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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-54.html)

I have often seen many BHPians taking new car deliveries mention that their dealer has told them not to worry about breaking-in their vehicle since modern cars are pre-run in the factory itself.

However, I recently read this article regarding the Corvette online:

https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...ue/4239195001/

The article mentions that the torque is limited for the first 500 miles allowing the engine to "break in" and preventing damage to it. Further, it also goes on to say that failure to break-in the engine can reduce engine power and lead to extra noise throughout the life of the vehicle.

Reading other online sources on this matter has left me confused and I wanted to know BHPians opinions about the same. Is this specific to the Corvette since it is a supercar?

Or, have modern drivers and dealers just forgotten the practice of breaking-in an engine (as the article says)?:confused:

Just check the owners manual and adhere to whatever it says.

Most regular modern cars/engine need virtually no running in.

It is not about modern drivers and dealers. It is about owners nor reading their owners manual and simply adhering to the instructions. For some reason many people will happily spend hours online on car forums discussing this very topic, whilst they ignore the instructions of the manufacturer

Don’t go with the internet, always consult your owner manual first.


Jeroen

As Jeroen says, follow the owners manual. Advances in metallurgy + synthetic oil means that running in isn't really required. However, some cars with Turbos may recommend not red-lining in the first 1000km.

However the one thing I'd recommend is avoiding use cruise control and driving at a constant speed on long highway stretches as it doesn't replicate patterns of cyclical loading.

I believe we should stick with what ever being mentioned in the manual. For my Rapid TSI, it is mentioned that for the first 1000km, the rpm/engine speed should not exceed 3/4 of the maximum permissible engine speed. I could still see people mentioning in our forum, that it is very hard to keep the rpm below 2000 (yes it is) in their Rapid TSI during running in period. As per the manual, rpm can go upto 4,500 rpm, let's make it safer and reduce to 4,000 or 3500. Still you have enough rpm band to play with during running in period.

Exactly a same situation I'm in, I just got my new Sonet last week and for some urgency I have to drive from Chennai to Bangalore, worried about the running in, as in owners manual its mentioned for first 1000 kms, not to maintain a single speed for long period of time (exactly what time period I don't know :unhappy) and to keeps the revs between 2000 to 4000 rpm, not sure it is possible in busy highway like Channai - Bangalore. Please let me know if any method you have followed.

Hi Ram, congrats on your new ride. Just keep varying the speeds and gears which definitely is possible on the busy expressway whenever you overtake or face little traffic. I was actually unable to retain stable speeds due to various traffic conditionslol:. Happy Motoring!

Hi bhpians need a bit of advice, I’ll be getting a new polo 1.0 TSI and will have to drive it from Mangaluru to Pune(740 Kms) within the break in period. Anything I should specifically lookout for other than the usual advise of regularly fluctuating the engine speeds?
Thank you

Check your owner manual and adhere to whatever it says.

The fluctuation of engine speed is mostly a carry over from the old times too, when we still had carburators and bigger tolerance on the engine components and also different materials.

The idea of fluctuating your speed would then accomplish different things:

it was to introduce a high pressure under acceleration to press the rings harder against the wall (due to cylinder pressure behind the top two rings), but not too long, as they cutting action would get the rings very hot in a hurry. The followup with a long coast did as stated: sucked a fair bit of oil up past the rings to lubricate the upper cylinder better and also give the rings time under lighter load to cool off from the preceding hard run.

Modern technique and materials and in particular also modern honing technique mean piston rings are just about perfect fit from brand new on!

As these engines had much larger tolerances there was an actual difference in the top dead centre of the piston under high RPMs, compared to low. The connecting rod essentially stretched a bit. The idea was to vary the speed, thus the RPMs’ to avoid getting a ridge in the cylinder.

However, with modern engines all of the above is rarely relevant anymore. So just follow what your owner manual tells you to do and worry about nothing else.

Enjoy your new car and your first long drive!

Jeroen

I bought a new Ecosport diesel Sports edition a couple of months ago. I scoured the entire manual and supplementary manual, but found no recommendation for the running-in period. All that I found was a piece of advice to avoid heavy braking and clutching for the first 300 kms, wherever possible.

