speed or gear) every 15-20 mins.

The 100 mph is for the tires not the engine and I drove mine up to 140 on the Autobahn but that was still below 4500 rpms. I think do to the notoriously optomistic speedo the actual was like 128 according to my Garmin Nuvi.

For the record BMW fills all the 335 engines with the Castrol sythetic oil that meets both ACEA A3 and BMW LL 04 which is what you want if you plan to follow BMWs guidelines.
My car has around 1400 miles on it now with no oil level change from new...

Drive your car like you will drive it every day. However, don't go crazy with the rpms. The bigger question does your car come factory fill with SYNTHETIC OIL. Cars should be broken in with regular oil. After the break-in go BACK to synthetic. It seems counter intuitive but synthetic oil is too good for a proper break-in for the piston rings. I recently left Mitsubishi Motors North America. The same company that makes the Turbos for your car. The Evolutions that were broken in on regular oil always had stronger motors. This should only be done for the break-in period. You also need to make sure that you let the car idle at least two minutes before shutting her down. If the TURBOS are hot and you shut her down the oil will literally cook inside the turbo. That's why manufacturer's run synthetic because they stand up better to the heat generated by the turbos.
You have no basis for this statement

I'm curious about that statement too.

Dmorris900zxi, both Zimmy1993 & Darcydancer are right. I have no basis for the above statement. Please follow the factory specified break-in procedures.

Dmorris900zxi, both Zimmy1993 & Darcydancer are right. I have no basis for the above statement. Please follow the factory specified break-in procedures.

I guess it begs the question, why doesn't the 335 come standard with a turbo timer?

If I recall correctly, neither did the Evo.

You have no basis for this statement

Talk to anyone who builds performance motors and they will tell you the same--use regular oil for around 5000 miles and then switch to synthetic. This mentality has been around since synthetic was first introduced. Reason being that the regular oil allows for the surface wear (balancing of the deviations) on moving parts (bearings, pistons, rings, etc.) to wear a little faster and smoother than with synthetic. The end result is that all these parts have worn together and will run together with less friction/heat leading to longer engine life and better performance.

If synthetic is used for the break-in period, than any moving parts really never get chance to wear against each other and smooth each other out. Any abnormalities or deviations will not get the chance to be worn away. These parts would then run with more friction resulting in poorer performance, more friction, and more heat.

To things to consider though: 1) Possibly the quality of the synthetic oil is now far advanced that it lubricates the parts enough so that any abnormalities really don't make a difference; 2) BMW has machined the parts to such perfection, that there are less abnormalities and deviations--this really is not so likely though.

As far as letting the car cool down before shutting the engine down after a hard run--he was absolutely correct. Turbos can get red hot during a hard run and it's best to let the oil/air circulate through the turbos to let things cool down a bit before shutting down. Two reasons: 1) not moving air through the business side (exhaust) of the turbo will result in chips in the leading edges of the turbine; 2) oil in the bearings will jump up in temperatures exceeding oil specifications. With conventional oil, the oil will burn resulting in the ash in the oil to "coke" to the bearing. This will result in eventual failure of the bearing and its seals. Using sythetic oil (higher burn temperature and no ash) decreases the chances of coke building up on the bearings.

Make sure to let you car get up to ~90% running temperature before pushing the engine too hard. Cold oil going into a hot turbo housing causes the housing to slightly warp--this could lead to wear on the bearings and seals.

Just my 2 cents.

Now that makes a bit more sense. DR. Dre, I wasn't saying you were wrong, I was just curious about what you said.

It's to my understanding that there is an additive put inside the initial engine oil fill that helps set the proper parts to wear in correctly. I've been told that Audi and VW do this, so it stands to reason that BMW and others might do it as well. Once the car reaches it's first oil change, everything is set and the 100% synthetic oil is added.

As for the turbos, I've long understood the purpose of cool-down times, but again this has become less of an issue for (most) drivers as the turbos never get as hot to cause damage when run with synthetic oil. If you track the car, it might be a good idea to cool them, but possibly not necessary.

I think the 335i DOES have a turbo timer...

The synthetic thing sounds like an old wives tale. If what everyone says is true, wouldn't running synthetic just make the break in time LONGER? Wouldn't the friction/heat you're describing cause the parts to wear, like it does in the beginning stages? I've driven three new cars in the past six years, every one had a 500 mile engine break in recommended from the manufacturer. Now this 335i has a 1200 mile break in period, I imagine because it comes with synthetic and simply takes longer takes longer.

