I just picked up my new R56 MCS a couple days ago. I LOVE IT!!! Anyway, tonight I was cruising around town and this dude in a Mercury Cougar comes charging past me like he's all that. Anyway, I smile to myself and think "I bet a can catch him." So I step on it! I catch up quite quickly. We both ended up stopped at a light and I could tell he wanted to rally, so I indulged him. I beat him (my sport button wasn't even on!), but in the process I notice that my RPMs went upwards of 5000. So my question is, did I screw up my car?:impatient Is it my imagination that my car sounds different when it's idling now? What damage can be done if you don't follow break in procedures to the T?

 

OMG! Please say it ain't so!
Another MINI destroyed by ignoring the most simple break-in instructions.
You should be ashamed, very ashamed!!!


Seriously, I wouldn't sweat it. I'd bet most of us that followed the instructions went 'upwards of 5000' a few times during break-in. I know for sure that I did. Sometimes it just happens!
Can't really say about the idle noise. The R56 does make some unusual noises at idle (as opposed to the previous versions). It is probably that you are feeling guilty and are hypersensitive to changes in case you really did something bad by going over the 4500 break-in limit.

 

Uh, oh... another voided warranty!!! Just wait 'till your dealer asks for your key and downloads that data! That stuff is all recorded. BUSTED!!!

 

Plz dont discuss street racing. Take it to the track

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/guidelines

Posts relating to street racing ... are prohibited. If you want to race, take it to a legal venue.

 

I asked my dealer about break-in, and then about 5 days after taking the car I asked about going over 5000rpms (uh... just cuz I wanted to know, honest). Both times, he told me:

1- The most important thing to do during break-in is vary the RPMs. Avoid cruise control.

2-Just drive the car. Don't worry about going over 4500 (which, as he said, is HARD to do in anything but short accelleration bursts without going WAY over the speed limit, or shifting oddly). Just go out, use it as you usually would, and that's about it. It's a performance car, so treat it as such. He says the people who baby it and have some bizarro method of running it in (stay under 3000rpms for the first 500 miles, then under 4000 for the next 500, etc. whatever...) have more problems. Don't baby it, just drive it.

I'm following his advice on that. Only went over 4500 maybe 3 times the past week, and have been sparing with the sport button. Haven't touched the paddle shifters. Had tons of fun, and haven't sweated where the tach is at.

 

Dealers, especially salesmen, are not necessarily a wealth of information about cars they sell. I would never take advice from any of them. I have always found that I knew more then they did. Their job is to sell you the car.

The second remark is very patronizing (or some fancy word like that) ... again trying to sell you the car. Its Easy to get the RPMs up, just drop down a gear on the highway.

I was be wary of any advice given by ANY salesman on anything. They are doing their job ... sell you.

 

its funny you notice a noise now. i went over the 4500RPM doing something similar to what you did during break in and i swear when i got home and the car was idling and sounded louder and was ticking much louder too. it has sounded that way ever since. its not a big deal but it is something i noticed. is the noise you hear a loud ticking noise?

 

My R56 MC also has a loud ticking noise at idle. I know nothing about cars, but from what I've read at this forum the ticking sound on this type of engine is normal. Can someone who is car savvy confirm this?

 

Its the injectors. Direct injectors are loud at idle. Well, maybe they are always the same volume but really stand out at idle.

 

Yeah the noise is kind of a ticking sound. No big deal. And do they really void the warranty if I accidently go over 4500? I find that hard to believe.

 

That's right...not right to discuss here, or to actually do for that matter.

 

Yeah oops sorry. Just wondering why it's such taboo in this forum...

 

No, they don't. Don't worry about it.

 

Why are so many people worried about using the sport button during break-in?

 

No. It is just your guilty conscience at work. That is what you get for enjoying your motoring about while I have to sit at home on pins and needles, waiting for my car to get here!!! You know it is bothering you. Go ahead, admit it! The guilt will not lessen, but I will feel better and after all....isn't that what this is about!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

The above is not the product of a sane mind. Please move along unless you are prone to point fingers at the mentally challenged as they attempt to cope with not having thier Mini yet, and laugh your silly butt off!

 

Poor Skuzzy. We're not laughing AT you--we're laughing WITH you!

(I know we'll never see him again once he's got his MINI and has posted pics...)

 

I still got my animation to finish daffodildeb. And I plan on posting a truck load of 'how-tos' as well.

I am that nagging pain you cannot put your finger on, but keeps on reminding you it is there everytime you turn around.

 

As chows4us pointed out, it's in the site guidelines (I missed that one when I signed up too). If you were wondering the root of that decision, I can't really help you on that one other than the basics of street racing being a pretty bad idea with potentially disasterous consequences. I don't do legal so I can't really go beyond that without resorting entirely to speculation.

 

I can TOTALLY empathize with you here. Hang in there. Enjoy the anticipation.

 

I was kidding... lighten up.

...but they CAN tell... whatever you do, keep your game face on when you go in for your first service, hand over the fob and they plug it in to their reader at the dealership.

 

From what I have read, varying speed and RPMs is the key. Your MINI should be fine.

I do have another question for the experts. I may have to take a road trip this weekend 6 hours each way, all highway driving. I only have about 200 miles on the car so far. How can you vary your speed and rpms on the highway? I guess I can keep switching between 6th and 5th, or is that just rediculous?

celljay

 

You didn't hurt your car. But don't race on the street. Even if you're cool and have judgement, you may just get some stranger to go out of control. Race at the track. Meanwhile, while cruising with others in you MINI club, appreciate the non-competitiveness at speed . . . and the judgment to slow down when appropirate . . . so much so that, for example, we would slow down or stop when noticing animals present . . . so much so that on one cruise some members stopped to admire and photograph an elk, only to have the game warden come out and shoo them off (to was a decoy and they were trying to capture guys shooting at elk from their turcks out of season).

 

While this may be irritating to both you and those around you if there is moderate to heavy traffic flow, what you can do is accelerate in 6th until the maximum legally allowed speed Then get off the throttle, allowing drag and the engine to gradually slow you down to ~50-55mph, at which point you can accelerate again. The heat buildup during engine braking will help seat rings and you will be varying your RPM. You can also perform this in 5th gear, then upshift and do it in 6th, and repeat. Annoying to be sure, but varying RPM during breakin is essential.

 

That's what we did for our last 1/2 dozen cars--works well.

 

Thanks for the advice ygblat. I'll give it a try.