Running in new JCW
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I'm fairly sure your car's manual should give you the "official" advice for the fist few thousand kms.
Generally keep it under 4500RPM if possible (It was hard for me to do this personally).
Also allow the car to sufficiently warm up for a few minutes before you drive it hard. Maybe keep it out of sports mode / gear hold mode until after you have driven for 10 minutes or so first.
It's all subjective though and from reading these forums and others you will find there is a large range of conflicting advice.
Generally keep it under 4500RPM if possible (It was hard for me to do this personally).
Also allow the car to sufficiently warm up for a few minutes before you drive it hard. Maybe keep it out of sports mode / gear hold mode until after you have driven for 10 minutes or so first.
It's all subjective though and from reading these forums and others you will find there is a large range of conflicting advice.
We've got the 6 speed auto. It gives an impression of a sporty response, especially in Sport, because it only has the 6 gears. Our X6 has the 8 speed which is so smooth that you simply don't realise how quickly you are going and coupled to the refined drive it can be very, very deceptive. The 6 speed Mini and coupled to the cart handling is a completely different ride - fun and smiles and you belt along and listen to the exhaust, even under 4500 - big fun. We have the convertible, but even with the roof up you hear it.
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320 Posts
Mines not an auto, but same engine, I've kept it below 4500 for the first 800 miles, now starting to open it up a bit (this weekend actually), always give it a couple of miles to warm up before gunning it, then a couple of miles to cool down before parking up. Might not make any difference, but at least I'm happy with that and tried to do it with all my cars. So much torque with it, the 4500rpm limit really hasn't been too much of an issue.
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2,082 Posts
Turbocharged engines tend to run hot so personally I don't think babying the engine makes much difference. I've always been very easy on my cars but it's definitely a huge challenge breaking in a JCW easily! If you can keep it under 5000 rpm until you reach 1000 or 1200 miles you are a Saint! LOL! I bet nobody does that in reality (the tach is hard to read anyway)....lets be honest! ;-). Just don't drive crazy and it will be fine! Btw, my 2015 JCW is still under 700 miles!
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8,217 Posts
Stick to the manual as a bare minimum; lots of weird and wonderful and conflicting advice but suffice to say these engines are not bench run before fitting to the car nor is the car run in before you get it! Personally i tend to trust honest john (.co.uk) who says stick to the book re limits (i think 4500 rpm and no ful throttle and no labouring) BUT keep it varied-lots of variation in running ensures the thermal stability of the newly forged/machined components!
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Best answer is that some have and some haven't, it's a personal choice. I changed the oil in my MCS just after the break in period and then I change it every 6,000 miles.
The real danger during running-in for any new engine is overheating from too many revs for too long a time. A little exercise is actually good for completely seating piston ring through work hardening.
As for changing oil, the build accuracy & surface finish is so good on a factory engine almost no wear metal shows in oil analysis at the first scheduled oil change. After personally seeing this for one of my cars I don't worry about leaving the oil in. Also there might be some secret running-in additive or assembly lube found only in the factory fill.
As for changing oil, the build accuracy & surface finish is so good on a factory engine almost no wear metal shows in oil analysis at the first scheduled oil change. After personally seeing this for one of my cars I don't worry about leaving the oil in. Also there might be some secret running-in additive or assembly lube found only in the factory fill.
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Just drive it how it's meant to be driven, modern engines are bench tested and don't need running in.
Considering at least 9 out 10 new cars are either rentals, company or even dealer demos and not one is run in but driven hard from day one, if there was a issue with this there would be a lot of cars waiting for new engines!
When I brought my R55 JCW I had a 40 mile drive home, motorway, country lanes etc and boy that was a great ride home, owned for 4.5 years and not a drop of oil used or issues and this was from the N14 engine.
They need to be driven not held back...
Considering at least 9 out 10 new cars are either rentals, company or even dealer demos and not one is run in but driven hard from day one, if there was a issue with this there would be a lot of cars waiting for new engines!
When I brought my R55 JCW I had a 40 mile drive home, motorway, country lanes etc and boy that was a great ride home, owned for 4.5 years and not a drop of oil used or issues and this was from the N14 engine.
They need to be driven not held back...
When I test drove my first JCW I really wrung it out and everyone that I run with did the same thing. When I bought my R56 JCW it had been on the showroom floor and test driven several hundred miles before I bought it. I kept it for 4 years, drove it hard from day one and never had a problem. When I ordered the F56 JCW I didn't baby it either although I did not maintain high RPM's for any length of time. I have put 12,000 miles on it since November of 2015 and the engine has been flawless. I did have the oil changed after 2,000 miles as I wanted to see the oil, smell it, and rub it between my fingers. It was fine.
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Hmmmm, think I'll spend the money on some cleaning stuff for it instead this weekend. 850 miles of ownership now and blagged a trip to South Wales tomorrow, and home via the Brecons and the Black Mountains. 850 miles in, time to start giving it the beans then 
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Modern engines ie our mini engine is NOT bench tested ie run before fitting. Having been to the factory i can vouch for the fact they arrive clean and oil free fluid free to be installed in your car and filled and run for the first time on the line. As a bare minimum follow the manual. why would mini say that if it were not necessary? and quite right, modern engines are made to such close tolerances theres no need to change the oil early BUT it cant do any harm, the newer the oil the closer it is to original grade and spec and the fewer impurities it is carrying so the better it can do its intended job. I f you are not keeping the car for long then no worries BUT iprefer to change my oil more often than the 18k miles my computer is saying. There was talk of the old r series car having more engine failures than the same uint in Citroens and the reason was the extend ed oil serivce interval mini use that Citroen wont'. Only rumour but why risk i tfor £30. Clean oil is the lifeblood of turbochargers-sooted oil lines destroy a very expensvie bearing set! i wnat mine to last more than 40k miles.
Each to their own BuT these engines are not 'factory run in' they are just made very well to very close tolerances, so they do not need 'running in oil' or an early change to get any swarf out!
Each to their own BuT these engines are not 'factory run in' they are just made very well to very close tolerances, so they do not need 'running in oil' or an early change to get any swarf out!
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217 Posts
Agree that modern engines definitely don't need the 1k oil change but I did keep (mostly) under 4500rpm for the first 1000km and never rev it hard before I get the "OK" mark from the engine light that everything is properly warmed up...
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