I had never heard of the 3rd gear, 30-60 routine but have always adhered to the 100/1000 mile oil/filter change, on all my vehicles. It's amazing (and a little scary) the amount of metal that's flying around in there during break-in.I've always done the 100/1000 route with a filter. Like you say, better safe than sorry. I feel it pays off in the long run.