I ordered my MCC after studying all the on-hand cars available. I plan to follow the recommended initial gentle driving guidelines. But here's the thing. The MA frankly told me he earns a better commission on a CPO (Certified Previously Owned) car. In this case those babies were "owned" by the service department and used as loaners. Do you think the temporary drivers drove gently? For that matter, how about the new cars on the lot? Do you think all the test drivers didn't mash it? I know the MA told me I could've used SD to get on the freeway safer and I had my foot through the firewall. Point is...if the break-in is critical there must be plenty on the road who didn't get it. Problems in future years (as mentioned elsewhere here) cannot be traced to abusive early miles, can they? So it may really be unnecessary, yes?
BTW, I just love NAM--great way to spend the waiting time.

 

I followed the rules to a "T" hoping that those who tested the car before I drove it treated it as they'd want their own car handled... with respect.
So far so good!
Good luck with your MINI!

 

There are two schools of thought on the break-in procedure: a) follow the gradual break-in as described in the MINI owner's manual; b) drive it like you will always drive it, as modern engines are good to go upon delivery.

I followed the manual's instructions because not only are you gently breaking in the engine, but you have to consider that the transmission and other parts need to be eased into place, as well.

My sense is that there are plenty of test-drivers who understandably will drive the MINI hard to see what it can do. I'd only buy a demo if it had a very-much-extended warranty!

 

The most reliable car I've ever owned was formerly a rental car. 250,000 miles on original alternator, starter, water pump and timing belt (non-interference engine) when the auto trans broke. I drove over 200,000 miles with tools and spare parts in the boot and never needed them.

I think it's a statistical thing; if you follow the break in procedure you are more likely to have a good result, and if you don't it probably won't blow up but will be more likely to use oil over much of its life. No guarantees either way.

 

Can't speak for others, but I tend to drive loaners pretty hard. What does this mean to the car over its life span? Well, the question really should be: what does increased stress do to components?

I'd buy a used car driven by one owner before bringing home one that has been loaned to multiple one night stands.

Good luck!

 

When I bought my 2002 Jeep Wrangler brand new, my dealer guy told me to drive it as hard as I wanted to... "that break in thing is for the old generation of autos..."
At $32,000.00, followed my MINI manual. ;-)

 

My MA told me to do what I wanted, but on his the break-in was from where it was parked to the edge of the lot.

 

The break-your-car-in-as-hard-as-you-can method is postulated from motorcycle engine break-in. Some mechanics of racing bikes found that it might help seal the rings and cylinders more properly if the engine goes through a high RPM but very methodical break-in procedure. I'm not sure how that finding got postulated to car motors and with advices that are as random as the procedures they suggest.

I'll be following the instruction in the owner's manual for which I paid $25,000 (and a MINI came with it).

-

 

yeah same here buddy.

Whatever the owners manual says is REALLY important.

I wouldnt get a previously owned mini as they are sooooo much fun that you know someone baked the tires at 30 miles on the odometer and made it soar.

mc or mcs. (they both spin fine. makes me wonder why I bought a MCS sometimes)

 

Remember that "MA" is another term for car salesperson! They are not working on or repairing the MINIs...

 

go with the owner's manual

 

There was an atricle a while ago that actually stated it might be better if you floor it for the break in period because if you sey the pistons into a calm groove and then floor it you could blow a seal and possibly damage your engine

 

+1

 

Was this article on the internet?

I probably read this article, and several others. This recommendation is all theoretical on car motors. Again, it seems to be postulations based on racing motorcycle engines; and, even with racing motorcycle engines, at no point does this specific procedure recommend full-throttle (it suggests "spanning" the full RPM ranges gradually and methodically, and definitely not with wide open throttle). So, not only is this procedure unproven on a car's motor, but flooring it during the break-in period is definitely not advisable.

 

owners manual is pretty liberal as to what rpms and top speed its the just the break in length of time seems unusually long.

 

that the loaners weren't broken in properly?

 

No it was in something like Road and Track or Car and Driver but i cant remember whitch

 

Motors that I have built have been broken in by the following procedure:
Motor assembled with some sort of assembly lube (I like Torco, there are a number of good ones) except for the cam which gets a molybdenum lubricant. The assembly lube is only to keep things sliding until the oil pressure comes up. If possibly priming the motor by spinning the oil pump before starting is best.

All that would have been done at the factory. Camshafts break in in the first 30 minutes of operation. I'm not sure how long they run them at the factory but the cam is probably broken in when you get the car.

