New Car Break in period

[JFromjn]

I know I should RTFM but.... What is the reconmended break in period? I have 1500 miles on my car now and I have gotten on it a few times. I couldn't resist...

[joe603]

Welcome to NICO!

The first 3k is the most important. Different people have different ideas on what should be done during break in. My advise is to get the factory oil out now. All those metal shavings from the first startup and all of your internal parts breaking in, make the oil really nasty. After the oil change, vary your crusing speed and keep it out of the red until 3k.

...now lets see some pics!

[gjohnson66]

I agree with Joe603...get the factory oil our asap! You can do what you want, but I changed to synthetic the next day after I picked up my car. As for break-in, I was told (and I did) to keep it under 4000 rpm for the 1st 2000 miles and then slowly start increasing the revs from there. I'm at 6900 miles now on my '05 (yes, I know it's not that much and yes, I do baby the car) and the engine runs absolutely perfect.

[JFromjn]

Do I need to buy a Nissan Oil filter or can I go down to the local Autozone and buy a filter? Also, what brand and weight of synthetic are you guys using?

[redhed]

since some of you can't seem to open your owner's manual...

page 5-22 of '06 manual:

for the first 1200 miles........avoid driving for long periods at constant speed. do not run the engine over 4k rpms. do not accelerate at full throttle in any gear. avoid quick starts. avoid hard braking. do not tow a trailer or haul a heavy load for the first 500 miles.

as for oil changes: page 9-6. your engine was filled with a high quality engine oil when it was built. you DO NOT have to change the oil before the first recommended change interval!

now, what's so hard to understand about the advice of nissan engineers??

[The_Scooch]

As far as revs and driving style, I followed the owner's manual. But I don't believe the factory oil should be in there for the 3750. I changed at 2400 to synthetic and flushed out the engine, transmission and rear differential for the a complete change to synth. I was glad I did. The transmission was pretty clean, with only small shavings and metal dust in the oil. The rear diff oil was greyish black and the magnetic plug was caked with crap.

I do this on all my cars and bikes... run for about 2K miles and then flush everything out and start anew with synthetic.

[C-Kwik]

since some of you can't seem to open your owner's manual...

page 5-22 of '06 manual:

for the first 1200 miles........avoid driving for long periods at constant speed. do not run the engine over 4k rpms. do not accelerate at full throttle in any gear. avoid quick starts. avoid hard braking. do not tow a trailer or haul a heavy load for the first 500 miles.

as for oil changes: page 9-6. your engine was filled with a high quality engine oil when it was built. you DO NOT have to change the oil before the first recommended change interval!

now, what's so hard to understand about the advice of nissan engineers??

Most of an engine's break-in occurs very early in it's likfe. Some sources claim 80% within about 25 miles. While I can't confirm that figure, I would expect a good deal of it is broken in early on. In the interest of longevity, I'd change the oil and replace it with a good mineral oil. Consider that the manual is not necessarily written with maximum longevity in mind. from a big picure view of a company's bottom line, they really only need to get the vehicle through the warranty period. I'd prefer to have my motor last much longer than that. There is nothing wrong wit overdoing it in this case. I spend maybe $30 on a synthetic oil change(I do them myself). A mineral change would be cheaper. I'd rather be safe than sorry at a cost of probably close to $20.

[redhed]

Most of an engine's break-in occurs very early in it's likfe. Some sources claim 80% within about 25 miles. While I can't confirm that figure, I would expect a good deal of it is broken in early on. In the interest of longevity, I'd change the oil and replace it with a good mineral oil. Consider that the manual is not necessarily written with maximum longevity in mind. from a big picure view of a company's bottom line, they really only need to get the vehicle through the warranty period. I'd prefer to have my motor last much longer than that. There is nothing wrong wit overdoing it in this case. I spend maybe $30 on a synthetic oil change(I do them myself). A mineral change would be cheaper. I'd rather be safe than sorry at a cost of probably close to $20.

i guess it all depends on your comfort level. personally i think the manufacturer's recommendation are probably even more stringent then they need to be. todays engines are built with such precision as compared to 30 years ago that i doubt there really is much of a requirement for break-in other than drive moderately for the first 1 or 2 thousand miles.

i suspect most of the break-in "stuff" is for the other parts of the powertrain and brakes moreso than the engine.

