Breaking In a New Car ...

I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
recommendations.

The stardard recommendation that you always read is for the first
1000km or so:
don't accelerate or break hard
don't let the RPMS go too high
don't drive at a constant RPM

My question is regarding item 2 ... not letting the RPMS go high. I
don't understand how it harmonizes with some other information that
I've read on the web. This post explains it real good
(http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.au...rnum= 1&hl=en)

***************************
Quote:

The reason for this is that when the car is brand-new, the cylinder
bores wear at a far more rapid rate than after the break-in period.
BTW, the accelerated cylinder bore wear is the reason that you have to
change the oil more frequently when it's brand new. Anyway, the bores
and rings are designed to wear until there is a smooth seal between
them for the best compression.
At different engine speeds, there are infinitessimal differences in the
total piston travel, i.e. when the engine is turning faster, the
pistons move a few thousandths of an inch higher at TDC and a few
thousandths lower at BDC. By running at a steady speed during the
break-in period, the cylinder bores will wear disproportionately in the
range covered at, say, 2500 RPM. Then, when you exceed 2500 RPM, the
rings will have to travel outside of the worn-in area. I'm not sure if
there's any danger of actual ring breakage, but at the least, it can't
be good for the rings.
*****************

So if you don't create high RPMS during the break in period wouldn't
you in effect be creating the same problem as a constant RPM ... ie:
the section of cylinder contacted only during high RPMS doesn't get
worn in properly?

I'm might be reasoning things out wrong ... so please let me know.
Item 1 (easy on the gas and brake) and item 3 (vary RPMS) makes
complete sense, but I'm pretty confused on the low RPMS thing ... when
I get the car should I baby it with low RPMS or will it be better off
to vary the RPMS accross the whole range?

Thanks,
Harry

On 29 Aug 2005 06:31:40 -0700, wrote:

>I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
>Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
>in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
>recommendations.

The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need
to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it.

wrote:

> I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
> Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
> in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
> recommendations.
>
> The stardard recommendation that you always read is for the first
> 1000km or so:
> don't accelerate or break hard
> don't let the RPMS go too high
> don't drive at a constant RPM
>
> My question is regarding item 2 ... not letting the RPMS go high. I
> don't understand how it harmonizes with some other information that
> I've read on the web.

My advice would to be to ensure that you use a broad range of rpm - but don't overdo it at the high end.

If you're a decent driver you'll actually feel the engine loosen up. OTOH I've heard that modern cars don't need such 'mollycoddling'. I'd
advise playing safe though.


Graham

> wrote in message
oups.com...

********Not much break-in is needed, if any..It is not nearly as critical
now as it was once deemed to be.

> The stardard recommendation that you always read is for the first
> 1000km or so:
> don't accelerate or break hard
********Dont drive like a wild Indian
> don't let the RPMS go too high
********Dont drive like a wild Indian
> don't drive at a constant RPM
********Your break-in would not be best done at 70 mph on Interstate 10,
driving for 9 hours at a stretch. (Although this probably wouldn't hurt
either)

Just do normal driving, pay attention to temperature, oil pressure, air
pressure
in tires.

Drive moderately, but you can certainly drive at maximum legal speed at
times.

Now, since this may be your first new car, let me recommend::

No matter what anyone tells you, I would (and have done with my own cars)
change
the oil and filter religiously at 3000 mile intervals. I have not had
premature
engine failures since I started this. Use whatever premium oil your
manufacturer
recommends, be it synthetic or petroleum. If you want to run it for 7500 or
15000
miles, it is your car but your view of economy is questionable.

Have your transmission serviced as per schedule. Ditto the coolant.

You might well learn how to do some of these items yourself.

Oil change, if you can do it yourself, costs maybe $15, plus your time.

Coolant changeout costs about $8 plus your time. Every 2-3 years
is enough.
Transmission filter and fluid refresh costs about $25, plus your time, and
is normally
done every 30-50,000 miles...Cheap preventive maintenance

2=2E Scott en Aztl=E1n Aug 29, 9:57 am

Newsgroups: rec.autos.misc, rec.autos.driving, rec.autos.tech
From: Scott en Aztl=E1n >
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 06:57:45 -0700
Local: Mon, Aug 29 2005 9:57 am
Subject: Breaking In a New Car ...

On 29 Aug 2005 06:31:40 -0700, wrote:

>I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
>Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
>in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
>recommendations.

The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need
to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it.

******

Thank you for your insightful answer , however, you might notice that
I won't be picking up the car until tonight and Hyundai does not make
the manual available online, therefore I don't yet have a manual.
Also, manuals aren't always the most thorough on such matters ...

Harry

> wrote
From: Scott en Aztlán >

On 29 Aug 2005 06:31:40 -0700, wrote:

>I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
>Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
>in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
>recommendations.

The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need
to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it.

******

Thank you for your insightful answer , however, you might notice that
I won't be picking up the car until tonight and Hyundai does not make
the manual available online, therefore I don't yet have a manual.
Also, manuals aren't always the most thorough on such matters ...

-------------------------------------------------------
First, please figure out how to properly include previous posts; it's
very hard to read what you posted, plus you included message header
stuff that doesn't need to and shouldn't be there.

Given all that, the BMW manuals are on line at bmwna.com, and
others, too, I'm sure. I'm sure that if you google for breakin period,
or peruse edmunds.com or similar you'll find lots of stuff, too.

For a cynical thought: "why do you care about breakin periods;
you've bought a car with a 100K warranty, go out an drive the
hell out of it."

Floyd

On 29 Aug 2005 08:11:49 -0700, wrote:

>>The answer: RTFM. The owner's manual will tell you EVERYTHING you need
>>to know about the break-in period. Learn it. Live it. Know it.
>
>Thank you for your insightful answer , however, you might notice that
>I won't be picking up the car until tonight and Hyundai does not make
>the manual available online, therefore I don't yet have a manual.

Nor will you need one until you actually DO pick up the car, at which
time you WILL have a manual.

DUH!

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 08:49:38 -0700, "fbloogyudsr"
> wrote:

>First, please figure out how to properly include previous posts; it's
>very hard to read what you posted, plus you included message header
>stuff that doesn't need to and shouldn't be there.

Does it surprise you that someone who thinks that random people on
USENET are a more authoritative source of information than the
manufacturer of their new car would be incapable of quoting properly?

wrote:
> I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai Elantra VE 5
> Door Auto) so I've been doing some reading on the best way to break it
> in. However, I've got a few questions regarding some of the common
> recommendations.
>
> The stardard recommendation that you always read is for the first
> 1000km or so:
> don't accelerate or break hard
> don't let the RPMS go too high
> don't drive at a constant RPM
>
Take advantage of combined wisdom of the hundreds of engineers and
designers employed by automobile manufacturers. That wisdom is
distilled on the Owners Manual as recommended break in schedule and
recommended maintenance. As a group those people have centuries of
technical training and experience in building cars that can easily
exceed 200,000 miles of usage if properly maintained.

wrote:
> I'm going to be picking up a new car tonight (2006 Hyundai
> Elantra VE 5 Door Auto)

Wow, 2005 went by real fast!