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-   -   ARTICLE: How to Run-In your new car (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning-car/67729-article-how-run-your-new-car-34.html)

I have just owned an ANHC where in i stuck to 60-70 kmph 2000 RPM till the first svce at Appr. 700 kms in 1 month. Aftet that i have touched 120-140 kmph occassionally, at 3000 RPM. I stick to 60-80 kmph occassionally going beyond hundred(only when provoked). Am at 1600 kms on odo currently. Is that good, bad or ugly?

That is not bad or ugly but definitely not good.

Every new car i saw in the NH-7 (mostly new Swift) were been thrashed mercilessly(sudden acceleration/120+ speeds)

I pity 1) The turbochargers 2) The second-owners of these vehicles 2/3 years later.

Off-topic:

Is there a way/sign/hints to find out a badly run-in vehicle?

140 is little higher for a engine under 1000 KMs, I hope this was for very small amount of time but rest things are fine and now you can drive your car the way you want (as it has crossed 1000KMs).

Badly run-in vehicles age faster, they are noisier and consumes more fuel! (Same case for improper cold started vehicles).

Well the cars these days are built with state of the art machines and technology. All new cars do not come with an initial break-in/run-in procedure like they used in to in the old days. The tolerances to which the engines are built to are so fine these days that no specific run-in is required. In fact, the engine oil, which was earlier changed during first service at 1000-2000kms is not changed now and the vehicle is just inspected during the first service, barring a few cases with German built cars ala VW and Skoda where the first service is itself at 15000 km.

However, needless to say that being gentle with ones ride would definitely increase the overall life of the mechanical parts. The only initial precaution one should take when running in a new car is to get acquainted with the cars features and dimensions before driving aggressively in my opinion.

I am not quite sure of the diesel motors though. These might require some special run-in techniques specifically the turbo-charged ones.

Oil change after run-In for the Honda Brio

It has been a few days since I have taken delivery of the Brio and I am following the run-in process namely:

- Not revving the engine above 2.5k RPM
- Constantly varying engine RPM
- Shifting gears smoothly according to engine RPM and road speed

I just did one high speed burst to ~100 kmph and ~3100 RPM for about 20 seconds on an open stretch of road just for fun to get a feel for the iVTEC engine on song. :D

The owners' manual does not specify anything (speeds, engine RPM) for the run-in period apart from mentioning that one should drive smoothly during the break-in process to ensure longevity of the vehicle.

My query pertains to the changing of the engine oil. The manual clearly specifies not to change the engine oil at the 1k kms mark and to change it only during the second service at the 10k kms/6 months mark.

Does this really hold good? Or will Honda invoke warranty claims if I do go ahead and change the oil at the first service? please:

Need your inputs.

The engine runs on Honda fully synthetic oil (0W 30).

Thanks,
gpa

If the manual explicitly asks you not to change the engine oil at 1k kms, why take a chance? At least for the 1st oil change at 10k kms/6 months, I'd advise you to follow the manual. For subsequent oil changes, you can pre-empt the recommended kms/time period interval once you've built some sort of a rapport with the ASC. I did the same for my Scorpio.

EDIT: Btw, run-in applies not only to the engine, but also to the brakes. Please ensure that you do not do hard braking for the first couple of thousand kms: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

Cheers,
Vikram

This is for all Honda Cars including the City. Engine oil is changed during second service only, so follow the manual and don't change the oil at first service.

How come you know that?

Will do. :thumbs up

It is mentioned in the manual. Also the sales person at the showroom made a special mention that the engine runs on a fully-synth brew.

Thanks, I guess its just second nature now after owning cars from the stables of Hyundai and Maruti to change the oil at the first service.

Yes, am aware of the brakes needing a run-in period as well and have used the brakes gently with no sudden stops or activating the ABS. Thanks for the informative link. :thumbs up

@GPA

If the manual says no oil change during first service, it really doesn't need one. However, if you insist and get the oil changed at Honda A.S.S., I don't see how your warranty can be affected. It will be affected by not changing the oil beyond the recommended period, not by changing before recommendation.

Our Honda Brio S MT is less than a month old and has run about 700kms.

The run in has been going ok with revs under 2k and no sudden braking, etc.

My question is - can I take the car out of town for a trip to the hills once it completes 1000kms and under goes the first service?

Yes, why not? I drive my city on the expressway 2 days after it was purchased. And j see no problems with it. After a first service, you don't have anything to worry about.

:) Thanks, I know I can take it out. What I really meant is 'is it recommended' to take the car out to the highway and hills so early in it's life?

I spoke to the customer Service Manager at Pearl Honda, Sec 52, who advised me to take care for not driving at very high speeds etc. and rest is all ok, even though he didn't sound assuring at all.

I then spoke to the Service Manager at Pearl Honda, Sec 37, who stated it is absolutely OK to take the car out with no worries at all. Drive like you would normally!

Feeling confused :confused:

I don't think any service manager or technician, or even any user manual for that matter, would recommend you to take your car out on the highway or the hills after 1000 km, but they wouldn't prevent you from doing so either. That is because once 1000 km is over, the car is now ready to be driven normally as you would use it for the rest of her life.

The only concern is to avoid heavily spirited driving, and sudden braking, in most situations, will be the result of the same. Otherwise, in emergency situation, it cannot be avoided, and hence that is not a consideration one should make.

If the above sounds diplomatic, then just let me put it this way. There is absolutely no problem in taking the car out of town now, as well as there will be no improvements to the engine life/performance by doing so either.

Hope I have made it clear enough to understand. :)