[M4ROLLIN20]

Originally Posted by JHosk1981

Hey all,

Getting my first M3 soon and wanted to ask you guys if you have any advice/tips for the initial 1200miles where I need to carefully run the car in?

Do I simply drive it really steadily or should I do something specific?

Cheers

On my E93 I drove it like i stole it during break in and it was a beast afterwords. On my G83 I followed and slipped up a couple times and everything is fine. M division breaks it in on site but it’s up to the consumer to make the valves seat properly. With that said, to each his own.

[RichardGM4]

@OP if you drive in Comfort mode (assuming the M3 Comp listed in your bio is the car you've bought and therefore it's an auto!), you should find that if you just drive around normally the car will manage the revs well enough to keep you under the 4.5k-5k rpm mark.

Obviously you need to avoid putting your foot to the floor so it doesn't kick down or run to a high rpm under heavy acceleration.

I actually didn't have an issue - it's more of an inconvenience that anything else. I took mine out for some scenic drives around the Somerset countryside, like Cheddar Gorge and some of the rolling B roads near Dartmoor. That way you can still get some real enjoyment out of the car as you're still doing a decent speed, just in higher gears and without hard acceleration.

Towards the end of my running in period I was a bit gutted to see it tick over from 999 to 1,000 miles, as it's a nice feeling driving around in a brand spanking new M3/M4 with super-low mileage!

[RichardGM4]

Update from me: My CS is in for it's RIS this week, so very soon I'll be able to press the fun pedal to the floor

[JHosk1981]

Nice. Mine got done at just over 1100 miles. Love the car to bits. Especially now I can drive it properly

[ipilcher]

Just drive normally (unless you're a complete hooligan). Biggest challenge is avoiding cruising at the same speed for an extended period. (Anything beyond 5 miles has you on the freeway where I live.)

[BugKiller]

Saw a comment saying an owner drives "98% in comfort," and think this applies. As a wee lad I bought a '60 MBZ with a perfect leather-wood interior but a crap rust-out body ($75). Then I bought a '61 of the same model (220Sb) with a crap interior and solid mechanicals ($300) from a 'little old man' who had babied the car. Three days later I was driving up a steep hill, downshifted, and took the RPM up to w/i 500 of red line. I cracked the top piston rings in two cylinders. The car had been so babied that the piston wear in the cylinders did not extend as high as it would in an engine that had been driven normal or hard (piston rods do stretch, a little). The rings hit the ridges that had formed due to the wear pattern, and the rings cracked. That was my first engine rebuild, thankfully with a father who was an ex-airplane engine mechanic and who had access to a machine shop. I got five years out of that car and engine, and sold it to a guy who wanted a project-car for when he got custody visitations with his kid.

[tm811]

I've been driving around in sport plus and D1 transmission seems to keep everything pretty tame.

[/ / / M3]

Originally Posted by JHosk1981

Seems pretty straight forward to me. Just don’t thrash the car or have a heavy foot for 1200 miles. Simple.

You missed the part about driving at varying engine and load speeds (although the latter can be challenging if you have to commute in traffic).

[/ / / M3]

Originally Posted by M4ROLLIN20

On my E93 I drove it like i stole it during break in and it was a beast afterwords.

What was the mileage on the car when you got rid of it?

[M4ROLLIN20]

Originally Posted by / / / m3

what was the mileage on the car when you got rid of it?

12000 😡 I would’ve kept it till this day if I’d know any better.

[/ / / M3]

Originally Posted by M4ROLLIN20

12000 �� I would’ve kept it till this day if I’d know any better.

No car is going to show signs of damage caused by improper break-in after only 12,000 miles. So you just passed the problem to the next owner. I wonder if you told him that you drove it like you stole it during break-in

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by BugKiller

Saw a comment saying an owner drives "98% in comfort," and think this applies. As a wee lad I bought a '60 MBZ with a perfect leather-wood interior but a crap rust-out body ($75). Then I bought a '61 of the same model (220Sb) with a crap interior and solid mechanicals ($300) from a 'little old man' who had babied the car. Three days later I was driving up a steep hill, downshifted, and took the RPM up to w/i 500 of red line. I cracked the top piston rings in two cylinders. The car had been so babied that the piston wear in the cylinders did not extend as high as it would in an engine that had been driven normal or hard (piston rods do stretch, a little). The rings hit the ridges that had formed due to the wear pattern, and the rings cracked. That was my first engine rebuild, thankfully with a father who was an ex-airplane engine mechanic and who had access to a machine shop. I got five years out of that car and engine, and sold it to a guy who wanted a project-car for when he got custody visitations with his kid.

Agree with this. Have 201k miles on the S4 and it sees redline each time I drive it. Loves it and doesn’t care. Needs new valve seals done, but that’s another story. Haha It’s been on either LiquiMoly or Motul all its life.

[M4ord]

If your commute is on the freeway then put it in sequential mode and vary between 7th and 8th gear.

[Paul Monacelli]

Hi I’m brand new to this forum. I’m looking for advice. I have a 2024 S58 G80 Xdrive Comp. I recently installed the JB4 tuner and obviously noticed a big difference in performance. I want to add down pipes to this set up anyone have recommendations on which down pipes I should install ? That’s compatible with the JB4 tuner

[utsteve98]

Is there an issue using launch control after the 1200 mile service?

[MaC-N54-E82]

Originally Posted by utsteve98

Is there an issue using launch control after the 1200 mile service?

Yes, don’t

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by MaC-N54-E82

Yes, don’t

I'm not aware of any issues using the car to its fullest potential after break-in service is done. As long as the car fluids are up to temp, what's the issue?

[MaC-N54-E82]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

I'm not aware of any issues using the car to its fullest potential after break-in service is done. As long as the car fluids are up to temp, what's the issue?

My bad I initially read his comment as using launch control BEFORE the break-in service. Afterwards launch away! 🚀

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

I'm not aware of any issues using the car to its fullest potential after break-in service is done. As long as the car fluids are up to temp, what's the issue?

Are you guys overlooking the considerations from 1200 to 3100? They’re not as stringent RPM wise, but they’re still there.

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

Are you guys overlooking the considerations from 1200 to 3100? They’re not as stringent RPM wise, but they’re still there.

Well it doesn't say to still avoid full throttle/kickdown, and I think a 3.8s 0-60 is gradual :P

Edit: I do see it says "during break-in do not use Launch Control," not sure if the 1200-3100 period is considered break-in though.

[Straykiwi]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

Are you guys overlooking the considerations from 1200 to 3100? They’re not as stringent RPM wise, but they’re still there.

That's the weird part because not only is it not in my manual, even BMW officially makes no mention of it for the G81.

https://youtu.be/mJQ8o-aRYKM?si=9TtZan3ts9GySJqi

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Straykiwi

That's the weird part because not only is it not in my manual, even BMW officially makes no mention of it for the G81.

https://youtu.be/mJQ8o-aRYKM?si=9TtZan3ts9GySJqi

I think it’s an implied “hey, take is easy definitely until 1200, but even after that to about 3 or so k, don’t go crazy”. It’s in the manual for the 2021 M4 as I said above and as Berzerker pointed out in terms of verbiage they use. Me personally, I’ve given brand new cars a little bit of time to settle in, 3-5k isn’t much to ask for, but then again, I drive a lot, so it’s easy to put the miles on. I’ll literally go for a drive anytime I feel like it, but it may be harder for some of you guys.