Quote:
Originally Posted by ukwildcat
OK, so if memory serves, the manual says there are essentially two break-in periods: 300 and 2000 miles.
<300: don't drive fast (but it doesn't SAY that, so I'm a bit confused)
<2000: no kickdowns
Having done A LOT of reading and research, many, many sources claim that there should be an oil change done somewhere right around these break-in periods. Is this true, not true, overly cautious, or just old-fashioned? Sorry to have to ask, really, but I learned a looooong time ago that anything posted on the Internet should be taken with a grain of salt until you can build a consensus.
....Speaking of.. Everyone seems to say change the oil twice as often as BMW says (every 7500 miles or so) if you want to keep it. Transmission service seems to be scheduled at 30K miles and most sources agree that's a good number. Thoughts?
I've also heard that they will usually allow you TWO oil changes a year with your Ultimate Maintenance (or whatever it's called - sorry, I'm new to all of this) if you ask nicely, but I can't corroborate that. At any rate, it's certainly not a big deal to get it done every 7500 miles. Lexus was 5K miles and it nagged you until it was done. Comments?
|
Can't help you with the HUD, I personally put it in the category of all those active options that when they break, reduce reliability. But back to the break-in period...
Engine guy here. Mechanical engineer, mechanic experience, 24+ years in the engine and equipment business, service management experience (but never at a BMW dealer). Even worked in an oil lab. Still, as you say, consensus is good, so just add this to the list of opinions out there.
What you are doing during the break-in period is allowing all bearings, wear surfaces, mating surfaces, seals, etc, to come together with an optimum surface finish. I think bedding in is a better phrase than breaking in. You don't want high loads (from lugging the engine at low rpm), or extreme revs, or too much time on the highway at the same engine speed (variable engine speed is more important to me than rev limits). Moderation is the key. I think of the criticality of this process as an exponential curve (decay curve) in that the most important part is when you drive it off the lot, and 50 miles before the 1200 is up there is very little to worry about. I don't follow the break-in instructions perfectly, but I do make sure the engine has a little more time to warm up, and isn't abused, during the first 1000 km or so. Remember that it isn't just the engine, the same effect applies to the transmission, brakes, transfer case, etc.
I think that the idea of a break-in oil change has largely disappeared. BMW has stopped doing it even on the latest M models. Modern manufacturing methods are much better than they used to be IMO. Engines have had oil in them before they get the oil that you receive in your new vehicle. If there are particles in the first oil from break-in, that is what the filter is for. Particles that are small enough to pass through the filter do no real damage if you are using the specified filter media. Spectroscopic analysis of oils are often used to justify break-in oil changes (high metal counts can be seen in early samples) but those samples are entirely to be expected, and those microscopic particles aren't grit, so they don't cause extreme wear, they are simply a historical indication of break-in having happened. So, I don't do break-in oil changes. I certainly would do so if I rebuilt an engine in a shop, but I haven't done a break-in oil change in any of my last five BMW vehicles. Others still believe in break-in oil changes for their new vehicles, and that is fine. It isn't like they are going to do any damage.
'Everyone' doesn't say to change the oil twice as often as BMW recommends. A significant number of posters do, but this is not representative of all BMW owners, it is simply a sampling of those enthusiasts who post on BMW message boards. Recall that BMW went to extended oil changes in the early '90s, and went to 15,000 mile intervals in the late '90s. I think they have enough experience to see that the world hasn't ended. Their experience includes many countries where they don't include maintenance. I have previously posted pictures of the internals of a BMW engine that went 100,000 miles on factory recommended fluid changes, and it was very clean. My vehicles (including a twin turbo 535) run just fine on recommended oil change intervals. If the dealer wants to provide an extra annual oil change for low mileage owners like me, I take it, but in general I am running around 20,000 km (approx 12,000 miles) without any issues. The filter doesn't collapse. No high oil consumption. I have no worries about bad things happening beyond 200,000 km since I believe that the vehicle electronics and software will sideline the vehicle, many years in the future, but still long before the engine wears out.
You wanted details. Hope that helps.