I think the 335i DOES have a turbo timer...

The synthetic thing sounds like an old wives tale. If what everyone says is true, wouldn't running synthetic just make the break in time LONGER? Wouldn't the friction/heat you're describing cause the parts to wear, like it does in the beginning stages? I've driven three new cars in the past six years, every one had a 500 mile engine break in recommended from the manufacturer. Now this 335i has a 1200 mile break in period, I imagine because it comes with synthetic and simply takes longer takes longer.

Hello "sor":

Not sure exactly. What we always used to do back when I was building high performance small block Chevys was to build the engine using a good assembly lube, use a special Moly based assembly lube on the cam and lifters, and fill the engine with a good brand of regular oil. Then, you start the engine, run it at 2000 RPM for 10 minutes to do a cam break in. Drain the oil, refill with standard oil again, and take it easy on the engine for about 500 - 1000 miles. Then drain and refill with synthetic. (New oil filter with each of the above changes of course.)

You might be correct that the synthetic would allow break in but would just take longer. We always wanted our engines to be broken in quickly so we used the above procedure before putting them on the synthetic diet.

YMMV.

most people beleive that with turbos of today that are water, and oil cooled, that no cool-down period is needed. especially when 335's have electric water pumps that can run after the car is turned off to continue to cool down the turbos. if you were racing the car, then yeah, let is sit for an extra 30 seconds or a minute or two tops, but for normal spirited driving, it's probably not necessary.

Talk to anyone who builds performance motors and they will tell you the same--use regular oil for around 5000 miles and then switch to synthetic. This mentality has been around since synthetic was first introduced. Reason being that the regular oil allows for the surface wear (balancing of the deviations) on moving parts (bearings, pistons, rings, etc.) to wear a little faster and smoother than with synthetic. The end result is that all these parts have worn together and will run together with less friction/heat leading to longer engine life and better performance.

If synthetic is used for the break-in period, than any moving parts really never get chance to wear against each other and smooth each other out. Any abnormalities or deviations will not get the chance to be worn away. These parts would then run with more friction resulting in poorer performance, more friction, and more heat.

To things to consider though: 1) Possibly the quality of the synthetic oil is now far advanced that it lubricates the parts enough so that any abnormalities really don't make a difference; 2) BMW has machined the parts to such perfection, that there are less abnormalities and deviations--this really is not so likely though.

As far as letting the car cool down before shutting the engine down after a hard run--he was absolutely correct. Turbos can get red hot during a hard run and it's best to let the oil/air circulate through the turbos to let things cool down a bit before shutting down. Two reasons: 1) not moving air through the business side (exhaust) of the turbo will result in chips in the leading edges of the turbine; 2) oil in the bearings will jump up in temperatures exceeding oil specifications. With conventional oil, the oil will burn resulting in the ash in the oil to "coke" to the bearing. This will result in eventual failure of the bearing and its seals. Using sythetic oil (higher burn temperature and no ash) decreases the chances of coke building up on the bearings.

Make sure to let you car get up to ~90% running temperature before pushing the engine too hard. Cold oil going into a hot turbo housing causes the housing to slightly warp--this could lead to wear on the bearings and seals.

Just my 2 cents.
I would agree with the majority of this, however, the idea of "break in oil" has been around longer than just since synth. oil came out.

I don't deny that BMW builds a quality product but I suspect their engineers don't get as big a say-so on maint. recommendations as the marketing guys get. Why does BMW specify a break-in oil change for the "M" cars but not for the std. cars? I don't think the oil in the M cars is inferior to the reg. oil. I think they expect the buyers of M models are more likely to understand the reasoning than the std. customer, plus, BMW would be paying for it.

Personally, I expect I'll be dropping the "as delivered" oil asap, putting in a high quality dino for about 2k mi. and then changing it back to BMW synth. oil. I'll also be changing the oil myself between BMW's recommended changes (apx 7500 mi.), but I'm anal when it comes to that.

my .02 ...

Also note that since they beginning of synthetic oils, most high performance cars came with it filled from the factory. If it was harmful, I doubt they wouldn't have put regular oil in then added synthetic at the first oil change.

Tolerances have gotten a lot better and we don't need to do the same thing we did to our 50's big block.

