OCDetails Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I've heard that you need to 'break in' a new car. What does that mean exactly? This Legacy is my first real 'new' car and I don't want to screw it up by not taking care of it. I've bought cars in the past with only a couple thousand miles on them that didn't run like they should and I've had people tell me its because they didn't break it in right. I don't take delivery of the car till Monday and haven't had a chance to see if there are any instructions in the owner's manual yet. Thanks! _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Angus Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I've heard that you need to 'break in' a new car. What does that mean exactly? This Legacy is my first real 'new' car and I don't want to screw it up by not taking care of it. I've bought cars in the past with only a couple thousand miles on them that didn't run like they should and I've had people tell me its because they didn't break it in right. I don't take delivery of the car till Monday and haven't had a chance to see if there are any instructions in the owner's manual yet. Thanks! keep it under 4k rpm for the 1st 1,000 miles, vary your speed. at 1:30 in the morning, thats all i remember at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRS Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 keep it under 4k rpm for the 1st 1,000 miles I must be of weak character and have poor self control as I have violated this a few times already with only 200 miles clicked off. I've quickly learned that keeping the revs below 4k at all times is harder than one would think because the LGT just begs to stretch her legs. I've at least been able to keep the time spent in the forbidden zone to only a few seconds at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nKoan Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I've heard plenty of arguments both ways. I just finished my break in period, and after about 500 miles, I would start to rev it above 4k (just a quick rev, never holding it above 4k for very long). Anyways, break in isn't as important as it used to be, so taking it above 4k occasionally shouldn't be bad. But also, don't really romp on your engine yet. If you are cruising on the freeway, vary your speed and RPMs. The easiest way to do this is to shift a lot between 4th and 5th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 At 203.5 miles (as of last night) I am very much 'breaking it in'. I am just driving carefully off the line; careful with the clutch (which by the way does stink but not as bad and not as often as others have complained here). I am keeping the car under 4 RPM, shifting into 1st at about 2000 rpm and into 2nd and above at 3000+ rpm. If anything, I want to add to the discontent that there is little space around the pedals...they could have been more spaced out...and the gearing should have been more precise ... espec for the 3rd and 4th gears which sometimes i have trouble finding. I do not think a short throw shifter could correct that...if anything...that corrects the amount of travel (and height of the stick) but not the precision of the shift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Some people have too sensitive of noses f1anatic. My break-in method? Drive it fairly close to normal. Between 200 and 1000 miles, about every 200 miles I would raise that limit about 500rpm, so by 1000 miles I could shift at 6500rpm. I call it a progressive break-in. The engine now at 13,200 miles feels very healthy. It's been talked about before, but it's common sense, once you hit 1,000 miles, what's the magic difference that will allow you to all of a sudden hit redline? Nothing! So just drive it close to how one normally would but perhaps a little more subdued and vary the speeds, at least through the first 500 miles or so. Most importantly though, enjoy your new car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 jsut take it easy on the car for the first 1000 miles or so nothing to special is realy requried. some ppl are stricter on what they do or dont do. jsut treat the car nice baby it for a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest turboman Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I've heard that you need to 'break in' a new car. What does that mean exactly? This Legacy is my first real 'new' car and I don't want to screw it up by not taking care of it. I've bought cars in the past with only a couple thousand miles on them that didn't run like they should and I've had people tell me its because they didn't break it in right. I don't take delivery of the car till Monday and haven't had a chance to see if there are any instructions in the owner's manual yet. Thanks! Of the 30+ new cars I've had (all 4 and 5 speed manuals, most were Car & Driver's top 10 for that year) I'll take it easy for the first 50 miles or so until the hot paint smell from the engine stops, and then it's gang busters, I might shift at 5000 instead of redline for a couple hundred miles. Cars that are broken in fast will be fast. I that's what you're seeking. Never once had an oil burner as a result. All my clutches have lasted beyond 100,000 miles until I sold/traded it, if I kept it that long. Brakes probably need a fairly easy break in more than an engine so you don't glaze the rotors. Usually just driving it home normally the first day will be enough. I put in synthetic oil (AmsOil or Mobil 1) at 400-500 mi and change it between 7500-10,000 mi. Use the highest grade filters (AmsOil, Mobil1, Purolator) and don't change them between oil changes. Rarely have to add oil between changes, and never more than 1/8 quart (a cup) once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopwhoop Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Of the 30+ new cars I've had (all 4 and 5 speed manuals, most were Car & Driver's top 10 for that year) I'll take it easy for the first 