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      05-29-2019, 11:19 PM   #1
sanfordrich
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2019 / 20 Z4 Break In Periiod

What does the 2020 Z4 M40i owner’s manual say about a break in period?
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      05-30-2019, 05:18 AM   #2
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Unless something changed, BMW's recommended break-in period for non-M cars has always been 1200 miles / 2000 KMs. And no, M40i does not qualify as a M car
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      05-30-2019, 07:02 AM   #3
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Arguments over how much M is in the M40i aside, I found Number Four in this list to be a good guide on breaking in any new car, let alone a BMW:

https://www.bmw.com/en/automotive-li...a-new-car.html
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      05-30-2019, 09:02 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PrionFawkes View Post
Arguments over how much M is in the M40i aside, I found Number Four in this list to be a good guide on breaking in any new car, let alone a BMW:

https://www.bmw.com/en/automotive-li...a-new-car.html
Only reason I brought up M cars earlier is BMW have different, more elaborate recommendations for breaking in M cars. I believe number four on the list misses one important recommendation, to drive at various speeds, engine RPM and throttle loads during the break in period which implies no cruise control.
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      05-30-2019, 10:20 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PrionFawkes View Post
Arguments over how much M is in the M40i aside, I found Number Four in this list to be a good guide on breaking in any new car, let alone a BMW:

https://www.bmw.com/en/automotive-li...a-new-car.html
I know there are many opinions about break in periods for new cars, especially high performance cars. I understand the Z M40i is not a true "M" car, however, I assume it is an "i" car. The link to the BMW website says the recommendations do not apply to either "M" or "i" cars: "Special guidelines apply to BMW i and M models; those purchasing these models will be provided with the specific details." So.... for those with access to a manual: does the manual address the M40i break in period? Alternatively, for those who already purchased the Z car, what specific details were you provided regarding break in periods. By the way, I am not interested in the opinion of a sales person. I am looking for something more authoritative from BMW.

Note: I just reread the guidelines at the link referred to above for buying a new BMW; which included the break in period. It's possible the quote above is only referring to the initial oil change for "M" and "i" cars, not the break in period; it's not clear. Ugh, the downside of being anal.

Last edited by sanfordrich; 05-30-2019 at 10:34 AM.. Reason: Embedded quote might not apply
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      05-30-2019, 10:33 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanfordrich View Post
I know there are many opinions about break in periods for new cars, especially high performance cars. I understand the Z M40i is not a true "M" car, however, I assume it is an "i" car. The link to the BMW website says the recommendations do not apply to either "M" or "i" cars: "Special guidelines apply to BMW i and M models; those purchasing these models will be provided with the specific details." So.... for those with access to a manual: does the manual address the M40i break in period? Alternatively, for those who already purchased the Z car, what specific details were you provided regarding break in periods. By the way, I am not interested in the opinion of a sales person. I am looking for something more authoritative from BMW.
Wrong assumption. I cars are the i8 and i3
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      05-30-2019, 10:34 AM   #7
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For what it's worth. On all my BMW's I've always tried to keep the RPM's down/no flooring it for the first 1000 miles, then do an oil change. Yes it won't be covered since the car isn't calling for it, but do it anyways And make sure they don't reset the oil mileage counter, so you get your paid one sooner.
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      05-30-2019, 10:36 AM   #8
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Manual for the M40i says 1200 miles (vary engine speed, no kick down, don’t exceed I think it was 4K RPM (verrrry hard to stay below); less for tires and brakes.

Related question: I know it’s not absolutely necessary for engine oil, but would like to have oil and M diff fluid (oil?) changed after break in period. Opinions, especially on diff?

I asked my dealer for pricing a couple weeks ago and the car is so new, they couldn’t tell me price for either one. Settled for approximates using 4 series pricing. Diff fluid change is expensive!
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      05-30-2019, 11:42 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tmehanna View Post
Wrong assumption. I cars are the i8 and i3
Thanks for correcting my assumption; glad to know; it also means the recommendation in the link to the BMW site applies to the 2019 / 20 Z cars.

