I read all the info I could find on the internet re "break-in". It took many hours over several nights.
In the end I was no wiser. Both sides of the argument could sound equally plausible. Eventually i reasoned that a lot of the "drive it like you stole it" protagonists were arguing from anecdotal evidence and limited detailed knowledge of the specific metallurgy, piston ring design and oil performance characteristics of this particular engine.
So, I decided that the best thing to do in the face of considerable doubt and uncertainty was to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, perhaps erring slightly on the side of pushing it a little harder when fully warmed up.
The thing is that I did precisely that with my last car (4 litre turbo Ford) even though I intended to only keep it for 2 years. 11 years later, I gave it to my son as it was just too good to part with. The engine was always faultless and never used oil despite being driven enthusiastically a lot of the time.
I feel fairly sure I'm doing no major harm by broad adherence to BMW's recommendations, but I'm not so confident about following internet threads urging the "drive it like you stole it" mantra.
Just my 2c - YMMV.
