New car "motor" break in period...? (page 2)

Dan-O

"They used to be cast iron blocks, but now I think they are all aluminum blocks.

Not sure if that's the reason. Does anyone know for sure?"

There's still a lot of iron blocks used. And the aluminum blocks usually have ferrous cylinder sleeves. Aluminum doesn't hold up as well to the wear of a piston sliding up & down against it thousands of times per mile. Before long, the bore is out of round & the engine is burning oil. Those God-awful Chevy Vega 4-bangers of the 1970s looked like mosquito foggers driving down the streets after a year or two. I know that the manufacturing process has improved since then, but iron still outlasts aluminum in such applications.

PointBlank

FWIW, I just bought a new GM vehicle and in the owner's manual it says to avoid constant speeds for the first 500 miles. It also says to stay with speeds under 55 mph.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

I never heard about the varying speed thing, but I have heard about the breaking in period where you're supposed to take it easy. However, regarding changing your oil for the first time, I have heard that nowadays the manufacturers actually use a higher grade oil than what you can buy for yourself, and that supposedly you're supposed to keep driving for 6 or 7 thousand miles on that before getting your first oil change. Not sure of that though, having never owned a new car at this point in my life, they have all been used cars.

Frannie Banannie

I just bought a new GM vehicle and in the owner's manual it says to avoid constant speeds for the first 500 miles. It also says to stay with speeds under 55 mph.

I'm with Pointblank on this. My now ex-hubby bought a new '67 Mustang back in '67. He was advised to keep it at or below approx. 50 mph for the first 500 mi. He didn't, of course, and within a week, he threw a rod.

Frannie

freedom96

Different sources sometimes talk about this break in period. The fact is, almost no pays attention to it, and their car does just fine.

Interesting side note though. I was at a BMW dealership talking to a salesman, and he actually said that the BMW will actually run better and stronger if you beat on it to begin with. Then it gets used to it, and reacts accordingly. Don't know how much full of crap he was, but I still remember it clearly.

EvilForce

"it get's used to it"? What is it a dog? LOL

Never paid any attention to the "break" in issues. Besides BMW allows you to pick you new car up in either Europe or South Carolina if it's an X5 or Z4 and drive it likes it's stolen for a few days before flying back to the US where they then ship your car to you. Most all the German manufacturer's allow you to do this. I highly recommend it :)

dannyboy

Although often ignored by buyers, the cars I've been acquainted with recommend at least some sort of break-in period.

Speaking of BMW: Here's a quote from a 2006 BMW manual: "Up to 1,250 miles: Attempt to vary both engine and vehicle speeds, but refrain from exceeding an engine speed of 4,500 RPM or a driving speed of 100 MPH. Avoid full-throttle operation and use of the transmission's kick-down mode. Once you have driven 1,250 miles the engine and vehicle speeds can be gradually increased."

The vehicle's brakes and even tires also need to "wear-in" to reach their maximum performance.

The vehicle's over-all efficiency and performance will be maximized by proper break-in procedures.

My two cents

---Dan

Englishman

Modern technology means that the moving surfaces on the bearings and piston walls are far smoother than they used to be. Consequently, less "bedding in" time is required for them to reach a completely smooth finish.

Changing the oil after the first 1000 miles flushes away all the minute flakes of metal that have been removed from the bearing surfaces. If left in the oil, they would start to become abrasive and cause increased wear.

Englishman.

New car "motor" break in period...?

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