Turbo's create lots more heat and can break down regular oil very quick. VW had a huge problem with this as US dealer were changing oil with regular and it cause lots of problems on their 1.8T at about 30K.

Realistically none of us push cars that hard, and what is good for the track isn't good for longevity. Race cars may be broken in fast, but they are also rebuilt fast.

Part of why BMW includes an oil change sooner (1200 miles) on M cars is because of engine construction. An S54 Engine (E46 M3, Z4 M Coupe / Roadster) is built with cast iron block and quite frankly, they have different lubrication systems. The new M5 and M6 engines have an aluminum block but have a complex lubrication system in them called a semi-dry-sump system. I think because of this complex system, they offer an earlier oil change.

I think the 335i DOES have a turbo timer...

The synthetic thing sounds like an old wives tale. If what everyone says is true, wouldn't running synthetic just make the break in time LONGER? Wouldn't the friction/heat you're describing cause the parts to wear, like it does in the beginning stages? I've driven three new cars in the past six years, every one had a 500 mile engine break in recommended from the manufacturer. Now this 335i has a 1200 mile break in period, I imagine because it comes with synthetic and simply takes longer takes longer.
My comments are supposition as is much of the discussion on this forum, but I suspect that the 1,200 miles relates to buyers getting used to the car and its quickness as much as it is to have the parts meshing smoothly. For what it's woth, I followed the recommendation on limiting revs except for 2 very short bursts to 5,500 rpm.

Part of why BMW includes an oil change sooner (1200 miles) on M cars is because of engine construction. An S54 Engine (E46 M3, Z4 M Coupe / Roadster) is built with cast iron block and quite frankly, they have different lubrication systems. The new M5 and M6 engines have an aluminum block but have a complex lubrication system in them called a semi-dry-sump system. I think because of this complex system, they offer an earlier oil change.
I don't profess to know all the details of the block design but I suspect the cylinder sleeves are the same in both engines (is this correct?). The piston to cyl. wall and the connecting rod bearings are going to be affected the most by friction/wear issues, are the makeup of these not the same?

As for wet sump / dry sump I understand the issues, my "performance" car is a '97 993 (dry sump) but I don't see the relationship between the semi-dry-sump and the requirement for more frequent oil changes.

FWIW, I do the majority of my own work on all my vehicles, inc. the Porsche, and have since the early '70's.

I think the 335i DOES have a turbo timer...

The synthetic thing sounds like an old wives tale. If what everyone says is true, wouldn't running synthetic just make the break in time LONGER? Wouldn't the friction/heat you're describing cause the parts to wear, like it does in the beginning stages? I've driven three new cars in the past six years, every one had a 500 mile engine break in recommended from the manufacturer. Now this 335i has a 1200 mile break in period, I imagine because it comes with synthetic and simply takes longer takes longer.
My comments are supposition as is much of the discussion on this forum, but I suspect that the 1,200 miles relates to buyers getting used to the car and its quickness as much as it is to have the parts meshing smoothly. For what it's woth, I followed the recommendation on limiting revs except for 2 very short bursts to 5,500 rpm.


There was a quote from Porshe somewhere that their engines could be flogged from day one, but the put in a "break in" time because they had statistics that lots of new owners crashed in the first 1,000 miles because they weren't used to the car (note that lots of tools buy them and they think the can drive).

I don't profess to know all the details of the block design but I suspect the cylinder sleeves are the same in both engines (is this correct?). The piston to cyl. wall and the connecting rod bearings are going to be affected the most by friction/wear issues, are the makeup of these not the same?

As for wet sump / dry sump I understand the issues, my "performance" car is a '97 993 (dry sump) but I don't see the relationship between the semi-dry-sump and the requirement for more frequent oil changes.

FWIW, I do the majority of my own work on all my vehicles, inc. the Porsche, and have since the early '70's.


I looked, but was unable to find what liners are in the M6 / M5 engine. All I could find was that it was all-aluminium. I know the M3 engine was cast iron. It could just come down to the fact that the M engines are deemed "performance" engines and therefore BMW grants them the free 1200 mile service and oil change. Don't forget that they also check the diff. fluids on M cars.

Can I buy your 993? I love those....

I don't profess to know all the details of the block design but I suspect the cylinder sleeves are the same in both engines (is this correct?). The piston to cyl. wall and the connecting rod bearings are going to be affected the most by friction/wear issues, are the makeup of these not the same?

