Does the BRZ come with break in oil?
 

I just bought a very low mile 2022. It has 1080 miles on it. It was put on the road in November, so approaching six months. I asked the dealer to do an oil change on it, as I have no way of knowing what it's previous life was like (Did they drive it two miles to work each day. track it , etc? So I am going to get them to change the oil before I take it home next week. MY concern is that maybe it has a break in oil, rather than the bulk oil they use at the dealership? They told me it does not, but I don't think the person I was dealing with knew one way or the other. Opinions appreciated. Tia.

At 1,000 miles you're plenty safe to swap out break-in oil. No worries.

Not sure manufacturers even use break in oil anymore. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to change the oil more frequently, especially after break in. There might be metal bits, shavings, oils that are present that need to be flushed out. I'm sure a big proportion of us on this forum do change the oil soon after break in.

I doubt there's any specific break-in oil from factory. I've rebuilt several engines and haven't come across any service manual for a modern regular engine that required it after a rebuild so I don't see why they'd use it on a factory build. My personal opinion is just go ahead and do the oil change.

IAG who built my engine has break in oil changed at 50 and 500 and Motul 0-20 at 1,500. This needs to be documented in order for the warranty to be valid.

The time for break-in largely depends on the hone and the hone finish. Even the types of stones used for the hone play a part in how fine the finish can be.

With some of our built engines, the hone spec is to a level that allows for a very fast break-in. Start it up, vary revs for 20 minutes (until the cooling system cycles a couple of times and oil is up to temp), change the oil/filter, and you're good to go... right onto the dyno or track. The solids that come from the second oil change on those builds is going to be similar to most second oil changes in that some break-in particulate is present, but minimal compared to the break-in oil change. It usually takes at least three oil changes to reduce break-in particulate to 'normal' wear levels. We once had an AMG that was on the high side for 5 until it leveled out to normal. That was alittle more nerve wracking, but I think the vario-cam setup had more to do with it on that engine. It really just depends on the level and how the engine was built, and they will all be different.

With a Subaru it's pretty standard practice to change ~1,000 miles. If I were to speculate I'd bet they use a conventional oil and the typical assembly lube. Nothing special.

Sure, but I'm not referring to aftermarket shops and their practices.

No special oils used. Just change it as per the service intervals.

Based on the changes in various noises changing from factory fill to Valvoline EP 0w-20 at 2,000 miles, it’s my opinion that it has some regular 0w-20 oil with assembly lube playing a small role in properties. It’s quieter and it seems due to flowing better in the heads.

Do you have a recommendation for a 20wt break in oil? I seem to only be able.to find 30 and 40wt break in oils in the market. I am planning to do a 300mi and then 600mi oil change and then good old mobil 1 after that.

It is doubtful that Subaru would put anything in a new engine other than fully synthetic 0W-20 oil. Don’t forget that there is an oil filter to take care of those bits that can trash the engine. The stuff that passes through the filter is so small and is held in suspension in the oil. Modern synthetic oils are pretty sophisticated chemistry and premature oil changes is false economy. The D4-S fuel injection system should not have the same oil dilution problem that some direct injection only engines have and then there is the intake valve buildup some cars have. The first oil change should be like the subsequent changes: time intervals and if the engine has seen severe use, oil should be changed more frequently. If the car was delivered to me with 1,000 miles on it, I would change it sooner than later. The company that I worked for had a fleet of cars and trucks. The oil was sampled from a cross section and they found that the engine oil was being changed about twice as often as necessary for the expected service life of the vehicle. In other words, the oil was not worn out and the company was throwing away a fortune, not to mention the environmental impact. Another benefit of the oil analysis was finding which vehicles to keep, repair or retire.

I'd go with conventional 0w-20 and use some break-in additive.

Are you installing a new engine or is this a factory new engine?

That's why EVERYBODY should use a magnetic drain plug and/or put a magnet on the end of your oil filter at all times !! Two simple things to do, to help with long engine life !!

Factory new engine and car.