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Is there anything i should be careful with, i have got 230 miles on my TLX?

weather

^^ This is pretty hot debate thats been going on for years. Some will tell you yes, others will tell you its an ol' wives tale.

At the end of teh day, I follow the recommendation by the manufacturer (see owner's manual) where it is advised for the first 1000 km (~600 miles) to avoid long distance at constant speed, avoid hard acceleration or harsh stops.

But again, its not black and white (except the print in the owners manual....)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

What does the owners manual say?

tlxsteve

600 miles

BEAR-AvHistory

The manufactures write the instructions to minimize warranty claims. So its a good plan to follow the manual.

Remember its not just the engine you are breaking in. Its every moving part in the car.

fsttyms1

Pretty much this.

For the most part your engine is broken in shortly after starting it up for the first time. There really arent any parts inside that need time to settle/break in. Piston rings are about the only thing that will wear/seat themselves with a little time. Its the soft parts like the clutch packs inside the trans or brake pads/rotors that need the time to heat cycle/bed in to optimally work and last.

(I have had 2 J series engines, both with over 250k miles on them that were never broken in (driven at a constant speed for extended periods of time and were redlined often right from the get go) gently for 600 or so miles that still had the original cross-hatching in the cyls, bearings all looked like new, never burned a drop of oil (even with extended oil change intervals ranging from 12-20k miles) I did try to minimize hard braking and WOT shifts and or excessive shifting for the first few hundred miles

But this is just my 2 cents after having built many many engines in the past 20+ years, i have always started the motor, let it idle till normal operating temp is achieved (around the time the radiator fan kicks on for the first time), checked all fluids then went to town and never had a engine issue/failure

Quandry

The engine may not need special care but reports suggest that tires need to be handled gently for the first 500 miles. This applies when putting on new tires as well. But who really notices the difference if they have to be replaced after 25k rather than 30k.

fsttyms1

There is a difference in actual grip/handling as well when new. Also heat cycling them will also allow them to wear more evenly (ie not as prone to cupping, last longer grip better)

BEAR-AvHistory

A lot of tires still have mold release compound in the tread which needs to wear off. 500 miles on tires is pretty smart

Hoosier_TLX

Nothing official about breaking in of the engine, but my brother told me to drive it like I plan on driving it. He said the main thing is to vary the RPMs and goose it a little and baby it a little. He did say, he wouldn't drive it like it's stolen all the time, but have a little fun

I'm still planning on treating her a little gently for the first 500 or so miles, but I have gotten on it a few times and it's pleasantly surprising how quick the acceleration is.

Mr Hyde

I don't have much to add beyond whats already been said. I did the same, and was fairly good about being gentle on the throttle, etc. Even now a few thousand miles in, on a day of spirited driving, you can smell that new car rubber smell from the belts, etc on occasion.

The only thing I will add is to keep your factory oil fill in until the MID tells you to change it. Unlike other manufacturers, it seems from oil analyses that Honda does add some extra additives to that initial fill from the factory, so you don't want to change it out after 1k.

quintno

My dealer told me that the most important thing for the first 600 miles is to vary the RPMs. No problems with highway driving, just don't use cruise control during that period. I don't know if there's any validity to this bit of advice, but thought I'd pass it along.

weather

^^ I heard the same which is why I recommended the same thing in my earlier post....Myth or Fact? Bottom line, better to be safe than sorry I guess