As for wet sump / dry sump I understand the issues, my "performance" car is a '97 993 (dry sump) but I don't see the relationship between the semi-dry-sump and the requirement for more frequent oil changes.

FWIW, I do the majority of my own work on all my vehicles, inc. the Porsche, and have since the early '70's.

Hello "gspdbill":

I am not sure (perhaps someone else is) but I believe all of the aforementioned engines use cast iron liners if not blocks. In my past life, it did not matter whether we were using cast, forged, or hypereutectic pistons. (I have built small blocks using all.) As you mentioned, the makeup of these are pretty much unchanged since the "old" days of the 70's and 80's. I also find it difficult to believe that even BMW (in their production vehicles) uses machining procedures and tolerences that are better than what we used on a $10K custom built small block.

One of the things that does bother me (and was mentioned earlier) is that BMW still requires a 1200 mile oil change on their M engines.

But what the heck do I know?

Hello "gspdbill":

I am not sure (perhaps someone else is) but I believe all of the aforementioned engines use cast iron liners if not blocks. In my past life, it did not matter whether we were using cast, forged, or hypereutectic pistons. (I have built small blocks using all.) As you mentioned, the makeup of these are pretty much unchanged since the "old" days of the 70's and 80's. I also find it difficult to believe that even BMW (in their production vehicles) uses machining procedures and tolerences that are better than what we used on a $10K custom built small block.

One of the things that does bother me (and was mentioned earlier) is that BMW still requires a 1200 mile oil change on their M engines.

But what the heck do I know?

Could it be that most cars burn oil in the first 1,200 and they had problems with oil levels, hence requiring a check?

I know my Audi had something similar. First oil change was 10K and since people were having oil level issues they moved the first one to 5K.

Could it be that most cars burn oil in the first 1,200 and they had problems with oil levels, hence requiring a check?

I know my Audi had something similar. First oil change was 10K and since people were having oil level issues they moved the first one to 5K.

Hello "Beer Goggles":

The conventional wisdom was that the parts needed a bit of friction to "wear in". The rings (even the Teflon coated versions we experimented with) would seal better (and we could verify this by compression and leak down tests before and after break in,) if you ran conventional oil for a while. Would the synthetic still do this but take longer? I don't know. We generally wanted things to break in and then get on with it.

[quote=darcydancer;9996937]


There was a quote from Porshe somewhere that their engines could be flogged from day one, but the put in a "break in" time because they had statistics that lots of new owners crashed in the first 1,000 miles because they weren't used to the car (note that lots of tools buy them and they think the can drive).

Hello "Beer Goggles":

OK. Porsche and Chevy's Vega were the exceptions. Again, my knowlege is dated but IIRC, the Vega and the 944/928 used silicon/aluminum coated cylinders rather than sleeving the cylinder with cast iron. I am absolutely not sure of what Porsche did in their air cooled vehicles. We all know how well the engine in the Vega held up :-). Porsche had better success.

I was told that using this type of cylinder, the walls of the cylinder were so hard that they did not "break in" much. However, if you wanted to rebuild one, you were pretty much screwed. You could not bore the cylinders.

I've done my own research on this a while back and the only ref I found on this hard break in procedure was off of some geocities webpage. We need reputable sources to substantiate these claims otherwise there is no reason to doubt the BMW engineers.

I've done my own research on this a while back and the only ref I found on this hard break in procedure was off of some geocities webpage. We need reputable sources to substantiate these claims otherwise there is no reason to doubt the BMW engineers.

Hello "Flanker":

I agree for the most part. But I am likely to go ahead and pay for an oil change in a couple of months anyway. It may not be logical, but something about keeping the same oil in for 15K miles before the first change makes the hairs on my neck stand up a bit.

I've done my own research on this a while back and the only ref I found on this hard break in procedure was off of some geocities webpage. We need reputable sources to substantiate these claims otherwise there is no reason to doubt the BMW engineers.
I would be more willing to go along with this if I felt the extended (15k) oil change interval came directly from the engineers w/out "input" from marketing. Call me a skeptic, I'll wear that label proudly. The same as I don't believe in "lifetime" A/T fluid, they really only need it to last the lifetime of the warranty.

You're free to do no more maint. than is stated by BMW's Service Schedule but I choose to do more. I never know when I'll choose to keep a car well beyond it's warranty period, plus it's a good selling point when I sell the car.

