http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm



Read it, he has some valid points!

 

Gee, I guess I should have run my 0-60 and 1/4 miles tests on the way home from the dealer.

Yes, he does have some good points. Thanks for the link.

-r

 

You know, I think he does have some valid points. When I got my 2002 TLS, I was told to take it easy for the first 500 miles. But I hit VTEC once and did the "rapid acceleration and deceleration" numerous times. Now I get 33MPG with the AC on, 4 passengers, and a full trunk all in the summer. I've run a 14.7@96.3 on the track and my car is stock. I'm hoping that if I break in my next car the same way, I'll be this lucky again.

 

so i have a quick question...i am going to be getting the car tonight (FINALLY!!) and the dealership is about an hour away from my house, so should i floor it all the way once in a while and then decelerate once in a while...can someone quickly summarize as to what i should do to get a good break in for the car...thanks...

 

So what happens if something goes wrong? At what point does Acura void the warranty?

 

jss1Agree

If this break in method is so good, and it can all be done in 20 miles (including the oil change), why wouldn't Acura do a quick break in on their cars (for best performance) before sending them out?

I think I will save some money then and buy a demonstrator from a dealer that lets you drive without a saleman!! Talk about the ultimate break-in! Those cars get so beat-on that their rings should be tighter than a Scwarzenegger squeeze!

 

I read the article, and I mostly agreed until I got to the end.

I am no engine whiz, but changing the oil after 20 miles raised a red flag that will probably be the determining factor in me not using his technique.

Because new automotobiles do have that break-in additive in it, I think you'd do more potential harm than good. It definitely made me feel like this guy has this technique nailed down for motorcycles, but not necessarily cars.

On the other hand, most of the recent new cars I have bought, the service department has told me that it is better for your car to just drive it normally, hard is ok, keep the revs from staying in the same spot, and don't hammer on the breaks until they wear in a little. Ohter than that, go nuts.

I won't beat on my car, but I don't think I'll redline it on the way home. That would just scare me too much, unless a LOT of people here can attest to its success. I will not, however, change the oil early. Running it hard should not produce "extra" metal shavings and ****. The oil filter will catch that stuff anyway.

Ryan

 

So who's going to follow his suggestions?

 

Not me. I am going by the book. No way I am risking the warranty. On a side note don't use any oil additives. A friend had his warranty voided when the engine gummed up.

 

I think the best advice is to drive the car as you regularly do, but don't keep the RPMs constant for too long. E.g. don't use the cruise control during break-in. Taking the RPMs to redline every now and then is fine. On the other hand, using a very light throttle and low RPMs during break-in is probably bad.

Make the first oil change when the computer says so.

-roger

 

In this case, I would follow the rules

I like to experiment too, but.... this is a serious investment. Its not your home chem lab where the worst will happen is you blow off your eyebrows.

Honda is the world's largest engine company, I think they know what they are doing.

 

not me, i don't want to take gamble on a car like TL...

and as someone mentioned...if it's reallie gd, then the DEMO car should be better????

the answer is no....

 

Hey Sam,

Sorry, off topic; how do you like the mud guards on the Anthracite. What are the Winter mats like- are they completely rubber? What color interior did you get? Thanks

 

yeah~!! i do like the mud guards...if u don't have a body kit, it works just fine there~

i live in TO and there are lots of snow, so i found it's very helpful~

the winter mats are very gd as well, it totally fits the interior and they are all rubber, easy to wash and they also fit on the 04TL as well~ =)

my inteior is ebony

 

Sam, Thanks. Ebony would be my choice as well.

 

Doesn't sound like a good break in procedure. If this was true, don't you think that the engineers would notice this and redesign the engine ? Japanese engines are known for their reliability, and the manufacturers have spent millions to R&D these engines to perform reliably. As everyone has stated about changing the oil, do what it says in the owners manual.

ps- with OBD 2 ECU formats the mechanics can read all sorts of trouble entries from your engine. Including how many times you revved it to the redline hitting the revlimiter. So if you beat the crap out of your car and the engine blows, they might see that it wasn't the manufacturer's defect, but your fault.

 

Just adding a little more to the already expressed doubts... I am not a mechanical guy, but after reading the article I thought: according to the guy's theory, increased pressure when you break it in "hard", makes rings wear to the exact surface of the cylinder walls. Maybe, but even during normal/easy break in, cylinder pressure is still in "thousands" PSI – in other words more than enough! Additional pressure (let's say max of 6000 rpm vs. max of 4000 rpm) shouldn't make a difference - it's just an overkill. Rings are already pushed against the walls as close as they can be! It may take more strokes to do the job, but it wouldn't change the end result. Am I right?

 

Sort of. This guy is saying to beat the snot out of the car IMMEDIATELY, which may do some of the things he talks about because there has been no breaking in yet. It kinda makes sense, but I'm not willing to risk it, considering NOT doing this with honda engines seems to get longevity out of them.

 

Why would anyone follow some advice you read on the internet instead of what is written in the manual? Is anyone more knowledgable than the manufacturer as to break in the car? My father gets over 200k miles on his Hondas by following the book.

 

I can do the hard acceleration and deceleration for the first 20 miles and I believe the synthetic oil principle but I don't think I will change the oil that soon.