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Breaking In a New Car ...

I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5 Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common recommendations.

The stardard recommendation that you always read is for the first

1000km or so: don't accelerate or break hard don't let the RPMS go too high don't drive at a constant RPM

My question is regarding item 2 ... not letting the RPMS go high. I don't understand how it harmonizes with some other information that I've read on the web. This post explains it real good

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***************************Quote:

The reason for this is that when the car is brand-new, the cylinder bores wear at a far more rapid rate than after the break-in period. BTW, the accelerated cylinder bore wear is the reason that you have to change the oil more frequently when it's brand new. Anyway, the bores and rings are designed to wear until there is a smooth seal between them for the best compression. At different engine speeds, there are infinitessimal differences in the total piston travel, i.e. when the engine is turning faster, the pistons move a few thousandths of an inch higher at TDC and a few thousandths lower at BDC. By running at a steady speed during the break-in period, the cylinder bores will wear disproportionately in the range covered at, say, 2500 RPM. Then, when you exceed 2500 RPM, the rings will have to travel outside of the worn-in area. I'm not sure if there's any danger of actual ring breakage, but at the least, it can't be good for the rings.

*****************

So if you don't create high RPMS during the break in period wouldn't you in effect be creating the same problem as a constant RPM ... ie: the section of cylinder contacted only during high RPMS doesn't get worn in properly?

I'm might be reasoning things out wrong ... so please let me know. Item 1 (easy on the gas and brake) and item 3 (vary RPMS) makes complete sense, but I'm pretty confused on the low RPMS thing ... when I get the car should I baby it with low RPMS or will it be better off to vary the RPMS accross the whole range?

Thanks, Harry

Reply to
fake.e-mail
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The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it. ;)

Reply to
Scott en Aztlán

My advice would to be to ensure that you use a broad range of rpm - but don't overdo it at the high end.

If you're a decent driver you'll actually feel the engine loosen up. OTOH I've heard that modern cars don't need such 'mollycoddling'. I'd advise playing safe though.

Graham

Reply to
Pooh Bear
********Not much break-in is needed, if any..It is not nearly as critical now as it was once deemed to be.

********Dont drive like a wild Indian
********Dont drive like a wild Indian
********Your break-in would not be best done at 70 mph on Interstate 10, driving for 9 hours at a stretch. (Although this probably wouldn't hurt either)

Just do normal driving, pay attention to temperature, oil pressure, air pressure in tires.

Drive moderately, but you can certainly drive at maximum legal speed at times.

Now, since this may be your first new car, let me recommend::

No matter what anyone tells you, I would (and have done with my own cars) change the oil and filter religiously at 3000 mile intervals. I have not had premature engine failures since I started this. Use whatever premium oil your manufacturer recommends, be it synthetic or petroleum. If you want to run it for 7500 or

15000 miles, it is your car but your view of economy is questionable.

Have your transmission serviced as per schedule. Ditto the coolant.

You might well learn how to do some of these items yourself.

Oil change, if you can do it yourself, costs maybe $15, plus your time.

Coolant changeout costs about $8 plus your time. Every 2-3 years is enough. Transmission filter and fluid refresh costs about $25, plus your time, and is normally done every 30-50,000 miles...Cheap preventive maintenance

Reply to
<HLS
2=2E Scott en Aztl=E1n Aug 29, 9:57 am

Newsgroups: rec.autos.misc, rec.autos.driv>I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5

The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it. ;)

******

Thank you for your insightful answer :), however, you might notice that I won't be picking up the car until tonight and Hyundai does not make the manual available online, therefore I don't yet have a manual. Also, manuals aren't always the most thorough on such matters ...

Harry

Reply to
fake.e-mail

The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it. ;)

******

Thank you for your insightful answer :), however, you might notice that I won't be picking up the car until tonight and Hyundai does not make the manual available online, therefore I don't yet have a manual. Also, manuals aren't always the most thorough on such matters ...

------------------------------------------------------- First, please figure out how to properly include previous posts; it's very hard to read what you posted, plus you included message header stuff that doesn't need to and shouldn't be there.

Given all that, the BMW manuals are on line at bmwna.com, and others, too, I'm sure. I'm sure that if you google for breakin period, or peruse edmunds.com or similar you'll find lots of stuff, too.

For a cynical thought: "why do you care about breakin periods; you've bought a car with a 100K warranty, go out an drive the hell out of it."

Floyd

Reply to
fbloogyudsr

Nor will you need one until you actually DO pick up the car, at which time you WILL have a manual.

DUH!

Reply to
Scott en Aztlán

Does it surprise you that someone who thinks that random people on USENET are a more authoritative source of information than the manufacturer of their new car would be incapable of quoting properly?

Reply to
Scott en Aztlán

New cars come with a standard factory fill motor oil that should be good for the whole break-in period.

I would let the motor run for a few minutes to get the oil where it belongs before driving it and I would avoid over-revving the motor of course.

But the big thing is to go over all the hose clamps, spark plugs, various nuts, bolts and wires, ect and make sure everything is tight and that all fluid levels remain or are normal.

Sometimes people make mistakes when they build a car and going over it good with your eyes and tools cant hurt.

After all its your car now and you are the one making payments on it.

Reply to
Hardpan

Take advantage of combined wisdom of the hundreds of engineers and designers employed by automobile manufacturers. That wisdom is distilled on the Owners Manual as recommended break in schedule and recommended maintenance. As a group those people have centuries of technical training and experience in building cars that can easily exceed 200,000 miles of usage if properly maintained.

Reply to
John S.

Wow, 2005 went by real fast!

Reply to
Old Wolf

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