[Tam Elbrun]

This is great information. I wish I had done more planning and research before I brought my 2008 G35x sedan home. Twice during discussions with the salesperson I asked what the breakin period was. He said 500 miles each time. The car now has 1500 miles on it, however since the 500 mile mark, the engine has been briefly (i.e. 5 - 7 seconds at a time) spun to 5000 three or four times.

I purchased the car on 12/31/2008 and have been reading the owners manual from day one, but just got to the section that talks about not revving the engine past 4000 rpm until after 1200 miles. A stupid oversight in retrospect. I should have hunted this info down first, instead of relying on the salesperson.

Now I wonder what the consequences might be? The car still seems to be running fine, but I have the sense that I could spend the next 5 years figuratively "looking over my shoulder".

The fact is that I am VERY careful with my car most of the time. I am generally a "5 mph over the speed limit" driver on the road. I hate to admit it but, in town but I accelerate in a "elderly" fashion (1) because it swills premium unleaded at about 18 mpg and (2) because it's been nearly 20 years since I owned a performance car and I want to keep it forever.

If anyone can tell me candidly what the potential consequences are for having accelerated above the recommended 4000 rpm ceiling prior to the 1200 mile mark, I'd be appreciative.

[rn79870]

If anyone can tell me candidly what the potential consequences are for having accelerated above the recommended 4000 rpm ceiling prior to the 1200 mile mark, I'd be appreciative.

I am not a mechanical engineer but my guess is that improper break-in would result in higher than normal oil consumption. I wasn't an angel with mine and in 1600 miles it has used 0.o oil. In short, I'd not worry much about it.

I'm planning on changing the break-in oil at 2000 miles, then about every 3500 thereafter. I know everyone here swears by synthetics, but I've used Valvoline forever and never had an oil related failure, so I'm staying where I'm comfortable. Your mileage may vary.

[Kendahl]

If anyone can tell me candidly what the potential consequences are for having accelerated above the recommended 4000 rpm ceiling prior to the 1200 mile mark, I'd be appreciative.

Don't worry about it. An occasional excursion above 4k during the break in period isn't going to ruin the engine. It would actually do more harm to continually drive it like you stole it AFTER the break in period.

[telcoman]

since some of you can't seem to open your owner's manual...

page 5-22 of '06 manual:

for the first 1200 miles........avoid driving for long periods at constant speed. do not run the engine over 4k rpms. do not accelerate at full throttle in any gear. avoid quick starts. avoid hard braking. do not tow a trailer or haul a heavy load for the first 500 miles.

as for oil changes: page 9-6. your engine was filled with a high quality engine oil when it was built. you DO NOT have to change the oil before the first recommended change interval!

now, what's so hard to understand about the advice of nissan engineers??

Thank you redhead!

There are still some men that can't or don't follow written instructions very well? Perhaps even some verbal ones!

Telcoman

[telcoman]

Do I need to buy a Nissan Oil filter or can I go down to the local Autozone and buy a filter? Also, what brand and weight of synthetic are you guys using?

JFromjn:

Welcome to NICO

I've been using Nissan filters that I purchase three at a time at the dealer. I use my Infiniti discount card. As for oil, I personally do not believe in using synthetic and I use 5w-30 Pennzoil, Quaker State, Castrol or whatever is on sale. I did my first oil change at just over 1600 miles and change oil my self every 3k to 3.5k miles. I personally do not believe paying $6 per qt for oil that is only going to be used for 3k miles makes economic sense. But that is just me. Do a search on this site for "changing oil". Lots of strong opinions on this subject. I've gotten over 200k miles on a few vehicles by changing my own oil every 3k miles or so and never used synthetic oil. If you are using your vehicle at the track and racing that is a whole different story.

Whatever you decide have fun & enjoy your G

Telcoman

[Tam Elbrun]

Thanks mr79870, telcoman, JFromjn, and Kendahl for your feedback.

I will not sweat the issue any further then. So far owning the car has been a remarkable experience. After years of reading car magazines and dreaming of owning a high-performance sports sedan, it is gratifying to find the reality is living up to my dream. Powerful, agile, sophistocated, and luxurious, it has provided an out-of-this-world experience the driver of a 2001 Subaru Forester is blown away by.

[zozoka1212]

Always good to see a happy owner.

zozo