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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?
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?
You can drive it just about any way you want. You are perfectly OK driving on the highway.
Some engine geeks even advocate driving a new engine hard - to accelerate the initial wear-in of the piston rings and the cylinders.
But short of that - do not worry one bit. Engines do break-in - but you don't need to do anything special. It is common for fuel economy to improve in a car during its first 5000-10,000 miles as it breaks in.
I wouldn't accelerate too hard (stay under 4500rpm for the first 1500 miles for instance) and change the oil and filter relatively soon after purchase (maybe once at 2000-2500 miles), other than that, It's fair game.
Read the manual - the car shouldn't run at a constant rpm for long (aka highway cruising) during break in.
Agreed. Also change the oil/filter at 1000 miles to flush out the metals debris that is normal during break in of every engine. (Don't let anyone talk you out of doing this. It's the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy)
While other people don't know what an owners manual is it can be your best friend when it comes to helping your car last a long time with few breakdowns.
Sayantsi had the right answer IMO/experience. There really isn't a suggested break-in period anymore and I actually advocate driving the car hard to get everything worn in right. However, the only thing you can do to possibly cause issues is driving at a sustained RPM for extended periods. Basically keep the speed and RPM's variable and don't use cruise control for the first 1k miles.
Agreed. Also change the oil/filter at 1000 miles to flush out the metals debris that is normal during break in of every engine. (Don't let anyone talk you out of doing this. It's the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy)
While other people don't know what an owners manual is it can be your best friend when it comes to helping your car last a long time with few breakdowns.
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.
I think all you need to do is just drive it normally, as folks above said. Do not push it too hard.
And another thing, check around before ANY repair/maintenance whether:
- it is necessary,
- the price is right.
I especially mean those 10,000-20,000-30,000 or whatever intervals they have. Normally long list of maintenance(check tire pressure, check fluids level and other highly complicated procedures) with price tag x00.00 boils down to oil/filter change for x0.00. Yes, you need to look around and underneath to make sure there are no leaks, but you can do it by yourself or ask your friend or mechanic, when they change oil and car is on lift. Look for the marks(leaks) at the place you park your car, if there some fresh drops, be careful, it may be just water from your A/C or you may have a problem.
If it ain't broken, do not try fix.
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