Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been told by mechanics for the last 20 years to break it in the same as you drive. If you drive hard - break it in hard, drive gentle - break it in gentle.
This shows as well on older cars. You buy a car that was drove hard and it will have problems when driven lightly. I love how Volvo stated it "drive it like it was stolen".
Spend an hour or two in the car inn the garage or driveway reading the manual. Follow the manual's instructions and you will be advised correctly.
I like this site, and everyone has an opinion, buy at the end of the day, it is your car and your manual will instruct you on how best to "break in" and operate you new vehicle.
I have been told by mechanics for the last 20 years to break it in the same as you drive. If you drive hard - break it in hard, drive gentle - break it in gentle.
This shows as well on older cars. You buy a car that was drove hard and it will have problems when driven lightly. I love how Volvo stated it "drive it like it was stolen".
I bought a new car last week (a Corolla, nothing fancy.) Right now it's got less than 100 miles on it, and I'm planning on going away for the weekend. I know that you're supposed to be gentle on a new engine for the first few hundred miles and I don't want to damage the car right off the bat. The guy at the dealership said that "breaking in" a car is a thing of the past, but the owner's manual says otherwise. Am I okay for driving on the highway for 250 miles?
first you have to understand where this information came from. way back in the early days of the automobile, when you got a new car you had to go easy on the car at first because you were literally breaking in all the systems on the car. machine tool technology, casting technology, materials technology, etc. while state of the art in the early part of the 20th century, doesnt even come up to third world capability today. bearings had substantial high spots, cylinder walls had hard and soft spots, piston rings were generally hard, and the friction surface was uneven at best. same with the gears in the transmission and rear end. everything had to wear in together.
as things improved in all areas, this became less and less important. in the early days the manufacturers ran the car long enough to prove that it indeed ran reasonably reliably. today however most new cars already have a few hours of run time on them.
however procedures from the past have been handed down generation after generation without regard to the reality of the improvements made in all areas. since you already have a 100 miles on the car, my only advice would be to keep an eye on the gauges/idiot lights, keep your ears and nose open for any issues that might pop up, but otherwise drive the car like you would normally drive a car with 20,000 miles on the clock.
I don't know about Toyotas - but your advice is completely contrary to what is recommended by some brands such as Honda. Changing oil early as you suggest PREVENTS proper breakin. The manufacturer knows exactly what happens in the first few thousand miles of their engine's life. Many engines are packaged with a different oil than normal - because they want a certain amount of wear.
I would follow what the owners manual says.
A 250 mile trip, unless it was a single 250 mile leg at constant speed should be no trouble at all.
My suggestion is based on the fact that changing the oil/filter at 1000 mi will grab all the larger more damaging machining wash out. After that the smaller micron wash out will finish the job of lapping the rings/bearings into a proper wear pattern.
I bought a new car last week (a Corolla, nothing fancy.) Right now it's got less than 100 miles on it, and I'm planning on going away for the weekend. I know that you're supposed to be gentle on a new engine for the first few hundred miles and I don't want to damage the car right off the bat. The guy at the dealership said that "breaking in" a car is a thing of the past, but the owner's manual says otherwise. Am I okay for driving on the highway for 250 miles?
Take it out and stand on it. It will run better than lightfooting around with it.
And yes, at 1000 miles, or even a little before, oil change along with filter! Keep the filter oil, and the oil out of the engines crankcase and send off for an oil anylissis. dO THIS AGAIN AROUND ANOTHER 3000 miles. After that, you should be fine for normal oil changes.
If it were my car the last thing I would do is taking it on an extended highway trip before the first oil change. All of what I know tells me to load the engine heavy (not wide open throttle type driving but heavier than usual) during the initial break-in procedure. Logic would tell you that driving the engine gentle would be better... not so much. You want to keep revs down but have a decent amount of pressure on the pistons. Outside of routine driving I would find a nice hilly area and drive around just to rack up the break-in miles.
It kind of sucks that you are getting all this conflicting information. Choose wisely, do some google research. But ultimately I would have to say that an extended highway trip during this time is probably the worst option.
The best information comes from Toyota view your owners manual.
Not the 50 different opinions here. Everything I read says engine machining is vastly better than it used to be. Whatever people did 20-30 years ago just does not apply to modern engines. Most imports today want 5W-20 oil, which would never have worked 20 years ago. But now it is normal.
Thanks for all the input, everyone. The owners' manual does say to go easy for the first 1000 miles, but what I'm getting is that if I vary my speed, be mindful of the RPMs, and maybe even get off the highway and drive on the backroads for a bit I should be okay.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
