Quote:
Originally Posted by devo
Break in IS a big deal. Vary the rpms as well as vehicle speed constantly. Load and unload the engine, etc... Just because one's car doesn't burn oil does not mean it was broken in correctly. Long drive break ins are excellent as long as the aforementioned parameters are adhered to. No cold engine loading until > 175F for oil temp. Long cool downs before parking too.
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Not saying a proper break-in isn't important, I'm saying it isn't rocket science ( a big deal) to do it in an acceptable way.
So okay, since you're so well-informed what metric do you use to assess that you did a proper break-in? You dyno your car every time you break it in? Know beyond a doubt that your break-in technique made a discernible difference on ultimate power generation of your engine? Didn't think so. How many others dyno their cars and can make a connection to performance and break-in procedures? Not that I personally agree, but how many just hammer their cars from the start with no regard to the BMW guidelines? I'd say they REALLY don't think it a "big deal."
So give me a break. Yea, I may go 60 for 30 mins, 70 for 30 mins, 55 for 30 mins on a highway portion of the break-in and also vary the rpms when doing so, but I'm doubting this makes a huge difference. Personally, I prefer a mix of local around town driving (added thermal cycles) or the detours off the highway (BR Prky as I suggested) too. Don't make this into more than it really is.
By the way, 99% of the time all of these discussions of break in procedures are tied to subsequent excess oil consumption that everyone complains about. Improper break-in would result in improper ring seating etc and lead to just that. So if you aren't burning oil and the engine is operating properly, be pretty happy with your break-in.
With the thousands of cars picked up in SC and simply driven-in home on the freeway for over a 1000 miles, we'd know if this actually created a problem. Every "mouse turd" issue surfaces on these sites and this would have too.