Engine break in still recommended?

When I bought an ML430 2 years ago, the salesman said it's no longer necessary to break in a new motor. I didn't listen and did a "whip" method for 500 miles. 36K miles later, I don't need to add oil between service visits (10K mi.), engine is running strong, no spots in my garage floor; never had any engine-related problem at all.
I just picked up my new toy, a CLK55 AMG cab, and I heard the same thing. Now, I'm dying to let this baby rip and really having a hard time holding back! I have just under 200 miles and it still feels tight.
So what's the verdict on this???

Thanks. That's what I figured. Perhaps not as meticulously as in the "old" days but certainly, I'd like those rings to seat properly.

[BAd124]

I have never heard of anyone actually recommending no break in at all. Maybe less than a few years ago. My friend just bought a VW Jetta 1.8t and they said that it had a special type of oil to assist in break in(an oil that promotes wear??) so maybe manufacture are toying with new meathods to shorten initial tolerances. Unless it was a mechanic I would not trust this advice and even then it sounds foolish.

I think that oil that promotes better wearing-in is probably mineral oil, as opposed to ashless dispersant oil. I'm no petroleum expert but the way it was explained to me by Lycoming is that ashless dispersant keeps particles in suspension(which you don't want while the engine is breaking in, I suppose?) while mineral oil deposits it as sludge and stays at the bottom of the pan.

All I know is my first Mercedes (a 190E) wasn't properly broken in and I had oil drips, a rough engine and generally a dissapointment for a MB. After that lesson, all others after that were generally trouble-free and DRY.

So, I AM holding back the throttle on this one as well

[Ethan]

My`98 Mercedes booklet states a break in period for the first one thousand miles.
The magazine Race Car Engineering had a great article on break in periods some ten years ago. It did state that hypoid gears -rear diff- do benefit from a break in period.
Some cars, Ferrari, Lamborghini do or certain models have used test drivers taking new production cars for shake down drives at the factory before shipment. But rapid acceration within a certain rev range is probably less stressful on a new engine than lugging the engine on hills, steady state speeds for extended periods of time and even prolonged idling

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

I believe that in the owner's manual for the 2001 CLK 55, there is a recommended break-in period of 1000 miles. Check the owner's manual, it will probably mention something about it.