Focus Fanatics Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

How to break in a new car properly?

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 34 Posts
T

tvp90

· Registered
Joined
·
55 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello everybody,
Since my car will be arriving soon, I am wondering how to break it in properly. This will be my first new car ever so I dont have much experience on this matter. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.[:)][:)]
 
#2 ·
Read the owner's manual. It has a section on break-in. It varies by manufacturer but most will suggest not taking your car's engine past X rpms and vary driving between city and highway traffic until you reach X miles.
 
#3 ·
From the manual:

BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
Your vehicle does not need an extensive break-in. Try not to drive
continuously at the same speed for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of
new vehicle operation. Vary your speed frequently in order to give the
moving parts a chance to break in.
Do not add friction modifier compounds or special break-in oils since
these additives may prevent piston ring seating. See Engine oil in the
Maintenance and Specifications chapter for more information on oil
usage.
 
#4 ·
Tires and brakes also need breaking in; on a new car and whenever they are replaced. Try to anticipate traffic conditions and avoid any hard stops or hard cornering for the first 300 miles. Most people also "short" the first oil change - do it around 2000 miles. (1) There is more blowby until the rings seat, so the oil gets contaminated quicker, and (2) There is slightly higher wear at first, so there may be more particles in the filter. After the first, regular changes at the recommended intervals with a quality oil and filter.
 
#5 ·
I'm a firm believer in most of what the manual says, but also drive it like you plan on driving it. Just don't go WOT.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#9 ·
tvp90 said:
Could you explain this a little more? Thanks
Click to expand...
Is your question related to my comment about coming to complete stops? If so, it just means don't do a rolling stop. Make sure when you come to a stop sign (or whatever) you are not just sitting there still - make sure you have come to a complete stop by using your brakes. You will feel the difference when you make it a point to come to a complete stop. I did [:)]
 
#10 ·
lrbr30022 said:
Is your question related to my comment about coming to complete stops? If so, it just means don't do a rolling stop. Make sure when you come to a stop sign (or whatever) you are not just sitting there still - make sure you have come to a complete stop by using your brakes. You will feel the difference when you make it a point to come to a complete stop. I did [:)]
Click to expand...
You're supposed to come to a full stop anyways (we all know how many people follow that law [8D]).

But to your comment, what exactly is that supposed to help with in breaking in your car? thanks.
 
#11 ·
BetaDnB said:
I'm a firm believer in most of what the manual says, but also drive it like you plan on driving it. Just don't go WOT.
Click to expand...
This. Drive it exactly like you plan on driving.

One of the worst things you can do when breaking in is take it really easy and try to "ease" the engine into use.

Basically if you don't seat the piston rings correctly you'll be losing horsepower and fuel economy the entire life of the car. The best way to seal the rings is extra pressure; meaning, you have to occasionally push the engine.
 
#12 ·
I broke in my car with high variance in driving (from the very easy to the very hard) and the following speed limits.

0-500 - 50 mph
501-750 - 60 mph
751-1000 - 70 mph

I also used drive mostly, but mixed in some sport-mode and manual-mode driving in the later miles to get the transmission accustomed to all types of shifting. From my experience, it helps the DCT to give it some experience in some stop-go traffic to help out with the low-speed shuddering experienced. I noted the experience before, but now at 2050 miles, its absolutely absent.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#14 ·
entity said:
From the manual:

BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
Your vehicle does not need an extensive break-in. Try not to drive
continuously at the same speed for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of
new vehicle operation. Vary your speed frequently in order to give the
moving parts a chance to break in.
Do not add friction modifier compounds or special break-in oils since
these additives may prevent piston ring seating. See Engine oil in the
Maintenance and Specifications chapter for more information on oil
usage.
Click to expand...
Right now I'm considering buying a new Focus that's about 500 miles away, picking it up in person and driving it back. Bad idea?
 
#15 ·
hotleadsingerguy said:
Basically if you don't seat the piston rings correctly you'll be losing horsepower and fuel economy the entire life of the car. The best way to seal the rings is extra pressure; meaning, you have to occasionally push the engine.
Click to expand...
With the Moly coated rings on engines these days the rings are seated within seconds of the engine starting for the first time.

When rings were just plain iron and the bore finish was comparatively rough it would take several hundred miles to seat rings but that is not the case any more.

The moly coating acts as a lubricant and it is not unusual to still see the original honing marks in the bore at 200,000 miles.
 
#16 ·
Dgc333 said:
With the Moly coated rings on engines these days the rings are seated within seconds of the engine starting for the first time.

When rings were just plain iron and the bore finish was comparatively rough it would take several hundred miles to seat rings but that is not the case any more.

The moly coating acts as a lubricant and it is not unusual to still see the original honing marks in the bore at 200,000 miles.
Click to expand...
Exactly. People still talk about breaking a car in today like the cars of yesteryear. "My granddaddy once said... [giddy] "
 
#17 ·
Engine:

Place magnets on your oil filter. When up to operating temperature, drive the car enthusiastically. Lots of heavy throttle (about 2k away from redline), and lots of heavy engine braking. Higher gears preferred for heavy throttle, and lower gears preferred for engine braking. After 1000 miles drain the factory fill petroleum based oil, and replace with high quality synthetic. Drive as normal after that.

DO NOT:

Make lots of short drives down to the corner store.
Let the car idle much in the first few miles
Beat on it when it's cold
DO NOT REV IT AT A STAND STILL!

Tires:

If you can hear them, back off. If you can still feel the tread pattern through the steering wheel, they aren't broken in yet. The steering wheel will tell you when they are ready. You'll feel nothing through it, it'll be smooth like a babies ass.

Brakes:

No hard braking, no sudden braking, and certainly no ABS action for the first 350-500 miles.

In reality, modern production engines are mostly broken in after the first 20 minutes of use. The rest of the break in determines the compression the engine will have for the beginning, and remainder of its life.

Bullshit:

Heat cycling
MPH limits
Owners manuals
 
1 - 20 of 34 Posts
About this Discussion
33 Replies
24 Participants
Last post:
Elizabeth
Focus Fanatics Forum
posts
5.8M
members
203K
Since
2003
A forum community dedicated to Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about SVT performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Technical Chat Ford Focus Builds & General Showroom MK3 Focus SVT Performance (2002-2004) MK1 Focus