Since the break in period for identical cars sold in Europe is much shorter than those sold here, I suspect the longer break in for us is all about the driver and not the mechanicals

 

When I picked up my tourist delivery Carrera at the factory I asked about break-in. The Porsche rep who introduced me to my car said the most important thing to do was to vary rpms and not to cruise for extended time at one speed. Other than that, drive the car normally, which in Germany meant getting up to Autobahn speeds when desired. He said German drivers don't baby their cars the way many in America do.

I understood that there was some disconnect between what he told me, and what's in the US manual, not just from Porsche, but from the manufacturer of every car I've ever owned (with small variations) about break-in. Despite what I took to be his opinion, I couldn't just let go of 40+ years of experience around how to treat a new car. So for the first 500 miles I kept strictly to the 4200 rpm limit, bedding in brakes and tires as well as the engine. For the next 500 I stayed mostly under 4200 with occasional runs above 5000 and from 1000-2000 miles I drove the car more or less normally, with an emphasis on driving easier than usual, accelerating hard only when when necessary. After that, all bets were off, and in fact I ran my first autox with the car shortly after I got back to the US.

The point of this long winded reply to your question is that we each have different comfort levels about how we use our cars (and other things). Having never seen hard scientific data on this subject, I took what my experience has always been about new car break-in, added in what the Porsche rep told me, took into account my desire to have a good time with my new car in Europe, and came up with what seemed like a reasonable compromise, erring when possible on the conservative side.

Maybe it's not necessary to baby a car for 2000 miles although I understand why people want to follow what's in their owners manual. I also understand why people want to peg the tach right off the showroom floor, but it's not something I would ever be comfortable doing. Just my opinion.

 

The warrantees in Europe for identical cars are also generally much shorter and less comprehensive. In general, they also take better care of their cars than Americans do. There is no comparison between the conditon of a rental car in Germany compared to one in the US.

I follow the break-in recommedations indicated in any owner's manual. It has always served me well.

Any recommendation from the manufacturer is more qualified, reliable and credible than anything you might get on the internet.

 

Well good to see that the Porscbe kool aid is still being drunk with regularity

People still change their oil every 3000 miles vs what the manual recommends.....

 

I will stick to the advice of a professional over advice from the internet.

 

+1 yep....none of us track guys that I hang with totally babied our engines and none of us have any issues.
With my GTS I did a lot of full throttle to redline and engine brake compress and back up again for 500 miles....I was at the track at 500 miles.

 

Amen.

I can't imagine anyone test driving a P-car and not driving it hard (non-Cayenne). I haven't heard any salesmen warning about the "break-in" period, either.

 

Funny thing about perspective. Read something from me on the web and you're getting advice off of the Internet. Need for skepticism. Most probably.

From my perspective, the information I posted I received from a colleague in the business of remanufacturing and testing engines that I've have known for over 20 years, who has been in the business for nearly 30 years. Am I skeptical? Not in the least.

The purpose of my post was to give everyone something to think about and consider. I really don't care how any of you break in your engines. But I just can't get off the fact that in 1993 the good folks at Porsche AG in Zuffenhausen suggested 500 mile protocol, and in 20 years later are advising a 2000 mile protocol. From an engineer's perspective it just didn't add up.

Here's a little factoid thank might have you scratching you head. The oil change interval in large mining trucks had always been 500 hours of operation. This cost quite a bit in downtime (lost production) and created a problem regarding the environmentally safe disposal for all that dirty oil. A device was introduced that would meter filtered engine oil in the fuel return line to the fuel tank. This oil slightly diluted the fuel and was burned in the engine. Oil sample readings would reach an equilibrium as new oil was added each day in the topping off procedure. By running this cleaner, fresher oil, the change interval was extended to 4000 hours and the number of oil changes was reduced from 8 to 1. The filters were still changed every 500 hours.

So the next time you're worried about your "high" oil consumption, you may actually de doing the environment a favor.

 

And there you have it, all you ever wanted to know about all the best ways to break in your engine which I suspect for most readers confirmed their own opinions on the subect.

 

The give and take in this thread has been civil and interesting, with no one (yet) deriding anyone elses ancestry over their position. I've enjoyed the comments on both sides of the discussion.

Just a thought on the difference between the previous and current break-in instructions. Might it have something to do with the fact that in 1993 Porsche was offering hand built air cooled engines, while today they are water cooled coming off a mostly automated assembly line? Is it possible Porsche knows something about their own build procedures? I don't know how reasonable that argument is but there are, at least, significant differences between the 1993 and 2012 models.

To pose your question with a different slant, why did Porsche decide that it now takes 2000 miles to break in the driver when it used to take only 500, especially with a car that most would say is "easier" to drive and less idiosyncratic than it used to be? The "break in the driver" theory seems pretty cynical and doesn't really add up either, for me.

Again, absent hard data, I think it may come down to philosophy and individual comfort level. It sounds as though some here wouldn't mind buying a car that has been hammered to red line right out of the box. Personally, I would mind very much. I can't prove that I'm right to feel that way, but it's what I'm comfortable with.

 

Not sure this is a major issue guys.

With a new car, the first 1K miles go by very quickly, new car, eager & anxious driver, 1K miles go by in a couple of weeks or less. No harm in taking it easy for a few days since you will never get those first 1K miles back, so I would err on the side of patience and look forward to red lining it after that point.

 

I worked as lead test driver for Porsche's press fleet SoCA region. I would pickup new cars at local dealer & prep for loans to auto journalists. "Semi official" break-in directive from PCNA's press fleet dept was to follow guidelines in owner's manual & try to put 1,000 miles on it before 1st magazine loan.
This led to some tough weekends but somebody had to do it.

 

Byprovider,

I am most curious about your job with Porsche for Press fleet. Can you share with us more details please?

 

There is some good information here, and good arguments supporting the various points of view. That said, I can, and will post here, for all the world to see, and will stand atop a table in any bar from here to Deutschland and proclaim loudly that a car salesman will never tell a prospect to slow down fer God's sake during a test drive in order to adhere to a car's break-in procedures. In addition, if you purchase such a car, it is called a "demonstrator", and everyone knows, or should, that it is ragged on by tire kickers, the dealership owner's son on prom night, and the sales manager out for hookers and blow. Please do not base your break-in procedure philosophy on the fact your car salesman allows you to on a test drive. Really????

 

Good idea for diesel engines, maybe not for spark ignition...