50 miles or so until the hot paint smell from the engine stops, and then it's gang busters, I might shift at 5000 instead of redline for a couple hundred miles. Cars that are broken in fast will be fast. I that's what you're seeking. Never once had an oil burner as a result. All my clutches have lasted beyond 100,000 miles until I sold/traded it, if I kept it that long. Brakes probably need a fairly easy break in more than an engine so you don't glaze the rotors. Usually just driving it home normally the first day will be enough. The most important part is warming up your engine properly. More damage is done to engines during the first 5 minutes. whether the motor has 15 miles or 100K miles. WARM-UP. Allow your engine to warm up properly. You can run the car as hard as you want to no matter how many miles you have. If you talk to many engine builders they will tell you, they rebuild motors or have oil burners not because of HARD BREAK-INS but because of babying the motor, or not properly warming up the motor before running it hard. http://mototuneusa.com/ this mechanic has many publications on the idea of HARD BREAK IN. He is 100% for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankees25 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Re: How do you break in a new car? I've found that using a coathanger and then jimmying the ignition usually works. If you can't afford a coathanger, a rock through the window will work too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Yankee, now that's some good humor in all this seriousness. Sorry to those who are being serious, he just got a good laugh out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted February 6, 2005 Author Share Posted February 6, 2005 Re: How do you break in a new car? I've found that using a coathanger and then jimmying the ignition usually works. If you can't afford a coathanger, a rock through the window will work too. Not break into a car. lol Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'll be gentle on her for awhile. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Here is what I did: - Hit the rev limiter - Hit the speed limiter - Sand the brake rotors to ensure good contact - Shaved about 1lb of rubber off each tire to make them more streamlined and reduce weight - Replaced engine oil with Mobil 1000 Ultra-Hyper-Carbon-Fiber-Synthetic Btw, yankees25 we should meet up sometime, I live in Legends at Preston by the golf course. Mojo I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRS Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Re: How do you break in a new car? I've found that using a coathanger and then jimmying the ignition usually works. If you can't afford a coathanger, a rock through the window will work too. Just make sure you let it warm up before you drive off, unless of course you watched them just park it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengador1 Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 You want to drive your car easy the first 1000 miles. Then you can go rev happy. You should vary your driving speed and not stay at a single speed for very long. The new engine and transmission parts need to wear into each other so that they match up properly. This helps the brakes to grab better, the clucth grab better, the linings in the automatic transmission grab better, and the piston rings seal better. If you abuse your engine and transmission parts to early in their life you can ruin them, not to meantion you can end up with a burnt or glazed clutch and a seized up engine. You also need to go at least 3000 miles before you switch to synthetic oil or the engine will never break in properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengador1 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Here is a link to a controversial break in procedure I just found: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm Since my car was broken in as per manufacturers reccomendations, There is no way for me to know if this works. Don't blame me if you choose to break your car motor in this way and you destroy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest turboman Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 This strict break-in is one of the myths that still persist. Just like the 3000 mile oil change nonsense. Experienced mechanics (the older the better) still change their oil every 3000. They will never change their opinion. Mechanical parts todays are all mechined on NC machines that hold tolerances to .00001". Cylinder bores are automatic honed and air gauged to size. Gears are cut on NC hobs. (15 years as Industrial Engineer in machining environments). Can't remenber the last time I saw a new car that was an oil burner. Once and a while you hear complaints about oil burners in the "Letters to the editor" in magazines, etc, but it's very rare.These kind of clearance tolerances and quality weren't possible even 10 years ago. I wouldn't even try to argue with anybody about it. Before I retired I had 30 top notch certifed diesel mechanics (all were over 35 years old) working for me and every one changed oil in their personal cars at 3000. Many a time we had friendly, enjoyable arguments about it. I miss those discusions. If you believe that you dare not rev past 4000 until exactly 1000 miles have been driven, be my guest. (I'd bet you're under 28 years old) In the 30+ new cars I've bought I broke 'em in hard and they always seemed quicker than others. None was an oil burner. In the cars I kept until 100,000 miles I've never replaced a clutch or brake pads. The LGT is my 4th Subaru. Two ('96 Impreza, '98 Legacy Brighton) had over 100,000 miles with no warranty work or parts replacements. ....what the heck. Whatever turns yor crank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Well I used the general guidlines but like SUBE I broke it in progressivley around 500 miles I was revving to 4500 and 5000 