You're free to do no more maint. than is stated by BMW's Service Schedule but I choose to do more. I never know when I'll choose to keep a car well beyond it's warranty period, plus it's a good selling point when I sell the car.
I noticed while trying to sell my old car, people don't really care. They may say they do, but all they care about is the price. They want to buy it off of you for free if they could, and when you mention the maintenance record and all the nice extras you get a dopey stare then the remark that they saw some other similar car for thousands less. Bottom line, if you want to do this, do it for your self satisfaction not for resale value.

I noticed while trying to sell my old car, people don't really care. They may say they do, but all they care about is the price. They want to buy it off of you for free if they could, and when you mention the maintenance record and all the nice extras you get a dopey stare then the remark that they saw some other similar car for thousands less. Bottom line, if you want to do this, do it for your self satisfaction not for resale value.While I readily agree w/ you for the vast majority of buyers there are still a few of us enthusiasts who place a higher value on a well maintained car. When I go to sell a car I start advertising to them first, if there are no takers then I target the unwashed masses.

There are many like me on the Porsche boards because we know that for the most part we're talking to people (guys and gals) who appreciate that value.

I think I've gotten way off track from the original post, sorry.

While I readily agree w/ you for the vast majority of buyers there are still a few of us enthusiasts who place a higher value on a well maintained car. When I go to sell a car I start advertising to them first, if there are no takers then I target the unwashed masses.

There are many like me on the Porsche boards because we know that for the most part we're talking to people (guys and gals) who appreciate that value.

I think I've gotten way off track from the original post, sorry.

Porsche as a 20K service for oil on their 911 C4s :)

On every new car i,ve owned i changed the oil after the break in. No matter what the manufacturer states i do my first oil change at 1k-1200 miles with the factory recomended oil and stock filter. Then i change the oil and filter every 3k miles with the factory oil and filter.On the 335 i will do the same except i,ll go 5kmiles on the oil changes and let BMW do it at the 15k service.

I would be more willing to go along with this if I felt the extended (15k) oil change interval came directly from the engineers w/out "input" from marketing. Call me a skeptic, I'll wear that label proudly. The same as I don't believe in "lifetime" A/T fluid, they really only need it to last the lifetime of the warranty.

You're free to do no more maint. than is stated by BMW's Service Schedule but I choose to do more. I never know when I'll choose to keep a car well beyond it's warranty period, plus it's a good selling point when I sell the car.

Until anyone can provide evidence contrary to what is written by BMW there is no real reason to doubt BMW.

Until anyone can provide evidence contrary to what is written by BMW there is no real reason to doubt BMW.

Hello "Flanker":

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Have we learned anything from the old M3 engine nick named "The Sword of Damocles"?

I guess we were mistaken then too. We should have trusted BMW.

"Move on people, nothing to see here. Trust us."

Hello "Flanker":

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Have we learned anything from the old M3 engine nick named "The Sword of Damocles"?

I guess we were mistaken then too. We should have trusted BMW.

"Move on people, nothing to see here. Trust us."

I'm not saying BMW is necessarily correct. But in the absence of evidence proving the contrary, I am going to take BMW's advice by default. If someone has some scientific evidence that BMW's break-in procedure is inferior please step up.

Hello "Flanker":

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Have we learned anything from the old M3 engine nick named "The Sword of Damocles"?

I guess we were mistaken then too. We should have trusted BMW.

"Move on people, nothing to see here. Trust us."


M3's had a bearing issue, every other BMW/Mercedes/Peugot, European auto maker has had longer intervals than our crappy oil here.

I am just going to drive and not worry about it. Besides, its under warranty.

Porsche as a 20K service for oil on their 911 C4s :)
Not unless it's changed, last I heard it was 15k for oil change. My car is 10 years old, and air/oil cooled at that so I wouldn't dream of going 15k between changes.

I just had my oil changed at 1000 miles by the dealer and will probably take it in every 5000 miles.

saw this on another thread, figured i would post it here for you guys to read
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

marcello: Fascinating! Thanks. My brother was in the car bus for many years and he said the same thing. Want your engine to perform better? Run it hard from day one. It just hurts my mind to flog a new car around, but maybe I don't have to be as careful as I think, eh????????

saw this on another thread, figured i would post it here for you guys to read
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Since BMW comes with synthetic oil, in order to a proper break-in, are we supposed to drain it out, put in a non-synthetic oil, and then switch back to synthetic several thousand miles later? What's a good recommended non-synthetic oil? Oil change after 20 miles? Seems a bit excessive to me...maybe I'm missing something...

