How best to run in a 350 CDI engine?

[gtione]

I will soon be collecting my E350 Sport coupe from Bremen. I was wanting to enquire from a number of members what they would consider the most suitable way to run the engine in. Just returning home will put 600 miles on the clock. So what are the do's and don'ts?

Are modern day engines still in need of the same care as those from the past. Your input will be appreciated.

 

[kwakdonut]

You should be given all that sort of information when you pick the car up!

 

[coupe deville]

some advice here from honest john, Frequently Asked Questions | Honest John
I'm currently running in my company owned astra ecoflex estate.
i think the jist is don't mollycoddle it but don't thrash it either or let it labour in too high a gear.
not sure i agree with his advice to not change the oil for 10,000 miles, whats that all about

 

[320's Plenty]

As I understand it when driving a new car, it does not benefit from being driven at a constant speed/constant rev. Mixed driving, fairly gentle acceleration and don't exceed advised rev limits. It's should be all worth it in the end, especially if you intend to keep the car for a long time.

 

[iscaboy]

control throttle position, and of course max rpm.

flooring it at 1,000 rpm is a good way to bugger up a new engine, so is revving it to 5,000 rpm in neutral.

start the first 3,000 miles with no more than 1/3rd throttle and 50% redline rpm, then change the oil and filters.

 

[A210AMG]

^ as above if your planning on keeping it a while take it easy and get the oil / filters changed.

Saying that, Always remember an Accountant at my old job went round the Porsche factory. Round the back the brand new cars exit the factory and its a staight road.........woooosh, flooring it in every gear from cold in a brand new car.

The technicians repsonse was, if its going to break it will do it then?.....

You collect your car with say 4 miles on, little do you know its probably the hardest driven 4 miles of its life


Enjoy the car and the factory trip.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Ask them when you pick it up + It will be in your manual!

 

[NewMB]

I will soon be collecting my E350 Sport coupe from Bremen. I was wanting to enquire from a number of members what they would consider the most suitable way to run the engine in. Just returning home will put 600 miles on the clock. So what are the do's and don'ts?

Are modern day engines still in need of the same care as those from the past. Your input will be appreciated.

Ask them when you pick it up + It will be in your manual!

When I picked up my new C320 Cdi from Bremen in 2006 they actually told me (I didn't ask!) not to bring it above 200km/h (125mph) for the first 600mls and no redlining. Other than that, have fun.

My dear german collegues think very differently, pedal to the metal from day 1. The cars are built to handle it and if something breaks, you are covered under warranty.

 

[NISFAN]

As proved on countless race engines, the correct procedure is to warm the engine, and then floor it from about 500rpm above idle until around peak torque value (probably around 3000rpm on a 350CDi), and lift completely. The overun is important, and if an auto a gear should be selected to give some resistance.
Repeat this about 10 times.
Let engine cool by driving fairly slowly (cool turbo down) for a few miles without much throttle, then switch off and allow to cool down completely.

Repeat process above another two times. Then change oil and filter.

This procedure does the most important thing, and that is to bed the piston rings in. Properly bedded rings mean very low blow-by for the rest of the engines life, and reduced blow by means less corrosive acids in the oil, which means longer lasting oil and internals.

Oh, and all this is supposed to be done with mineral oil.

There is no way that a MB person will agree with this procedure, in fact I expect an uproar from fellow posters, but as I say this technique is well proven.

 

[BTB 500]

If you plan to keep the car for a while, treat it as M-B recommend in the handbook.

If not, then as already mentioned it doesn't matter much what you do.

 

[plusvan]

collected 350 cdi coupe from Bremen in May. As stated earlier important to warm the engine before using the revs and of course always let the turbo cool down before switching off. Enjoy the drive back and let the car take the strain!

 

[320's Plenty]

I've lost count of the bikes and cars I've run in, always listening to the supplying dealer and complying with the manual, but if this is true

When I picked up my new C320 Cdi from Bremen in 2006 they actually told me (I didn't ask!) not to bring it above 200km/h (125mph) for the first 600mls and no redlining. Other than that, have fun.