and then by 1000-1100 I was going to 6000 and such feeling free to use the rev range if need be. But I don't agree that you should just go from 4k RPM to 6500 becuase of one magical mile, only makes sense to do a progressive breakin to me. Song of Post- Led Zeppelin- Your Time Is Gonna Come '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengador1 Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I actually revved it all the way up the second week I had it. One or two short bursts won't hurt anything. The engine did not feel as free then as it does now that the factory reccomended break in period has passed. Now it will rev all the way up with no problems, before it felt like it was holding back. I might have tried to controversial method suggested in the link I posted had I known about it sooner. It seems it would work if it is done right. It also seems that you wouldn't want to run the engine that hard all the time when it is new, it will break if you do. Breaking in the car does not only mean breaking in the rings. There are many other parts that need to "seat" to work to their maximum performance. One of these is the clutch. If you don't break this part in the right way, it will become glazed and slip. Unfortunately flywheels and clutch discs have to wear into each other before they will grab the right way. This info is for a stock clucth set up. You need to give the parts enough time to do this. For the clutch, about 300 miles of stop and go traffic should do it, before you try your first clutch dump. I also believe that breaking in the motor easy for 1000 miles will not harm it or reduce it's life expentancy significantly. For those that are wondering I am 46 and a Mechanical Engineer. I also have been working on cars on my own since I was 16. Hopefully I have learned a thing or two in 30 years. My latest project was the restoration and rebuild of my trophy winning show car, a 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT. I did all of the work on it except for the paint job. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/avengador1/sway1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/avengador1/IM000412.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/avengador1/IM000407.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skubdu Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Drive it smooth and vary the speeds when on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tytek Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 i agree with turboman. many of my mechanic friends back in europe held similar beliefs. i drove many of their cars and they all felt quicker. there is something to it. if you drive it hard right from the beginning they seem to perform better. sort of goes against logic, but makes plenty of sense in practice. he is also right about the improved machining processes and reduced tolerances. many of the engineers (Mahle, TRW Fuji, Arvin Meritor, Honda, Nissan, BMW etc) i work with say the same thing. the advances and tighter specs in metal working have tremendously increased lifespan of mechanical parts. but the japanese still have MUCH tighter specs and lower tolerances when it comes to part machining and fitment than the americans. not sure why... politics? cost? habits? i drove my car normally (slow and fast) from day one. had the car for almost 1.5 weeks and already put 3200 miles on it. my previous car, '04 Forester XT was sold after 6 months with 25k miles. has anyone of you sent their old oil for analysis? post results if you had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tytek Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 the other thing to ponder... many automakers in europe (european, japanese, korean etc.) advise in their new car manuals to change engine oils every 7,500-15,000 km (4,500-9,500 miles). i remember seeing one car company that recommended changing it every 30,000 km (18,750 miles). why such big discrepancies? at least over here in the US engine oils are much less expensive and thus pose less of a financial bargain to have them changed every 3000 miles. could it be yet another marketing gimmick to increase sales? who knows... just my $0.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LegacyGT330Ci Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Well that depends a lot on the oil that the car maker wants you to use. BMW expects me to wait every 15,000 miles or until the Service Indicator tells me its time but I always have it done after 7500, 15,000 just seems like too much to me. Song of Post- Pink Floyd- Hey You '05 Black Legacy GT Wagon 5-spd '02 Topaz/Black 330Ci 5-spd Drift Ryder's School of Rally Arts, coming to an Australia near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rc0032 Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 has anyone of you sent their old oil for analysis? post results if you had.http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7152&highlight=oil+analysis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Well that depends a lot on the oil that the car maker wants you to use. BMW expects me to wait every 15,000 miles or until the Service Indicator tells me its time but I always have it done after 7500, 15,000 just seems like too much to me. Song of Post- Pink Floyd- Hey You BMW uses synthetic for your 330 right? They do for our MINI which has the same service interval. One of my old customers who was an exec at Mobil told me you could reliably go 25K on Mobil 1 without changing the oil. The problem is not the oil, but the filter. The filter gets clogged before the oil breaks down. If there was any easy way to change filters without the oil, then you could really deal with oil changes at 25K. As cool as that is to hear, we are creatures of habit. Even when I used Mobil 1, I did my oil changes at 5K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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