Confirm Break-in driving

Question about any NEW car, not just our 2010 Prius...


I know that all the information I have gotten over the years says that during the break in period for any new car, that we should be gentle, and variable with the car... What I would like to know is what happens if you were floor the accelerator a lot during the break in?

The reason that I ask is that anytime that I have ever test driven a new car, I will floor it at least a few times during a 10 minute drive. I assume that everyone driving it for the first time may well do the same. What are the long tern effects for those of us who bought a new car with 50-100 miles on it, knowing that many folks may have driven it this way too?

 

The 70mph on the turnpike is the max speed. You should be able to stay on the next to the right lane going at 60mph/65mph without anyone running you over.

 

You want to avoid hard acceleration and excessive speeds (I'd stay under 65), and vary your speed. I'd also suggest taking a few 10 minute breaks at the rest stops to allow the parts to heat cycle.

 

Yes, right.... an prepare to spend 4 hours to drive less than 200 miles... fuel economy is great but we don't have to feed the false impression that the Prius is slow because it lacks power... come on, you can drive right at the upper end of the speed limit and still get great MPG as long as you avoid flooring the gas pedal... in the past I used to think that the Prius was just a darn scooter because every time I was behind one, it was going so slow... no need for that in the new Prius I think!

 

As well as being gentle on the accelerator, the owner's manual will talk about being gentle on the brakes for first few 100 miles but obviously not to the detriment of your safety or anyone elses.

 

That means the car was treated the wrong way. I made a point of ordering one that just rolled off the boat, but just for good Karma, over the years I have never floored the gas when test driving new cars.

Just to lighten up, there is probably no long-term effects with modern cars. After all, what if you bought a used car?

 

Should be fine. I'd do 65-70mph, and take the nice rest stops and stretch your legs! Enjoy the ride, and try not to keep the cruise control on the whole time, however if there are hills you may not need to even worry about that. (The varying rpm and activity might be enough as compared to speed.)

 

No one else has suggested this so I will. Have you considered avoiding the turnpike on your way home? Sure it would take you longer but you will be in your first drive in a new Prius so it wouldn't be a bad thing. The speed changes as you go from town to town would be great as a break-in drive. As a bonus you might get to see more of your state than a guard rail.

 

Actually, my car hasn't come in yet. The salesman already mentioned that the sales staff is looking forward to seeing how the AT features work. (Apparently they didn't get to go to a training session or anything.) I wonder if they might delay telling me it is in, so they can test drive it? I am also wondering if I shouldn't ask them to not let anyone drive it. I would like people to drive it, but I too worry that people might see how much "pep" she has. It's also a bit of a drive, or I would travel over there to make sure it wasn't on the lot. HAHA Now I'm just getting paranoid.

 

I told my salesman that I didn't want anybody driving my car (except the PDI tech) before I took delivery.

Fortunately, he said his dealership's policy on sold cars was nobody could drive or even sit in it, except the PDI tech and salesman (to fill up with gas).

It had 2 miles on it when I picked it up.

 

Keep it under 70mph. Vary your speed by a little bit. Varying your speed by more than 10 MPH is not required. No slamming on the accelator or the brakes. The accelator reason was mentioned above.

The reason for the brakes is more old school thinking at this point. It used to be so you can "bed" in the brake pads. Bedding in the brakes pads would require you to speed up to 70 and SLAM on the brakes. Get to about 10mph, and speed up again to 50. SLAM on the brakes again to 10 mph. 30mph, rinse and repeat. The whole key is to never come to a complete stop during this process otherwise you risk warping the rotors due to the heat of the pads heating one specific area of the rotors. After the last speed up-slam cycle, you are supposed to drive normal for at least 10 minutes to allow the brakes to cool down on their own. If you need to stop completely, you are supposed to put it in neutral or park without your foot on the brake.
All that cycling would "temper" the pads and rotors. So the thought now is that if you slam on the brakes on a brand new car, you risk warping the rotors prematurely due to the pads and rotors being fresh. I'm no chemist. I can't tell you if all that work will save brake pads in the long run, reduce your warping chances, or just trying to exercise your quads. But, if you ask me to be gentle with the brakes for the first 200 miles, I say it can't hurt and therefore recommend it to my customers.

 

Hey Dean,

You could always travel on the back roads....I can't believe you got a car before I did....lucky. They can not find mine yet. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear the feedback about your drive.

 

Elgmainz, If you jump on it constantly for the first 500 miles, you probably won't do any damage right away. It is the longevity that you risk by not seating the piston rings properly.

Again, there are two school of thought, and if you ask 500 80 year old techs, 250 will be on one side.

1) Piston rings need to be seated properly. If you jump all over the motor, you risk the rings not wearing properly to the bore of the cylinder wall causing an inefficient engine over the long haul.

2) Jump all over it. Cylinder bore tolerances used to be in the 1000th's of an inch. Now they are in the 10,000th's. If you baby it, you aren't building the necessary pressure to force the rings into the right places.

My advice, follow the baby it for 500 miles rule.

I buy the first reason. The rings are so thin, there is no way they are going to harm the cylinder wall. The wall will wear down the rings first.

 

I think I will tell them that I don't want anyone driving it. I hate the fact that someone who might have bought one wouldn't because they couldn't drive mine.. but I put a lot of money into this one.