Whats the factory recommended break-in period?

what do YOU personally recommend?

I've rebuilt engines & put crate motors in my cars, but 'new' engines might be a tad different. (new as in new Peugot/BMW/Mini tech, not old VW iron)

How many miles do you recommend before a long (5hr ea way) road trip?

 

Drive it like you stole it!!!

 

Factory suggestion is 1,200 miles never going over 4,000 RPM. I took a couple 8-hour road trips the first week of ownership and it held up fine.

 

they took that out of the owner's manual?

it was pointed out to me during the delivery - both times.

 

Psst, Capt bj -
OP doesn't have a manual yet, but will very soon.
Sounds like someone is ready to motor!

 

I've seen what they do at the factory...I really don't think there is a break-in period, but I do try to keep from pushing the car much. I have like 300 miles on my car now, and I might have shifted over 4500 like once. Otherwise I try to shift no later than 4k for the first 1000 miles or so. Just my thing though...

 

I havent gone over 4K yet, its only been 100mi.
Manual says stay under 80mph & 4K for 12oomi IIRC.
This is going to be a tough 1K

 

What do they do at the factory?

 

Probably the same thing we do to aircraft engines coming out of major maintenance... run them at full throttle for a few minutes. How else do you know they'll perform when called upon?

Hearing a jet engine at Max power from 30 feet away is quite a rush.

 

A turbine is totally different than a piston engine. We run jet power plants at over 100% frequently. Every new piston engine should be broken in properly, moving part need to get familiar with each other. The result of pushing a new engine will show up later with higher oil consumption and some loss in compression. If you must work the engine hard at least wait until the oil is at normal operating temp. About 7 miles of driving. It!s your car, do to it as you wish.

 

The manual says 4500revs and 100mph. Also to avoid full throttle. Its said the same thing for all the second gen MINIs. (First gen it said 95mph.)

 

In my case, i broke it in slow and gentle...like the manual description.
Does not burn oil, and runs great. Many cars i know of that were run very hard new, are now oil burners....you have months or years to have fun with your car...i suggest waiting just a week or two to have "fun".
And to the person saying "do it like we do airplanes", they are aircooled, with much greater tolerances due to this....also many rebuilt aircraft motors use chrome cylinders rather than nitrated (neither used in cars) and those specficialy are harder to breakin (the ones with orange painted usually on the cylinder).....now on a turbo -prop or jet...with derating, margins, etc, it is a different game entirely....

 

Geez... thought it was obvious I was being facetious about the jet engine comparison. Should have used a winky face.