Is break-in or run-in really required?
 

Just picked up my new 991 C2 last evening, amazing car!
Took it to the service center this morning to remove the speed warning (in UAE it is mandated by law) and had a nice long chat with the service manager. Very nice guy, Porsche fanatic.

Down to the subject, which really confused me after reading numerous posts. According to him and he has a lot of experience, there is absolutely no need to drive the car in a certain way for 2000 miles.
He mentioned that the tolerances on the new engines (2008+) are extremely small and the manufacturing process will not allow the parts to run into each other.
He also mentioned that the engine is cold run on the dyno for 30min and hot run on the bench for 4-5h prior to installing it on the car.
And then there is final test before the car leaves the factory.
So in total, it equates to a run-in of 300km before the car leaves the factory.
Also there is no need to change the oil after 2000 miles, however I will do a sample check just to make sure there are no metal residues.

What do you guys think?

Just remember, the only manual that recommends a " break in period of 2000 miles " is the one for the US. There is no break in period recommended for any other place in the world for the 991. Some speculate it's because the US warranty is much longer than anywhere else. Whatever, I just varied the revs for the first 1000 miles but really used the car pretty much as I would use it anyway. It's my... I stopped counting how many Porsches I've owned, and I never had a problem. Have fun, that's what it's all about.

This has been a topic which has provoked many heated discussions here and on six speed. I will summarize the lengthy threads:

Leased Porsche:

Burn rubber leaving the dealership doing dough nuts in parking lot while screaming "see you in 36 months!" Then Drive directly to the nearest track check and see if the Launch Control works, whether the reports of 0-60 acceleration are accurate and if the top speed is really greater than 170

Purchased Porsche:

Immediately Fill tank with 93 octane
Check tire pressures
Check oil
No sudden stops to break in the brakes
Gently cruise home and wash and wax car
First start of day wait until fast idle stops until moving
Do not exceed 4000 rpm until 2000 miles



Hey, choice is yours. After all, the guys making the break in recommendations are just the folks who designed and built the car. Compared to everyone else what do they know?

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Wait until the oil temp is above 170. Don't lug the engine below 1000 Rpms.

Those are the only rules you really need.

No break-in period in Germany. Buy the car, let it warm up, take it to the Autobahn.

imho i like to break a car in gently for 1000 /2000 miles .at the very least it gives me a chance to bond with the car. in others words i sneak up to a curve rather than go WOT and lets see if i can make it through this turn.

Its interesting and telling that European cars for example do not have the break in procedure, whilst US cars do. Is it because european cars are generally driven at lower speeds (except germany), or that they take better care of them in germany etc so that over the life time of the car the break in period is immaterial, whereas in the US, the cowboys drive them like they stole them and that first few thousand miles of break in helps keep the cars working longer...

I'm sure it is all warranty related and statistics. It's a numbers game, and Porsche NA crunched them, and realized that the break-in period results in less warranty claims early on. Which obviously is ironic since any "negative effect" would show up later in the engine's life.

Porsche probably also realized that nobody will pick up a 911 and drive home on the Auobahn going 100km/h. :D

It's more about about breaking in the driver than the car and typical US drivers need this more than anyone.

The only new Porsche I've had which didn't burn oil is my current one for which I completely ignored the break in procedure. Babied all of my others, all burned oil.

My manual as well, it clearly mentions
"Running in occurs mainly in the first 3,000km (1,856 miles).
- Preferably take longer trips.
- Avoid frequent cold starts with short-distance driving whenever possible.
- Do not participate in Club Sports events, sports driving schools or similar events.
- Avoid high engine speeds, especially when the engine is cold."

Manual code is WKD 991 00 20 14 so I would presume it is European. Date is 02/13.
Also the warranty we get over here is 3 years factory.

Fun fun fun all the way!

My engine was so tight for the first few 100km, you could feel its reluctance to rev. Had I ignored breakin then, I would have ruined the car !


Been to Stuttgart recently for guided factory tour. This is NOT true. There is a compression test followed be a very short cold run of a few seconds on every engine.
Only 10-15% of the cars are effectively driven on the road !


Ignore that guy !

I'm in Europe, and breakin IS in the manual !

I've always followed the Porsche break-in procedure. Not easy, but worth it in my opinion. I also change the oil at the first 1,000 miles when new. None of my cars have ever consumed oil between oil changes (about 7,000 mile interval).

I have been told by two independent shops that the 2000 mile brake in was NOT needed for the engine but that Porsche knew the statistics and wanted to be able to completely minimize the amount of cars brought in during the first 7500 miles. By suggesting that a driver not go over 4200 for the first 2000 miles it helped lower "repairs" for new 991s and there by improve the company's quality stats.
I have a 2013 991S and have followed those guidelines but as I was told by independent repair shops, it really is not needed, engine wise.