When you get your car the only thing possibly left to break in is seating the rings. The best way to do this is put it in a low gear, I like 2nd, and smoothly accelerate (not more than about half throttle) to about 5000 RPM then take your foot off the gas and let the motor brake the car down to about 2000 RPM. This loads all sides of the rings and will seat them much quicker than normal driving. Cast iron rings and cylinders usually seat very quickly and I usually only do this for about 15 minutes. Then I may stay off WOT for a couple days just to be sure. At that point you can drive the car as hard as you want.

The manufacturers don't know how you will break your car in. It could just be constant driving on a highway at low RPM which is not very effective. Then they multiply in a huge margin of error and assume the worst case. Your much better off driving the car as above to get the rings seated then forget about large number of miles the owners manual recommends.

 

I'm an old f*rt, built many, many engines, water cooled, air cooled, motorcycle, auto, lawnmower, whatever. I'm a voracious reader and technical geek-nerd. I have had really good success (success being defined by having an engine that runs flawlessly, doesn't consume excessive oil, and lasts a lot of miles).

On the first drive (this means on your way home from the dealer), allow the engine to come to full operating temp, and put it through several (maybe 20-30) hard but short pulls from about 30mph to about 50 mph. Never over reving the engine, never lugging the engine.

The purpose of this step is to create a lot of combustion chamber pressure. This pressure, by design, gets behind the piston rings and pushes them outward toward the cylinder walls and causes them to wear to each other properly.

After these short fairly hard piston ring runs, then following the mini manual recommendations will work well. Keep the rpm and max speed under control and varying the loads and allowing the engine to do a lot of speed breaking (high vacuum and extra oil flow) should do the trick.

My next comment is not intended to start a war here (and I won't participate either) but I feel it is very important to change the oil and filter early. Try draining your engine oil through a funnel and a household paper towell. You'd be amazed at the ultra fine metallic particles (like silver paint) that comes out. The purpose of the breakin is to allow your engine parts to wear evenly to each other. You want this to happen, it must happen. It is like fitting a wooden peg into a wooden hole. If it is too tight, you want to gently sand down the high points until it fits just perfectly. You don't want to hammer and bang and chop and pound that peg until it falls into the hole. This sanding produces fine metallic particles as the parts wear to each other.

Your engine is full of very tiny orifices and little parts that don't need this stuff floating around in the lubricating oil. What's $30 (assuming you do it yourself) to get that stuff out?

I do the first oil change at about 1000 miles. The thought of leaving this oil in for 10K miles.... I would never even consider this option. I also change the oil at 5K (4,000 more miles) and then every 5K there after.

Again this is not meant to start the consumate oil change discussion. This is just what I do. I carefully select the cars I purchase and drive. I keep them until it is no longer smart to keep them. Of the cars in my driveway right now, I have 550K, 390K and 360K miles.

I'm not advising anyone to do anything here, just stating what I do. I am a maintenance freaque, I'm sure I am not the norm, but it has worked well for me.

YD

 

Well, of course one can't know. But do you think for a minute that folks borrowing a loaner for a few hours or days will adhere to the break-in rules?
(I would but I bet many heavy footers would just have some fun)
The loaners had 5-6000 miles on them. Dealer offers extended warranty as inducement. The CPO apparently is a new BMW program, not offered at all dealerships.

 

Schaplin--I like your thinking and I agree with you.

 

Yo'sDad--I worked at Caterpillar Tractor for 35 years and did we know oil!
Diesel is different of course, but manufacturing bits and oil life is universal in infernal combustion engines. I do what you do but for the life of me, with a nod to BMW engineers, I don't understand that 10k first interval they recommend.

 

Ask them to read the car's data off the key. I've heard that the chip on the key saves some info, including the vehicle's max top speed. I also BELIEVE (but I may be wrong) that the on-board computer stores diagnostic data re: RPM averages and such to help the service department diagnose issues. If you see that the car's been thrashed take a pass, but even a pre-owned Mini's going to have a warranty when sold by a reputable place, so why not take advantage of some other guy's depriciation?

 

Yo'sDad, your break-in procedure sounds more reasonable, including the oil change intervals. It may or may not be helpful to change the oil this early, but for $30.00 it sure is a cheap way to buy a peace of mind. In all my past new cars, I load the engine up to the manufacture's specified max RPM, but the loading is constantly varying with engine speeds, and I schedule several "gentle" runs in the mountain to load with high compression and then engine brake for vacuum sealing. I do these things with, at most, half throttle... and very gradually at that. It still keeps within manufacture's parameters, which makes me feel better.

Thanks!

 

Good thought ImagoX. I custom built one to suit the wife and dog better and I expect a call any day now. BRG MCC.