Also, I heard that the oil is vacuumed out of these new engines. Does that mean that oil changes are not DIY on 335i's?

Flogging a new car does seem completely out of the norm, but I've defiantly read more than once of people getting better performance from running a car hard from the beginning. I am starting to think that this is why some cars seem to be "factory freaks".

From what i've read this is what i think the ideal break in would be.

-Receive car from dealership.
-Let the car fully warm up in the dealership lot.
-Take the car for a somewhat sprinted drive, varying speed and rpm, close to but not completely to redline.[Not only will this help the rings seal properly from the get go, but after waiting a few months this makes it all so worth it.]
-Bring the car home and leave it on for 10 min while the turbo's cool, and everyone admires your new car. Then change the oil and filter while the car is still hot.
-Put in non synthetic, let the car cool completely.
-For the next 400-500 miles[Haven't seen any info to determine exactly how long] let the car warm up completely before driving it, and continue to drive as if you would everyday[no babying], and continue to vary speed and rpm. And also alow the turbo's to cool before shutting her down.
-After about 500 miles, change the oil while the car is hot again, and put synthetic back in.
-Break in completed, enjoy your new car!

Flogging a new car does seem completely out of the norm, but I've defiantly read more than once of people getting better performance from running a car hard from the beginning. I am starting to think that this is why some cars seem to be "factory freaks".

From what i've read this is what i think the ideal break in would be.

-Receive car from dealership.
-Let the car fully warm up in the dealership lot.
-Take the car for a somewhat sprinted drive, varying speed and rpm, close to but not completely to redline.[Not only will this help the rings seal properly from the get go, but after waiting a few months this makes it all so worth it.]
-Bring the car home and leave it on for 10 min while the turbo's cool, and everyone admires your new car. Then change the oil and filter while the car is still hot.
-Put in non synthetic, let the car cool completely.
-For the next 400-500 miles[Haven't seen any info to determine exactly how long] let the car warm up completely before driving it, and continue to drive as if you would everyday[no babying], and continue to vary speed and rpm. And also alow the turbo's to cool before shutting her down.
-After about 500 miles, change the oil while the car is hot again, and put synthetic back in.
-Break in completed, enjoy your new car!
That would be pretty anal. But hey, some people like changing oil, I'd rather be playing with my kids or driving them around :stickoutt.

Yes it is a bit anal, but if you want the best performance out of a car that what you should do.


+ i don't have kids

Yes it is a bit anal, but if you want the best performance out of a car that what you should do.


+ i don't have kids
touche', adopt your car maybe you'd get a tax deduction. :D

I don't have a 335 yet either!....im all alone:(

I don't have a 335 yet either!....im all alone:(

Hello "marcello7x":

So, another LHS owner?

Mine is the '96 with the (yeah, right) high performance 3.5 liter 24 valve engine. Seems slower than the wife's X5 3.0i. Bought it used for next to nothing for the daughter who later told me she did not want it.

I plan to use it this winter when the snow gets too deep for the 335. Any experience in snow with yours?

Flogging a new car does seem completely out of the norm, but I've defiantly read more than once of people getting better performance from running a car hard from the beginning. I am starting to think that this is why some cars seem to be "factory freaks".

From what i've read this is what i think the ideal break in would be.

-Receive car from dealership.
-Let the car fully warm up in the dealership lot.
-Take the car for a somewhat sprinted drive, varying speed and rpm, close to but not completely to redline.[Not only will this help the rings seal properly from the get go, but after waiting a few months this makes it all so worth it.]
-Bring the car home and leave it on for 10 min while the turbo's cool, and everyone admires your new car. Then change the oil and filter while the car is still hot.
-Put in non synthetic, let the car cool completely.
-For the next 400-500 miles[Haven't seen any info to determine exactly how long] let the car warm up completely before driving it, and continue to drive as if you would everyday[no babying], and continue to vary speed and rpm. And also alow the turbo's to cool before shutting her down.
-After about 500 miles, change the oil while the car is hot again, and put synthetic back in.
-Break in completed, enjoy your new car!

Break in fast, is a term from racing...which they also wear out fast. Most cars have been "broken in" on a test drive before it's sold. The one I test drove did about five 0-100+ mph runs to show me how fast it was.