New Car..first miles, running in ?

[DisparateDan]

I believe that commonsense should apply when using a new car for the first few thousand km/miles..is this still the recommended practice ?

[bearpolar]

no you should never use common sense behind the wheel, in fact you shouldnt even use your eyesight

[Pomthai]

Drive gently and vary the rpm more often than usual. Use the entire rev range without thrashing it and minimize extended periods of time at a constant speed / rpm. Do that for the first few 100km or so and gradually ease into normal driving by the time you get to the first 1,000km. I personally would change the oil at 1,000km as well regardless of what the book / dealer says.

[petermik]

Most if not all new cars have their oil changed at 1,000 kms

[DisparateDan]

Drive gently and vary the rpm more often than usual. Use the entire rev range without thrashing it and minimize extended periods of time at a constant speed / rpm. Do that for the first few 100km or so and gradually ease into normal driving by the time you get to the first 1,000km. I personally would change the oil at 1,000km as well regardless of what the book / dealer says.

TVM, my question is answered.

[stevenl]

Most if not all new cars have their oil changed at 1,000 kms

Sure you can do that, but it is not recommended anymore by the manufactorers.

[ezzra]

Absolutely unnecessary to ' run' the engines in any longer, these engines are, and have been for 20 odd years, engines that

have been run on the test benches before going into the cars, these are not the old technology

oil burners, now days they're all fully computerized, sealed units, as much as an yesteryear mechanic

will not find his ways around those engines.. so go in, start it up, and go about your daily drives

as usual.....

Edited October 20, 2015 by ezzra

[streboris]

Modern engines shouldn't need running in, but it won't do any harm to hair on the side of caution.

Avoid 'labouring' the engine is the main thing. By that I mean use the gears and don't try to pull from low revs.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[JaseTheBass]

I noticed a distinct improvement after driving to Pai and back. No idea if it was due to some magic in the ECU or the engine getting more comfortable.

[Alration]

Absolutely unnecessary to ' run' the engines in any longer, these engines are, and have been for 20 odd years, engines that

have been run on the test benches before going into the cars, these are not the old technology

oil burners, now days they're all fully computerized, sealed units, as much as an yesteryear mechanic

will not find his ways around those engines.. so go in, start it up, and go about your daily drives

as usual.....

Agreed, except for the "sealed units" bit.

[David in the north]

Just don't let the engine 'labour'
Modern engines don't require much running in.
With the quality of today's oils I'd leave it till 5000 kms then change oil & filter or follow manufacturer's recommendations.

[thailanddogerator]

There is nothing to think about with new cars except driving above 200 kmh for a long time during the first few thousand kms.

[Don Mega]

I would grab the owners manual, read it and do as it suggests.

[hawksway]

Most importantly, avoid heavy loads like carrying 5 in the cab and 15 in the cargo bay for that first 1000 K.M. How fast you drive is less important, though avoid long periods of high revs for a week or two. Also don't flog the Turbo Charger as this puts more strain on the engine and in itself can pop.

[rapom]

Absolutely unnecessary to ' run' the engines in any longer, these engines are, and have been for 20 odd years, engines that

have been run on the test benches before going into the cars, these are not the old technology

oil burners, now days they're all fully computerized, sealed units, as much as an yesteryear mechanic

will not find his ways around those engines.. so go in, start it up, and go about your daily drives

as usual.....

Agreed, except for the "sealed units" bit.

No, engines ain't sealed units........Auto/manual trans are sort of, but not engines....

I believe ezzra is referring to the engines "ECU" (engine control unit) computer as being a sealed unit.

[Ace of Pop]

The O.P. refered to a Car not a Truck. 20 Folks tend to overload a nice Car.

[bazza40]

Don't thrash and don't labour the engine for the first 1000 km.

No two engines are identical. It's called statistical variability. So change the oil after 1000 km, and tell the "experts" to get stuffed. Yes, you may be in the 95% of owners that don't need to do it; however, if you are in the other 5%, you could save yourself a lot of trouble.

[TheFishman1]

First few days I would go easy on the brakes try not to hit them to hard more slowly and evenly

[georgemandm]

Absolutely unnecessary to ' run' the engines in any longer, these engines are, and have been for 20 odd years, engines that

have been run on the test benches before going into the cars, these are not the old technology

oil burners, now days they're all fully computerized, sealed units, as much as an yesteryear mechanic

will not find his ways around those engines.. so go in, start it up, and go about your daily drives

as usual.....

Very true

[bazza40]

Absolutely unnecessary to ' run' the engines in any longer, these engines are, and have been for 20 odd years, engines that

have been run on the test benches before going into the cars, these are not the old technology

oil burners, now days they're all fully computerized, sealed units, as much as an yesteryear mechanic

will not find his ways around those engines.. so go in, start it up, and go about your daily drives

as usual.....

Very true

Rubbish. You think every car manufacturer puts up every engine on a test bench before it goes into every vehicle? It's only the boutique manufacturers that can afford to do that, and it's reflected in the pricing.

With mass produced vehicles, maybe one engine in one hundred goes on a test bench, to verify the process is on track. 99 would go straight into the engine bay.

Do some reading on statistical processes, so you can avoid publishing drivel.

[Ace of Pop]

Drivel Young Man is the Lifeblood of this section.

[Ace of Pop]

First few days I would go easy on the brakes try not to hit them to hard more slowly and evenly

Why...?

No fin Idea.

[gandalf12]

Dont excessively rev or labour the engine. Just drive it in a proper manner. When I have been running my cars in I never let the engine exceed 3000 rpm others here may well disagree. If you have an automatic unless you do a kick down I doubt if you would exceed 3000 rpm

[northernphil]

I was surprised when I bought my second hand Toyota Virus to see by the tacho how things have changed . The power is at around 2500 rpm. Whats more we don't find snow and frost on the car in the morning. I think the only way to damage a car engine would be to start from cold and race it for the first 2 mins. These cars are designed not to break down . If the engine failed in the first 6 months it would be under warranty. Oh , these days we don't burn petrol by leaving the choke out and washing the bores of oil. Running in pah. Just be sensible.

[VocalNeal]

This topic has also been discussed ad naseum in the motorbike section. The key is to run the car for some short, high load runs a few times and then let it cool down then repeat/cycle about two times more. Lots of stuff on the subject on the internet. The purpose is to bed the rings into the bores rather than polish them and the bore by light load driving.

It is well know that sales reps cars are faster. Reason ? They are not babied, as they don't own them, and they are for the most part well maintained.

[bazza40]

First few days I would go easy on the brakes try not to hit them to hard more slowly and evenly

Why...?

No fin Idea.

Nor me..........

New rotors, new brake pads. The poster is trying to say brake pads need some time to bed in properly so they match the rotor profile properly.

Panic braking can screw that up.

[bearpolar]

Honda told me to not visit them for oil change b4 10 000km

same with chevy

dunno whats with your 1 000km

[Ace of Pop]

Antique Roadshow Comment. Just bang em on if needsbee.

[Ace of Pop]

Honda told me to not visit them for oil change b4 10 000km

same with chevy

dunno whats with your 1 000km

Honda dont make Trucks or sell Clonkers here.

[bazza40]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Perhaps you'd like to offer some facts instead of longwinded monosyllables - or don't you have any?