Break-in Period?
 

Most likely I'll write more on the saga in a different thread at some point, but..

I'll be taking delivery on a 2011 X5 Premium in the next day or two that I pretty well loaded up (it's amazing how much more fun it is if you ignore the numbers by that "$" symbol) and I have a few questions on the break-in period, as this is the part that seems to be the least well-documented (officially, anyway).

Since people seem to ask..
Space Gray, Sand Beige interior, light poplar trim (don't like the darker colors). I left out the third row seat, but I think it has most everything else (no entertainment system - didn't like it in this vehicle). I waffled a bit on the HUD, but later added it when I found out the guy at work that just bought one didn't have it. I think it will be genuinely very useful - taking ones eyes off the road even for a second is bad. I can't tell you how many times I nearly wrecked with the Lexus NAV (which is an excellent NAV system, but not positioned where it should be).

The salesman actually discouraged me from several options (most anything that started with "Active") and when asked, said that the Napa leather seats tend to wear very quickly. I did get the Napa leather dash - the dash itself seems so dull, I hope it spices it up a bit. The Entertainment system was kind of tempting, but I don't care what the people in the back seat think, as long as they don't throw up or anything.

(this was a real problem with the 50i test drive, so I stuck with the 35i)
(I gave them heated seats anyway - who are they to complain?)

I actually HATE taking a delivery. They want to show me everything, but I've read the Owner's Manual cover to cover several times and I'm an Engineer by trade anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me the keys and I'll call if I have any questions. Except that would be like reading the manual or asking for directions. Not happening."

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.

I've owned Lexus for many years and there are no special considerations for break-in periods, other than they claim it will improve after a lengthy break-in period (generally 3000+ miles), but they don't use any special oil, etc. in that time, and don't advise you to do / not do certain things, so this is new for me.

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?

Much appreciated. LOTS of great info here - I'm glad I found it early.

In regards to break-in, it's really a guideline. The engine isn't going to self-destruct if you accidentally miss it once or twice. Unless it's changed from older years:

• Avoid exceeding 5000rpm or 160km/h (100mph) for the first 2000km/1200mi. Try avoiding kickdown, since it usually sends you past 5k rpm anyway.
• Avoid sudden, hard stops for the first 500km.
• All new tires take a little bit to break-in, so try not to drive like on a racetrack for the first 500km.

For its M-cars, BMW has a 2000km oil-change after the break-in. It's not absolutely necessary for non-M cars, but no one's stopping you. There is no special break-in oil on the X5.

BMW will only cover at no charge, one oil change per year or when indicated by the vehicle. A lot of BMW drivers recommend doing it at half the interval as you mentioned because even if the oil lasts a long time, the filter doesn't.

The ATF, coolant, and power steering fluid have been deemed "lifetime" by BMW. A lot of us don't buy that. Service them as you see fit, but at least once by 100k km.

Congrats, sounds like it will be a great one. You'll be glad you got the HUD. I really like it, especially for the Nav instructions.

The manual describes a 1200 mile break-in period, staying under 4500 RPMs and avoiding full throttle or kick downs. It also mentions being especially reserved in the first 300 miles.

I don't think its an absolute requirement to do so but I wouldn't abuse if for that distance. I've punched mine a few times, and let it wind to 5k in DS mode but I am waiting for 1200 miles before flooring it.

No oil changes or anything are required after the break-in for the X5. Some M models, yes.

People are split on the need for the mid interval oil change.

Wow. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you!!

Very good to know about the filter - I have been debating with the local "gearheads" about Castrol, etc. and while they all say it's the best (depending on one's needs) I am happy to know the oil is just fine, but the filter will give out. :)

Excellent. I KNEW I came to the right place!

I totally agree about the "lifetime" moniker - Lexus says the same, but demands you replace it at 60K miles. They pissed me off so terribly when I bought out my lease (had to do state inspection again, after it had been done three days prior) they gave me free maintenance up to 75K miles (a nice gesture, really) but made a point to say "the 60K service is $1200 all by itself."

Thanks again - this is great. Exactly what I needed to know.

Wow. Two replies in a short period. This place is awesome!

AzNMpower32 did say as much, but I felt compelled to answer to yours too..
Wherever you are, "Richard in NC" in my home state. :)

Actually, yes - I added HUD SPECIFICALLY because of NAV directions.

I know it adds a lot more on the M versions (and I've seen it - really VERY nice) but as I mentioned, taking your eyes off the road should always be a no-no, and the ONLY thing I used to ever take my eyes off for was the NAV when I was in unfamiliar territory.

