I followed the 1200 mile break-in to the letter. Only D2,D3 and S2,S3, not more than 5500 rpm, not more than 105 mph.
Take it to the dealer and the service advisor (who is the Dinan performance guy), the shop manager (also the race lead), the techs, etc. all asked me why I followed the break-in, they recommended that I should have driven the car as hard as I am going to drive it everyday...since I track my cars and drive fairly spirited, I was very confused, but felt good that I followed the break-in recommendations.
Anyways, the said that the cars they have had in the shop (540,545,550,645,650) that have had the most problems were those that followed the break-in procedure then drove the snot out of the car. Those that ignored the break-in had stronger cars, but they may have consumed more oil.
Anyways, after the service, I was in peak rush hour, so not much fun, but did play with P500S, S5 (S6 not available yet in iDrive) and had some fun going to redline.
This car is wicked fast...
Took the wife out to dinner tonight and on the way home, there is a black Neon SRT-4 with a turbo playing around on one side of me. My wife looks at me and says, "Don't EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!". He takes off, speeding up, slowing down, blowing his wastegate....
So, I press the "M" button and floor it...he was blown away...after about 1/4 mile he was 4-5 car lengths behind and falling further behind.
Meanwhile, my wife is hyperventilating in the seat next to me with her hands over her eyes, so I slow down and let him pull up along side of me.
I roll down her window and he says, "Man! What have you gotten done to that thing?!" - "Nothing, it's a stock 507hp V-10". Man, it felt good to say that...then I realize, I know this kid -
This is the kid that spanked my Mini Cooper S race car before I had the ECU for 100 octane, headers, and fuel injectors done...the kid I have been looking for to race again with the Mini. He recognizes me and we laugh, I told him the Mini is ready for him now...
Needless to say, this kid is not used to getting his butt kicked on the streets, so while it was an easy kill for the 1188 mile on the odometer M5 in P500S, S5, it still felt good.
And, I didn't get in trouble. I just got - "You couldn't help yourself, could you?".
2006 BMW E60 M5 - Active Autowerke's ECU upgrade; Charcoal Filters removed
-Silver Gray with Black perf. interior
-Rear side impact airbags
-comfort access
-front multi-function seats with active width adjustment
-wood trim, walnut
-power rear sunshade with rear manual side window shades
-front ventilated seats
-heads-up display
-3M Ultrashield clearbra
2008 Black Yukon Denali - on order!
2007 Saleen Mustang Parnelli Jones Limited Edition 1 of 500 - Sold
2006 Sterling Grey/Grey BMW X5 4.4i w/all available options
2004 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (red) - Sold
2004 Quicksilver Cadillac Escalade ESV - Sold
2003 Cold Stone Creamery #00 Mini Cooper S Challenge Series Race Car
2003 Sterling Grey/Black M5 - Sold
2000 White Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 SB Pick 'em up truck - Sold
1994 Yellow Land Rover Defender 90 - Sold
1980 Nissan 2WD pickup - Sold
1971 Fiat Spider - Sold
I roll down her window and he says, "Man! What have you gotten done to that thing?!"
Great story! This car is a real sleeper, especially in silver gray which your story just prooved. Sounds like your wife is a real sport! Thanks for sharing.
__________________ "...it (SMG) makes everybody look like Michael Schumacher" - Bill Auberlen (excerpt from Road & Track's feature video - 2009 Cadillac CTS-V vs. 2008 BMW M5 SMG)
Take it to the dealer and the service advisor (who is the Dinan performance guy), the shop manager (also the race lead), the techs, etc. all asked me why I followed the break-in, they recommended that I should have driven the car as hard as I am going to drive it everyday...since I track my cars and drive fairly spirited, I was very confused, but felt good that I followed the break-in recommendations.
Anyways, the said that the cars they have had in the shop (540,545,550,645,650) that have had the most problems were those that followed the break-in procedure then drove the snot out of the car. Those that ignored the break-in had stronger cars, but they may have consumed more oil.
Most race techs and engine builders do seem to recommend a relatively hard break in, similar to how an engine would be broken in on a dyno.
Great story! This car is a real sleeper, especially in silver gray which your story just prooved. Sounds like your wife is a real sport! Thanks for sharing.
Yeah - I can't believe the warp speed sensation - I am used to getting the car up to speed over a distance, this car is literally like warp speed, you get moving so fast so quickly, yet it feels nimble, it's NUTS!
I love the Silver Grey - it truly is the wolf in sheep's clothing.
