New Autos, break in periods, etc.

[Karen]

Well....one local dealership sells new Toyotas and Chevrolets. They hand out a page to all new owners and it covers both brands. It says that the Chevrolet engineers recommend a 500 mile new auto break-in, and that Toyota says theirs is 1,000 Mi.

Hmmm......so I can't help but wonder why such a large difference? Isn't a lot of auto technology the same, or dang close?

On the "transmission flushing" thread someone mentioned the octane of gas we would be wise to use and if I didn't do a brain-fart it was also said that we should use at least 89 during the breakin period, if not longer, even though the new auto book may say that 87 or higher is fine.

I have questions and curiosities about both issues.

[joshuatree]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

Well....one local dealership sells new Toyotas and Chevrolets. They hand out a page to all new owners and it covers both brands. It says that the Chevrolet engineers recommend a 500 mile new auto break-in, and that Toyota says theirs is 1,000 Mi.

Hmmm......so I can't help but wonder why such a large difference? Isn't a lot of auto technology the same, or dang close?

On the "transmission flushing" thread someone mentioned the octane of gas we would be wise to use and if I didn't do a brain-fart it was also said that we should use at least 89 during the breakin period, if not longer, even though the new auto book may say that 87 or higher is fine.

I have questions and curiosities about both issues.

It differs with manufacturers because it depends on how refined their engines are built. By refined, I mean how detailed the final engine components are machined. The expectation is that the break in period will complete the final machining of the engine components. Chevy might have taken a step further to reduce the break in period since they need to work on the quality image. Toyota may have chosen a longer break in period to cut costs on the final machining of the parts, they can afford to since they have the quality image going for them.

The octane issue I think is overrated. If the car manufacturer recommends a certain octane, just stick with it. A higher octane does not translate to more power if your engine wasn't designed for it. It doesn't translate to a cleaner engine either because that's more related to what additives are in your gas such as Chevron techron, etc. Higher octane means a higher detonation temperature, something critical in high compression engines. With older cars, this helps because there may be premature detonation leading to knocking and pinging.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

I think I've already more than abundantly made clear my positions in the tranny flush thread. (Go with 92 octane and yes, flush your automatic tranny once a year. If you plan to hang onto your car after the warranty expires and you want to keep it in top shape, that is.)

A couple of other things that a new car owner should do, to start on the path of good maintenance.

1) Immediately check all fluid levels. And I mean check everything. (Motor oil, transmission, coolant tank, washer fluid, brakes, power steering, etc.) Never assume that just because you are driving a new car fresh off the dealer's lot that all the fluid levels are okay. It is by no means a rare occurrence for something or the other to be low. And don't count on the dealer to do it for you. Check everything out yourself. And if you're not sure about something, have a trusted mechanic to give your new car the once over.

2) While you are at the mechanic, have him/her check that your wheel lug nuts are properly torqued and that you have enough air pressure in the tires. Once again, it is not rare for a new car to have low tire pressure or worse, to have one or more lug nuts that are loose. I've heard stories about some new cars having lug nuts that appeared to be hand tightened. Maybe in the olden days when the word "service" meant something, the dealers would check everything out with a torque wrench and air pressure gauge. But nowadays, you can't count on them for something as basic as this.

[oceanpacific]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

In the "old days," I worked part-time at a SERVICE station: in addition to filling gas, we checked the engine oil, automatic transmission fluid, radiator coolant, tire air pressure, and cleaned the windshield. For a certain minimum gas purchase, we washed the car.

These days, it's a GAS station, not a SERVICE station ...........

[Kelly0040]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

We just bought an 08 Toyota Highlander two months ago and we were told repeatedly that the break-in mileage was 500.

[Karen]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

In February we bought an '08 Corolla off the lot brand new and were handed a page that had the Chevrolet and Toyota break in instructions on it, and I was like, "huh?!" I can't find it at the moment, as it isn't in my hardcopy files with the other papers, (I just looked) but it clearly says that for Toyota the breakin period is 500miles, and for Chevrolet, 1000. I don't know why they didnt' hand you one of these, too. It does not say for certain models of either brand, just patently these amounts.

[Karen]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

I would edit this link into my last message on here if the program still allowed.
Here is a link to one of many forums that talk about Toyotas and they confirm that they were told 1000Mi. breakin, also.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=147061

Oh, PS! I want to have my windows tinted but not as dark as many I see. I read in the new car book that tinting windows can prevent the automatic tire pressure-reading system unable to work. dang! this technology is not many years old, so now gotta go slowly if at all, in tinting. Any of you have experience with this? Tint lightly? not at all? dark vs. silver tinting, is one best?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

On a typical Ford motor rebuild the recommended break in period was 600-miles. That allowed the heads to acclimate to the block. At that point you retorqued the head bolts, flushed or drained all engine and tranny fluids.

The flushing or draining allowed any metal deposits to be cleaned out as well as other contaminates that coat the parts on assembly.

