New Car..first miles, running in ?

[SantiSuk]

40 odd years ago I had a student summer job delivering new leased cars all over the UK to company car users. Everything from the crappy Allegro to Lotus Elans. The pros in the garage and the full time delivery drivers even back then used to say that the running-in thing was old-fashioned. No need to cut down on speed but avoid high revving and particularly avoid labouring the engine.

The other thing I don't see covered here is the importance of not treating your motor like a priest or granny might (apologies to them) when it comes to the post-1,000 miles period. They used to say that an engine learns how it is treated. Drive it wussy in the early (post 1,000 stage) and you will always have a wussy engine. We were told to advise the customers on that basis. I could tell there was something in this - when I drove the sales reps cars back to the depot having delivered their new replacement the 'old' cars (typically 2 years old with maybe 100km on the clock) were extremely fast and responsive - ie the reps hammered them and that's how the car was set for life. Many director's cars on the other hand were like old grannies (except for the Lotuses and the Capri 3 litre jobbies - the latter would put you in a ditch as soon as look at you!)

Edited October 20, 2015 by SantiSuk

[williet98248]

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.....

Indeed. This post is correct. Your new car came with an owners manual. Read it and disregard all the other advice you get on this forum.

[Gary A]

I had thought that my new Isuzu would need to be checked and serviced at 1,000 kilometers. The service manager smiled and shook his head no. He said, bring it in at 10,000 kilometers. Also, no special driving break-in method is needed.

[mgjackson69]

"Break-in" for new cars had its day....which ended many years ago.

As others have mentioned, the advances in materials and manufacturing processes have eliminated the need for special driving procedures for the first <insert number> miles.

[LukKrueng]

In the old days the tools to make the engine parts were not very precise and there was a need for running in the engine. The cars would come out of the factory with oil which was a bit thicker than the normal oil needed as it was essential to smooth the engine operation and "collect" the small metal debris, thus was the need to drive as some posters described above and change the oil after 1000 km. Today the engines are machined by very precise told and no debris released. Therefore the cars come out of the factory with the normal recommended oil, no need to run in the engine, nor change the oil.

[taotoo]

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.

Saw a Porsche documentary and it was indeed 1/100 that get tested.