[TAZ007]

Originally Posted by Horseman

So that article is very interesting indeed. Back when I drove my 350z in early 2000's I didn't "break it in" easy. I ran that damn car hard the entire time I had it. Not .. so damn hard that I put it on the racetrack, but it was a daily occurrence to race other fast cars when that light turned green. Corvettes, NSX, Charger Hemi, all those. Had a blast doing it. I am driving this car more moderately mostly because it's more expensive (hell most expensive car I've ever purchased) and I need it to last me awhile. BUT... there are times where I put do drive it hard. Get into the 5-7k RPMs on short stints of fun fueled acceleration.

What I'm getting here between the debate, the owner's manual and what Sales Agents tell me is that there really isn't a RIGHT or WRONG way to break it in. Your car is either a lemon or it isn't. Have fun. :P

Have fun indeed, but keep it below 4500 rpm during break-in. Or at!

[ryan28]

I've just got a new M40i also and was worried about break in. I think warming up the engine properly before giving it load is the most important.

[ejm3]

Originally Posted by DPelletier

I've test driven dozens of vehicles over the years and yes, I usually give them several full throttle runs to see what the performance level is like.....as mentioned by a previous poster, this is pretty normal. If the manufacturer's believed that such a thing was going to cause significant and premature failure/loss of longevity, it would be possible to have the computer limit the output for the first XXX miles.

This is why I would not buy a dealer demo of a performance car even if it has very low miles and they can take a fair bit of money off the sticker. I am too chicken to drive a demo hard but I have test driven cars with my friend whos' not particularly shy in this respect.

At the end of the day I guess it matters what you plan on doing with the car in the long run.
If you're leasing it for 3 years all under warranty why would you care about the long term health of the car?
If you plan on keeping it for 10 years and babying it then you might want to hold off on beating the snot out of it for a few thousand miles.

[DPelletier]

Originally Posted by ejm3

This is why I would not buy a dealer demo of a performance car even if it has very low miles and they can take a fair bit of money off the sticker. I am too chicken to drive a demo hard but I have test driven cars with my friend whos' not particularly shy in this respect.

At the end of the day I guess it matters what you plan on doing with the car in the long run.
If you're leasing it for 3 years all under warranty why would you care about the long term health of the car?
If you plan on keeping it for 10 years and babying it then you might want to hold off on beating the snot out of it for a few thousand miles.

Meh, as I said; I don't think it matters much on a modern vehicle. BTW, some of my vehicles get traded in every 2-3 years but I have ten or so that I keep for as long as 20 years and 300,000 + miles.

I look after all my stuff and I'm not sure that a few hard pulls as per the links I posted is "beating the snot out of it" .....in fact, I suspect its beneficial for the reasons noted.

I make sure to completely warm up any vehicle prior to full load/throttle use and I vary the rpms on any new vehicle for a few hundred miles.....beyond that....like I said; I don't think it matters much. but; your car, your money - do what you feel is right.

Maybe I've spent too much time at the race track rebuilding or watching others rebuild engines that are immediately placed into full power output mode to put much faith in the idea that it takes thousands of miles to break in a pre-run modern engine.




2 cents.
Dave

[DPelletier]

Here's a link to me breaking in my 440-6 SuperBee.....after checking the oil pressure and a few heat cycles, of course. Go to 1:20 to skip to the action.

Dave

[Mixitt]

That is funny.

[TAZ007]

Originally Posted by DPelletier

Here's a link to me breaking in my 440-6 SuperBee.....after checking the oil pressure and a few heat cycles, of course. Go to 1:20 to skip to the action.

Dave

Awesome.