However, I consulted other owners on the Official review thread and got suggestions on following the gear-shift indication on the speedo console and not to revv it beyond 2000 rpm. I followed it to a large extent, except when i needed to overtake quickly (had to cross 2500 for that), and in addition, I also varied the rpm often. For example, on a relatively clear city road, instead of driving at 40 kmph in 3rd gear, i used to change to 4th to vary the rpm. Heavy penalties for speeding over 50 kmph in Hyderabad city roads also kept the speeds in check.

Now that the car has crossed 1000 kms, I am no longer going to baby the car. Time permitting, I'll go for an early morning drive at rpms higher than 2000 just to enjoy the true potential of the 1.5 diesel engine. I also read somewhere that this helps keeping the DPF healthy in BS 6 engines.

You have found the official run in advice, given to you by the manufacturer in the manual. Why do you think anybody out on the Internet would know better? They don’t, so just stick to your manual and you will be fine.

Enjoy your car. Running in is mostly a historical carry over from years bygone, discussed by people on car forum whom don’t read owner manuals.

You do, you are the smart and enlightened one! Congratulations, good for you!

We have a thread on whether members read manuals and very few do. Your the exception rather than the rule!

Jeroen

True, the owners manual does not really impose any strictures on the running in period. Consequently, I did not sweat the small stuff too much on my Ecosport. Normal Indian city driving ensures that it is impossible to not have varying RPMs - so that was taken care of in any case. I did take it easy during the first 1000 kms after which I went for a 800 km round trip to Hubli where I gunned the engine on and off on the super smooth expressways. In other words, my RPM levels were consistently between 2000 -2500 RPM on this trip. In this range, the Ford TDCI engine has enough grunt to make rapid progress.

Any highway drive at higher speeds (60km/h and above) for 30-40 mins is good enough to clean out the DPF. High RPM driving (2000 RPM and above) would also ensure the same.

Hello to all fellow BHPians,

This is the first time I'm posting anything on this forum; and I'd like to begin with a question related to the Running-in of ATs.

I'm living in Jodhpur and as I write this my younger sibling is conducting a PDI on our new priced possession, the Endeavour Sport 2.0 (Black) back in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. (My promotion gift from dad!:loveit)

Post delivery, my brother (with driving experience of 2+ yrs) and a cousin (who drives decent enough, though I'm unsure about his skills on an AT) will be driving the behemoth across the states to hand it over to me, as I cannot go down and get it back myself; thanks to the pandemic causing cancellation of all casual leaves :Frustrati

As both are relatively new to the vehicle and there's miles of highway driving involved, I'm unsure of how and what has to be done in order to prevent unintentional damage in early days of driving the car.
(P.S.: I do not trust hired drivers, irrespective of their skills or anything. I prefer the owner drives his car himself)

Few things I'm stressing more:
1. Highway cruising speeds?
2. Maximum distances that should be clocked in a day? (Ahmednagar to Jodhpur is 1100km journey, I've scheduled a overnight hault for them at Ahmedabad, halfway through the journey)
3. Any other advice?

Hi GTO

The Seltos manual states that during running in period the RPMs should be kept within 2000 to 4000. Whereas as per the T-BHP recommendation - it should be less than 2000 for the first 1000 Kms. What should I really follow?

Would appreciate your guidance

A friend recently bought VW POLO HP Automatic. He was not aware of the run-in and since the 2nd or 3rd day, we kept on pushing the vehicle at high RPMs to taste turbo.

Though his car just went through the first service, all of a sudden he is complaining about the absence of that sudden neck jerk that he would feel when the race pedal is pressed completely.

Is he doomed?

For those who are yet now aware of the run-in and get to know about it after they have misused the engine a bit, are they in for a serious trouble?

I also own a polo, any polo owner can give me some advice on which Engine Oil should I use post 1000kms?

Thank You

With the new BS6 Diesel engines with DEF system (in my case its the 2.2l mHawk Diesel of the New Thar), what shall be the running in process?
As per the manual, it says drive smoothly upto 1000 kms.
I have driven it mostly at 2000-2200 rpms, not exceeding 80 kmph. Also drove at varying speeds of 60,70 and 80 kmph.

Now my concern is the DPF+SCR system along with the running in process.

What would be the best procedure to follow?