BMW's works differently from Lexus, of course - you get the "shrinking bar" instead of a distance - and while I have to tell if one is better or worse, I will say that the distance is.. misleading. It's CORRECT, but the "vector" method is better, in my opinion. Ergo, it doesn't LOOK like 500 feet (but it is), but the shallow end of the diminishing bar is a greater illustration of how soon you have until you need to turn.

The HUD does this very well. I guess I was lucky the demonstrator was so well-equipped. I fell in love with it instantly. All my friends told me I will never use it. Once I learned the height was adjustable.. I doubt that. It's an excellent implementation. We have lots of former Corvette folks (who, damned fools, went off and got married) at the office who always say they miss the HUD the most. Not the huge, gas-guzzling engine.. But the HUD to show them what they were doing.

At some point, I will post "my story" (no one cares, but it will feel good writing it anyway), but..

The X5 was the very last on my list. It only made the list because of the 2011 model numbers (power / efficiency). From the instant I sat down and the whole time I drove it, I was tremendously impressed.

When we ended the second test drive (I drove the 50i first, then the 35i, back to back) he said "How do you like it?"

"I.. LOVE it. Give me one."

I drove it like a baby the whole time, yet this was something I wasn't prepared to love. I drove the Audi Q7 (I absolutely hated that car) earlier in the day. AND the brand new Cayenne S (fine car, but didn't care for its lack of creature comforts, or the dealer's attitude).

At every step of the way, the X5 said "you love me and you know it." And I did. I only had to talk myself into the 35i versus the 50i (which made me laugh the entire time I drove it). $$ wasn't the issue, but I've had license "issues" (read: tickets and double the insurance cost) before and I instantly saw myself driving 90 in a 45. (even in the test 35i, I was driving 85 and I swore it felt like 60)

I probably won't be able to pick it up until Wednesday or Thursday. I have cleared my calendar, and hence the question, was wondering how gentle I should be. No kickdowns then.

OK. It will take me a good long while to get used to actually DRIVING (versus RIDING) again anyway.

Thanks again for the advice. To me, it isn't enough to be told "yes" or "no," etc. I need details. Y'all have provided plenty, and I appreciate that.

I feel more comfortable in driving it "normally."

Just to be clear - the HUD is definitely height and brightness adjustable. Go into "Settings", and HUD should be top of the list. There's a range of about 5cm you can play with, although I did find it starting to disappear at the very top (depends on how tall you are).

I'm at 400 on the break-in - it's the diesel, so I haven't pushed it past 3500 more than once or twice. I'm not certain the break-in is really necessary. I'm suspicious that the modern engines don't require it, but the engineers haven't told anyone because they enjoy making us all suffer for the first 1000 miles. Ah well, it will be over fast enough.

As an aside - anybody else get a crease on the bottom of their seat, towards the back? I'm fairly light, and it's behind where my butt goes anyway, so that can't be it (it's a fairly sharp crease, about 3 inches long). We have the active seating which I've used a few times, wonder if it's causing some problems.

While that isn't much of a range..

The fact that it's "projected" to appear at nearly the end of the hood was, in my opinion, WAY MORE AWESOME. It's more useful there, so a small change in height = a big change in perception.

HUD in the Lexus line (where offered) was projected much closer up. Less useful, because you kind of have to scan down to view it. It is not (so far as I could tell) adjustable, either. I've seen pictures of the actual assemblies and the BMW HUD array is actually very impressive - someone put a lot of thought into it. Color, too (even if not implemented completely)

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.

Those are all key statements and well said. Its good we feel the same way. I like to learn new things from boards but still form my own opinions, and they do match. I agree that lugging an engine early on is just as bad. I wondered about the low RPMs that the new 8 spd auto results in, but at least it readily downshifts when pulling a hill. Also, the 4.4 TT V8 can easily pull in 8th gear at 1500 RPMs. I also tried to vary RPMs especially early on but did a 70 mile road trip after 200 miles. It was good that traffic varied its speed a lot, not allowing cruise since I had other things on my mind. Also, once I hit 1000 miles, I did start to open it up but I still haven't punched it in 1st or allowed a full kick down while at speed. The 550i would drop 6th to 3rd. I wonder what the 8 speed will do.

UKWildcat, I imagine you get lots of abuse square in the middle of ACC country. I'm an NC State grad myself, still have friends and now family in Raleigh, but I live in north Charlotte.

JCL - fantastic post, very informative. Nice to hear about the oil changes. I've never seen any evidence that the extra oil changes actually improve something specific - as you say, most failures of BMWs are things like electronics, or HPFPs, engine problems that could be traced to poor oil seem to be very rare.