My dear german collegues think very differently, pedal to the metal from day 1. The cars are built to handle it and if something breaks, you are covered under warranty.

then I have learned something new today.

Engineering principles are ever changing.

 

[iscaboy]

it may be true for the new car buyer who intends to flog it 3 years later, it certainly ain't true for the bloke like me who buys it 17 years after that....

YMMV

 

[gtione]

I would be keen to hear of your personal collection experience. Also would be good to get your advice for the return trip... thx

 

[NISFAN]

The manuals often describe a soft run in procedure, which on a modern engine is the worst thing you can do, but hey ho each to thier own.

 

[Pottsy]

Nisfan is spot on.

You can read an article that almost exactly reflects his procedure here:

Running in - Civinfo Wiki

 

[gtione]

Interesting stuff, might make the trip back from the factory a lot longer than I first thought....

 

[Rory]

As proved on countless race engines, the correct procedure is to warm the engine, and then floor it from about 500rpm above idle until around peak torque value (probably around 3000rpm on a 350CDi), and lift completely. The overun is important, and if an auto a gear should be selected to give some resistance.
Repeat this about 10 times.
Let engine cool by driving fairly slowly (cool turbo down) for a few miles without much throttle, then switch off and allow to cool down completely.

Repeat process above another two times. Then change oil and filter.

This procedure does the most important thing, and that is to bed the piston rings in. Properly bedded rings mean very low blow-by for the rest of the engines life, and reduced blow by means less corrosive acids in the oil, which means longer lasting oil and internals.

Oh, and all this is supposed to be done with mineral oil.

There is no way that a MB person will agree with this procedure, in fact I expect an uproar from fellow posters, but as I say this technique is well proven.

I've seen that sort of thing before, but also with the comment that it's got to be done in the first 10-20 miles. So by the time you get a new car it will have been driven some distance plus the engine will no doubt have been left idling for some time.

I had quite a few years of getting new company cars every 2 years / 60K miles and, while I am mechanically sympathetic, I just used to drive them normally from day 1. Never had any trouble with any of them and, apart from a Cavalier with valve guide problems which were replaced, I never needed to add oil between services.

 

[prprandall51]

As proved on countless race engines, the correct procedure is to

I agree that running in is mostly about piston ring seal, but...

The requirements of a race engine and a standard engine are markedly different. A race engine must develop maximum possible power straight from the crate (which, I agree, means sealing the piston rings as quickly and as effectively as possible) and there is no opportunity to stick it in a road-going frame and run it in for 1000 miles before a race.

A race engine will have an oil change after every race and will be rebuilt after every race / few races / season (delete as appropriate depending where you fit on the scale from Formula 1 team through to Sunday morning racer).

If the OP plans to rebuild his entire engine once he gets back from the factory pick-up and then monthly thereafter then I would agree with your advice However, if he wants the car to run on to a ripe old age then he may want to make the running in a little more gentle.

 

[saorbust]

Some good advice - however.....

About 8 years ago I went to collect my CLK320 from Bremen. We had a personal tour of the SLK (personal because it was just me and my father - not the bus load you get now), and at the end of the SLK production line, one of the technicians drove a brand new SLK into a rolling road.

At the request of our host, we watched what he did. Shutters came down, and then the technician followed a computer guided driving simulation. Did approximately 10 miles. What stagggered me - flooring it in most gears, pulling the handbrake up at speed, etc. He basically rev'ed it hard and drove it with gusto.

I couldn't believe it - turned to my host and said 'Do you do that with all your cars ?' He replied - 'Yes sir. If it's going to break, we'd rather it did it here, so we can build another. This way we can be 100% confident in the integrity of the car - if it can do this having just been filled with oil, petrol, etc - then it will be fine when you run it in'.

He wouldn't confirm if they did this with Mineral oil, but he did say they changed the oil immediately after this test.

That was 8 years ago. I don't know what they do now, but I do know most MB's come with 8-10 miles on from the factory.