I'm not sure there is a place for technical content that spans all models. So here it is: How to Combat Break-in Wear When a machine is first put into service, there is a period of time known as the “break-in” period. During this time, the machine creates wear debris as components begin their initial motion. While there are differing opinions on break-in times and methods, a few constants remain. Certain variables come into play such as surface coatings, time in storage and lubricant selection. By balancing all of these variables, you can achieve fewer failures during the early stages of machine life. The primary reason machines lose their usefulness is due to the degradation of working surfaces. This can occur for a variety of reasons with a multitude of effects to the rest of the machine. . . . There is a reason I've always advocated an early transaxle oil change with the 1st and 3d engine oil change. Then you're good to go for a very long time, decades if you have the time. Bob Wilson
Isn't some break in operation done at the factory for car parts? I've heard of manufacturers running the engine for longer than a simply QA test before installing it in the car.
Aaah. I was confused by the title. We used to have some neighbours who were burglars, and their clothes would get worn and torn climbing over walls and through windows and stuff. I thought that was the "break-in wear" you were discussing. I was surprised, as I never pictured you as the burglar type. But you're not, so that's OK. Or maybe you are, and it just wasn't what you were talking about here. How else, after all, could you afford a new i3? Burglary. That's it. As @Trollbait says, I remember that it was important to run-in cars in the olden days: you had to limit a car to 3,000rpm or something for the first couple of thousand miles if I remember rightly. But I don't think this is the case any more, except with a few supercars. My understanding is that it's partly what Trollbait says, about manufacturers doing some running-in on a bench. But I think it's also partly about manufacturing being more consistent as it becomes more mechanised and more finely controlled, so the engines fit together better to start with, and don't need a few thousand miles of low-speed operation to wear down dodgy components until they stop banging against each other. But I am no engineer, so I could be wrong.
