Engine break in period
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,131
Likes: 8
From: Chicago
2004 E320, 2006 Audi A6, 2008 C350 W204, 2010 BMW F10, 2012 Porsche Carrera S 991, 2014 E350 W212
I wonder about this.
In the past, I have always "TRIED" to follow the standard break in practices. Not put in sport mode, not go over 3200 RPM, etc. But that's hard to follow.
Unless you custom order all your cars, I believe most of the new cars has been driven. I always make sure to drive the car hard when I go for test drive. Are those cars then permanently scarred?
How about those limited production super sports cars? Some probably never hit the 1000 mile mark. Do they just never get to live to their full potential?
In the past, I have always "TRIED" to follow the standard break in practices. Not put in sport mode, not go over 3200 RPM, etc. But that's hard to follow.
Unless you custom order all your cars, I believe most of the new cars has been driven. I always make sure to drive the car hard when I go for test drive. Are those cars then permanently scarred?
How about those limited production super sports cars? Some probably never hit the 1000 mile mark. Do they just never get to live to their full potential?
Member
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 193
Likes: 19
2016 C450
Break-in Period from the manual
As I am thankfully approaching the end of my 1,000 mile break-in period, here are the instructions from the manual that I followed:
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
Additional breaking-in notes:
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
- The more you look after the engine when it is new, the more satisfied you will be with its performance in the future.
- You should therefore drive at varying vehicle and engine speeds for the first 1000 miles (1500 km).
- Avoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throttle, during this period.
- When changing gears manually, change up in good time, before the tachometer needle reaches Ô of the way to the red area of the tachometer.
- Do not manually shift to a lower gear to brake the vehicle.
- Try to avoid depressing the accelerator pedal beyond the point of resistance (kickdown).
- All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehicles): ideally, for the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km), drive in drive program E.
Additional breaking-in notes:
- Do not drive faster than 85 mph (140 km/h) for the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km).
- Only allow the engine to reach a maximum engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
- Change gear in good time.
- Ideally, for the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km), drive in program C.
- After 1000 miles (1500 km), you can increase the engine speed gradually and accelerate the vehicle to full speed.
- You should also observe these notes on breaking in if the engine or parts of the drive train on your vehicle have been replaced.