My wife knows I have a racing problem...she knows I can't help myself, as long as I only do it for short distances, she's okay...and she lets me go to the track and race...so this weekend I will have both the Mini and the M5 out at the track for some fun!!!
2006 BMW E60 M5 - Active Autowerke's ECU upgrade; Charcoal Filters removed
-Silver Gray with Black perf. interior
-Rear side impact airbags
-comfort access
-front multi-function seats with active width adjustment
-wood trim, walnut
-power rear sunshade with rear manual side window shades
-front ventilated seats
-heads-up display
-3M Ultrashield clearbra
2008 Black Yukon Denali - on order!
2007 Saleen Mustang Parnelli Jones Limited Edition 1 of 500 - Sold
2006 Sterling Grey/Grey BMW X5 4.4i w/all available options
2004 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (red) - Sold
2004 Quicksilver Cadillac Escalade ESV - Sold
2003 Cold Stone Creamery #00 Mini Cooper S Challenge Series Race Car
2003 Sterling Grey/Black M5 - Sold
2000 White Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 4x4 SB Pick 'em up truck - Sold
1994 Yellow Land Rover Defender 90 - Sold
1980 Nissan 2WD pickup - Sold
1971 Fiat Spider - Sold
...Meanwhile, my wife is hyperventilating in the seat next to me with her hands over her eyes, so I slow down and let him pull up along side of me....And, I didn't get in trouble. I just got - "You couldn't help yourself, could you?".
I love my wife!
Great story and fine wife. She's quite understanding. I'll have to do this kind of stuff with my wife not in the car.
__________________ Paul 2006 M5, Sapphire Black/ Black Full Leather/Walnut
I followed the 1200 mile break-in to the letter. Only D2,D3 and S2,S3, not more than 5500 rpm, not more than 105 mph.
Take it to the dealer and the service advisor (who is the Dinan performance guy), the shop manager (also the race lead), the techs, etc. all asked me why I followed the break-in, they recommended that I should have driven the car as hard as I am going to drive it everyday...since I track my cars and drive fairly spirited, I was very confused, but felt good that I followed the break-in recommendations.
Anyways, the said that the cars they have had in the shop (540,545,550,645,650) that have had the most problems were those that followed the break-in procedure then drove the snot out of the car. Those that ignored the break-in had stronger cars, but they may have consumed more oil.
Anyways, after the service, I was in peak rush hour, so not much fun, but did play with P500S, S5 (S6 not available yet in iDrive) and had some fun going to redline.
This car is wicked fast...
Took the wife out to dinner tonight and on the way home, there is a black Neon SRT-4 with a turbo playing around on one side of me. My wife looks at me and says, "Don't EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!". He takes off, speeding up, slowing down, blowing his wastegate....
So, I press the "M" button and floor it...he was blown away...after about 1/4 mile he was 4-5 car lengths behind and falling further behind.
Meanwhile, my wife is hyperventilating in the seat next to me with her hands over her eyes, so I slow down and let him pull up along side of me.
I roll down her window and he says, "Man! What have you gotten done to that thing?!" - "Nothing, it's a stock 507hp V-10". Man, it felt good to say that...then I realize, I know this kid -
This is the kid that spanked my Mini Cooper S race car before I had the ECU for 100 octane, headers, and fuel injectors done...the kid I have been looking for to race again with the Mini. He recognizes me and we laugh, I told him the Mini is ready for him now...
Needless to say, this kid is not used to getting his butt kicked on the streets, so while it was an easy kill for the 1188 mile on the odometer M5 in P500S, S5, it still felt good.
And, I didn't get in trouble. I just got - "You couldn't help yourself, could you?".
NOPE!
I love my wife!
I read a study a while back that said to break the engine in hard for best results. But there was a qualifier. The process had to start at mile 1. You basically had to thermal cycle the engine. Warm it up then run it hard for 5 minutes let it cool down completely and run it hard again. There was a specific process over multiple warm up and cool down cycles. If you just run it hard once in a while, I think you run the risk of the rings not seating properly.
I'd say the dealer is half right. Breaking it in by the book up to 1200 miles, and then driving the p$ss out of it would probably be worse than just driving it hard from the beginning. This is why BMW recommends gradually increasing the demands until 3200 miles.
Do you think BMW just wants to increase their service costs for those following the break-in? This doesn't make sense. They must have statistics that breaking in according to their plan reduces problems. I'd believe BMW over the dealer on this one.
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