Running in

There's a school of thought that says so long as you don't labour the engine, or hold it under a constant load, it doesn't really matter if you run it in the Italian way.

I always screw the company vehicles? As long as you don't keep doing it else they figure out its you. Just don't buy from a place with spotty young teenagers hanging around the sales room.

Much better tolerances in manufacturing mean that running in isn't so important these days.

I have a friend who used to do very high mileages and got through a great many new company cars. He learnt through experience that the ones he screwed from day one were always 'faster' throughout the time he had them than the ones he 'ran-in'. OK so he only had them for 2-3 years each and I doubt that many lasted much longer than that!

There's an interesting belief among some that if you don't run an engine REALLY hard for the first 20 miles or so, you don't pressurise the piston rings to the point where they bed in properly while the honing pattern is present on the cylinder walls.

I think the "research" came from the results of stripping racing motorcycle engines. Do a Google search for more on this.

Outside this, don't push it while it's cold is my simple motto.

The higher the quality of the engine then the more difficult it is to run-in properly. That is, if the engine is run-in with no appreciable load then the rings will not bed in with the cylinders which will glaze, the result of which is a permanently high oil consumption and poor performance. This has been very well established with medium and heavy duty diesel engines for some generations now. Some of the best are partly bench run-in using a cycle of part load to full load over a couple of hours. Others, like Perkins, recommend the first 50 hours to be operated at as near to full load as possible [after thoroughly warming the engine first] and to not use a superior oil for at least the first 300 hours because it needs to wear-in. People who have engines that use a lot of oil from new nearly always are the ones who take greatest 'care' when running-in. Most light duty engines don't need or appreciate such hard running-in as, for instance, the Perkins, but do nevertheless require a load to be applied. The best advice is to vary the load and revs and to avoid that 500 mile trip up the motorway on cruise control for the first thousand miles. Apart from avoiding that constant speed journey, the best advice is to forget about any running-in unless you are naturally a dawdler, in which case you should get just a bit more sporty for a few weeks.

Huw Please don't rev the balls off it when cold or in the first couple of hours from new. Be sensible. I might be the next owner;-)

"Robbie Mayhem" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net...

I had a friend who spent all his grans inheritance on a brand new Golf Gti a couple of years back. When he picked me up, with 37 miles on the clock, he continually showed me how well it red lined, and continued to do close to 140mph on the nearby motorway. Of course I had a play, and damn it was good, and when we got back after doing around 150 miles, he had to top up the oil as there was hardly any in and because of the 'burning smell'. He was the most irresponsible person I had met, however that changed when after around 12'000 miles (9 months later), the car went back for an engine re-build. He sold it less than 12 months later due to continuous engine problems, and because he ran out of money. I however, bought a Fiesta, that was an ex-demonstrator, and had not been 'Run in' at all as far as I'm aware, and it was the most reliable car I've owned. In 7 years I never had a problem and the engine was as smooth when I sold it, as the day I bought it. Live and learn eh!

I have heard this train of though too, and IMO the thought has some merit.

Same applied when I bought the missus a new scooter. Emphasised not staying at the same speed for more than a few minutes for the first 500 miles. Very difficult on a scooter!

Wish the idiots who drive around at a constant 50mph in their new 06' plates knew of this theory.

No (engine) oil consumption here and I caned my Alfa when it was new

- it was irresistible. Then I discovered that 'Italian Running In' was arguably best..yippee!

My experience as well. Run it in like you plan to use it, and it will treat you better, run smoother and loosen off faster then the standard "running in" process.

Just had reminder visions of the "Not The Nine O'clock News" skit, the one that took the micky out of the "built by robots, driven by Italians" advert. :o)

Deep joy....

PDH

And I ran in a new Fiat 1.3 Multijet the old fashioned way with a new oil filter and Mobil 1(French 5w40, and done and approved by dealer)at 1,000 miles. This too now uses no oil, is very free running and economical..

( This is not intended as bait for Hew ;)

Coincidentally I also have a new Panda Multijet. It has been run normally since new some 3000 miles ago and has not used a drop of oil from the first day. I am not saying you should hammer a new engine just that you should deffinately not go out of your way to drive it gently. Mine also goes like shit off a shovel while doing over 60mpg. The first oil will be changed at the recommended first service, not much before. I do think, going from experience, that it is a mistake to use such a good oil within the first 5000 miles or so. Don't worry about it though because there will likely be no problem.

Huw

Being one such idiot I do admit to a fair amount of 50mph motoring in my 06 plate Mazda. This is mainly due to maximising fuel economy rather than running in (average of 40mpg from a 2.0 litre petrol engine so far - pretty good eh?). However, in the first 500 miles I have done 75mph motorway journeys and wheel spins whilst pulling out of junctions as well as 20mph trundles through town. I have been told that Mazda and some other makes including Toyota run in their engines in the factory before placing into the vehicles - seems like a good idea to me.

Stu

You'd likely be horrified if you saw how they did it. The process is not completed in the factory in any case and you really should vary the load and speed over the first 50 hours [1500 miles] or so.

Huw

Supposedly things like the cams and followers need a certain amount of revs from the engine so they get a good flow of oil. ...but an old engine is stronger than a new one because of the heat/cool cycles. If you redline a new engine you're taking a gamble that a conrod might break. It's unlikely but it could happen. Also in general road cars are made with tighter tolerances than racing cars so that the engine is smoother and lasts longer. If you rev too high then you could overheat the crank bearings. There's nothing wrong with full throttle on a new car (with medium revs) but too high revs can be a killer. Some people say that their run-in car is faster than a new one and it's due the the bigger gaps. The key then is to stop the gaps from getting any bigger :-)

Maybe recent Fiat diesels don't drink oil regardless?