Last edited by sanfordrich; 05-30-2019 at 11:48 AM..
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      05-30-2019, 11:47 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Manual for the M40i says 1200 miles (vary engine speed, no kick down, don’t exceed I think it was 4K RPM (verrrry hard to stay below); less for tires and brakes.

Related question: I know it’s not absolutely necessary for engine oil, but would like to have oil and M diff fluid (oil?) changed after break in period. Opinions, especially on diff?

I asked my dealer for pricing a couple weeks ago and the car is so new, they couldn’t tell me price for either one. Settled for approximates using 4 series pricing. Diff fluid change is expensive!
Thanks for looking that up in the manual; Unfortunately, I can't provide an informed answer to your questions. That being said, I like to stick to the manufacture's recommendations.
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      05-30-2019, 02:02 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanfordrich View Post
I am looking for something more authoritative from BMW.

Note: I just reread the guidelines at the link referred to above for buying a new BMW; which included the break in period. It's possible the quote above is only referring to the initial oil change for "M" and "i" cars, not the break in period; it's not clear. Ugh, the downside of being anal.
I completely respect being anal about such things. How's this for authoritative enough? I copied this right out of the online Owner's Manual for a US Spec M40i:
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      05-30-2019, 03:54 PM   #12
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Is breaking in these modern engines really necessary? There's a lot of word out there that it's a thing of the past.

For what it's worthI'm due to pick up my M40i on Saturday.
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      05-30-2019, 04:04 PM   #13
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Shoot- I didn't expect an image from the manual but much thanks.

There are varied opinions about break in period, but as I said earlier, I prefer to go with the manufacture's recommendation. What bothers me a bit is when I test drive brand new vehicles with 15 or 20 miles on them and the salesman claims it won't be a problem for the vehicle if I drive it like it's already broken in. I am sure some people agree with that but the manufacturer says to break it in. That's one reason I prefer to purchase a high performance vehicle as a special order and hopefully the dealer will respect the break in period before it's delivered to the customer.
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      05-31-2019, 08:49 AM   #14
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I know what BMW recommends for breakin on new vehicles, and I did it on 3 of my 4 new BMWs in the past 3 years. But I did not follow breakin procedure on my z4 m40i. Only time will tell how it adversely affected things, but here's the breakdown so far:

'17 m240ix - needed new turbo at 1000 miles due to oil leak at return line from turbo. Followed breakin directions. drove it for 32k miles. Did oil change after first 1200 miles (because I drove it 200 miles with the minor oil leak before dealer could get me in. Oil change is part of the turbo replacement procedure), no diff changes.
'17 x1 xdrive - no mechanical issues at all in the 30k miles we drove it. no breakin oil change, first was at 10k miles. followed breakin directions
'19 x3 m40i - no mechanical issues so far. Had first oil change already (sitting just over 10k miles). Followed breakin directions.
'20 z4 m40i - no mechanical issues so far. Haven't done any oil changes or diff changes (sitting at 2k miles). Did not follow breakin directions and engine still runs smooth, trasmission is same as new, no ill affects so far.

Granted, the z4 got a 150 mile drive back home from the dealership through a downpour so it cruised between 50-80mph on the highway several times. around 250 miles I started doing some WOT runs because why not and have driven it hard ever since.
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      05-31-2019, 08:59 AM   #15
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For the most part the break in procedure is a liability protection from BMW. I am not saying you should not follow it, but it will be unlikely you can trace any damage years later back to you not following it.
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      05-31-2019, 09:14 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe240 View Post
I know what BMW recommends for breakin on new vehicles, and I did it on 3 of my 4 new BMWs in the past 3 years. But I did not follow breakin procedure on my z4 m40i. Only time will tell how it adversely affected things, but here's the breakdown so far:

'17 m240ix - needed new turbo at 1000 miles due to oil leak at return line from turbo. Followed breakin directions. drove it for 32k miles. Did oil change after first 1200 miles (because I drove it 200 miles with the minor oil leak before dealer could get me in. Oil change is part of the turbo replacement procedure), no diff changes.
'17 x1 xdrive - no mechanical issues at all in the 30k miles we drove it. no breakin oil change, first was at 10k miles. followed breakin directions


'19 x3 m40i - no mechanical issues so far. Had first oil change already (sitting just over 10k miles). Followed breakin directions.
'20 z4 m40i - no mechanical issues so far. Haven't done any oil changes or diff changes (sitting at 2k miles). Did not follow breakin directions and engine still runs smooth, trasmission is same as new, no ill affects so far.

Granted, the z4 got a 150 mile drive back home from the dealership through a downpour so it cruised between 50-80mph on the highway several times. around 250 miles I started doing some WOT runs because why not and have driven it hard ever since.
Interesting and I hope it works out for you on the Z. I know a number of folks would say a break in period is not necessary (including my salesperson) . I plan on keeping the new m40i I just ordered a long time and I will follow BMW's break in recommendation. I had a 96 Z3 I purchased new for almost 20 years and very few problems. I broke it in per BMW's recommendation. It is my understanding that the break in period is important for longevity. I guess that would suggest that problems with not breaking it in properly might manifest themselves only as the vehicle ages.
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      05-31-2019, 09:39 AM   #17
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Engines 20 years ago were not manufactured the same as modern engines. Different times call for different measures. Same reason you had 3k oil change intervals back then, but 10k now.

Always best to Er on the side of caution though I plan on keeping mine for a few years at least, but I don’t see myself driving it in 20 years. I’m one of those “gotta have the newer tech” kind of people. Not one of the first to buy usually, but I’m within the first year or so most of the time.
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      05-31-2019, 09:39 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanfordrich View Post
Interesting and I hope it works out for you on the Z. I know a number of folks would say a break in period is not necessary (including my salesperson) . I plan on keeping the new m40i I just ordered a long time and I will follow BMW's break in recommendation. I had a 96 Z3 I purchased new for almost 20 years and very few problems. I broke it in per BMW's recommendation. It is my understanding that the break in period is important for longevity. I guess that would suggest that problems with not breaking it in properly might manifest themselves only as the vehicle ages.
There are different theories on how engines should be broken in. Some suggest they should be driven hard and redlined within the first few miles and provide evidence of the benefits. However, when you break in a new car, you're not only breaking in the engine, but also the gearbox and practically all the moving parts in the car. I personally believe taking it easy during the break in period results in better mating of the parts, and since all car manufacturers recommend a break in period, I have no reason to do otherwise. I understand that sometimes one can become too excited and impatient about exploring a new car's potential and it should be fine as long as you don't overdo it
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      05-31-2019, 12:05 PM   #19
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I wonder if the break in period is as much for the driver (or even more so) than it is for the car ... takes some time to get comfortable with everything, set everything up, not being distracted by all the nice screens, ...
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      05-31-2019, 12:16 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
I wonder if the break in period is as much for the driver (or even more so) than it is for the car ... takes some time to get comfortable with everything, set everything up, not being distracted by all the nice screens, ...
I strongly suspect it's just a way to very slightly reduce warranty claim costs for BMW. If it were anything more serious they would take a stronger stance like denying warranty coverage if you didn't follow the guidelines.
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      05-31-2019, 01:35 PM   #21
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I strongly suspect it's just a way to very slightly reduce warranty claim costs for BMW. If it were anything more serious they would take a stronger stance like denying warranty coverage if you didn't follow the guidelines.
Fortunately cars don't have black boxes, yet
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      05-31-2019, 01:54 PM   #22
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Fortunately cars don't have black boxes, yet
Well they're already storing vehicle information on the BMW keys, so it's only a matter of time before it comes to "flag for improper breakin procedure" being stored on the key as well.
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