On head bolts the initial break in period allowed the heads to be correctly torqued down on the block as the heating and cooling would sometimes loosen them. And as a warning, head bolts should NEVER be reused as they are considered flex-bolts meaning they are designed to twist as they are torqued down. This twisting to the torque rating allowed the bolt to relax and lock down to the specified torque rating needed.

Once torqued down they lose their tensile strength if unbolted from the engine block and if you attempt to retorque back to the same foot-pounds there's a good chance that you'll over stress the bolt and snap the bolt shaft.

In new cars it's virtually impossible to torque down the headbolts and expect them to stay at their specified torque rating one the engine has gone thru several cycles of running and shutting down.

[Karen]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

I do see value in changing the oil in a brand new vechicle as soon as the breakin mileage is reached. Don't know for sure what else will be done besides that.

[Nords]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

I do see value in changing the oil in a brand new vechicle as soon as the breakin mileage is reached. Don't know for sure what else will be done besides that.

I'm glad we buy 'em used and run them into the ground.

Loose wheelnuts? No problem, I understand the downside. $75K investment? Worth the cost & effort. But I wonder how many of the other items (500 mile breakin vice not 1000, flush transmission annually vice semidecenially, etcetera) actually make a difference on your average $20K vehicle. It'd be interesting to see the results of a Consumer Reports blind/controlled study.

I'm no gearhead, but during my active-duty days I saw the change from tearing pumps apart every year ("optimal performance") to only tearing them apart when there was a noticeable problem or a component reached end of life ("save money"). Fleetwide it saved a lot of time & expenses.

[Karen]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

Huh?~ 75K investment? I better gulp my giant teacup here cuz I don't know what this is referring to. Do we invest THAT much per car? I don't mean in gas.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

I'm no gearhead, but during my active-duty days I saw the change from tearing pumps apart every year ("optimal performance") to only tearing them apart when there was a noticeable problem or a component reached end of life ("save money"). Fleetwide it saved a lot of time & expenses.

PM's (Preventive Maintenance) is always a good thing to prevent catastrophic failure. It's just like staying fit by exercising and eating smart. If you wait until your body hurts, it's too late. That's why I call those check engine lights "Too Late" lights as the problem has encrouched on performance by the time that light comes on.

In a car you don't want your tranny or engine to fail on you while you're stuck in the left lane on the Moanalua Freeway heading ewa-bound at 5:30 on a Monday afternoon.

[Nords]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

Huh?~ 75K investment? I better gulp my giant teacup here cuz I don't know what this is referring to. Do we invest THAT much per car? I don't mean in gas.

Nothing personal, and certainly not me either. I just meant that if someone had serious coin invested in a car then they probably wouldn't be too sensitive to spending money for lots of maintenance. But for owners of "more affordable" autos, perhaps some of that recommended maintenance has no effect on the car's reliability or performance and could safely be stretched out.

PM's (Preventive Maintenance) is always a good thing to prevent catastrophic failure. It's just like staying fit by exercising and eating smart. If you wait until your body hurts, it's too late. That's why I call those check engine lights "Too Late" lights as the problem has encrouched on performance by the time that light comes on.

Darned expensive, too, and apparently not all of it was required to avoid that catastrophic failure. I drank the Kool-Aid for well over a decade myself, until one morning Naval Reactors woke up to realize they were running out of money. Suddenly all sorts of things shifted from "regularly scheduled" to "when indicated by declining performance or other situations". Gear that was "simple and rugged" was suddenly filled with all sorts of "embedded performance-monitoring sensors". I think the decision was made that it was no performance impact to let things run a little closer to the edge of the envelope, and a lot cheaper.

In a car you don't want your tranny or engine to fail on you while you're stuck in the left lane on the Moanalua Freeway heading ewa-bound at 5:30 on a Monday afternoon.

Nope, sure don't. But I'd be almost as annoyed to find out that I was spending more money on maintenance than was necessary.

I'm just suggesting that it'd be interesting to see an unbiased lab's testing of what's "don't drive without it" versus what's "no measurable effect on reliability or performance". We have plenty of "manufacturer's recommendations" which are a little hard to see as free of self-interest.

[oceanpacific]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

This may be just anecdotal "evidence," but consider this. I once owned a Nissan Quest minivan which ran for 165K miles (eight years) before I traded it in for a Honda Odyssey. Serviced regularly (every six months or 7500 miles, whichever came first).

My sister also had a Quest, but did not adhere to a regular servicing schedule - they're always "too busy." They ignored the cracked motor mounts, which led to the input shaft getting loose from the transmission and the car not getting into gear from time to time.

Their Quest only lasted to 78K miles (five years) before they traded, for LESS that what I got for mine. Come to think of it, they always seem to trade whenever there's a problem with the car.

Of course, there's always the consideration that what I paid for maintenance exceeded my increased trade value ..........

[Karen]

Re: New Autos, break in periods, etc.

Nords, thanks. I sometimes take something literally.....I understand ya,now.

Oceanpacific, yep we do the routine maintenance, the 30K service, etc.