[Drive_30]

I maintained the first 1k kms at 2k to 4k RPM and it has given me better mileage figures than one of my friend who has the same car who run in the car with a heavy foot

[Swarup5]

Never bothered about the run in across all the cars I've driven. Touch wood there was nothing unusual over years of usage.

Typically, the average usage I have completed is around 50K in each car and around 3L cumulatively.

As long as we are in warranty, we should drive the car as it is meant to be driven. Most modern cars don't have the run in mandated by the manufacturer themselves. Thanks to advancement in metallurgy and oils. So why impose the unnecessary restriction on ourselves unless otherwise mandated in owner's manual.

[v1p3r]

Almost every IC engined vehicle sold now has already had the engine taken from cold start to max RPM, and held there for a few seconds/minutes (depending on OEM test cycles) before it is installed in the car. So if you're sticking to low revs to save your engine from damage, it's already too late.

In fact, most exotics are taken for a brutal test drive in the hands of expert drivers before being shipped to dealers worldwide. If you drive around the hills of Emilia-Romagna in Italy, you might be lucky enough to notice they echo with the wails of large V8s and V12s, singing like God, Ferrucio, and Enzo intended them to.

The current run-in period helps the suspension, gearbox, and all forms of moving parts seat properly. This is crucial to the long term wellbeing of any automobile.

Having said that, despite working at an OEM and having watched countless engines being tested, I still baby my engines for the first couple of thousand km, and include an oil change before the first scheduled one. Most service guys think I'm loony. Guess I'm just old fashioned

[Sen]

Ran in the TSI by keeping revs low as recommended in the manual (2/3rds of the 6500 rpm limit I believe?) for the first 5000 kms. All I'll say is that it makes mechanical sense to not push the car from day 1.

For example, I did unspeakable double digit speeds in the first week on the highway (Nov 2020, gradually and in a safe, empty zone of course) , and the same thing just about a month ago, and the difference in stability was staggeringly obvious. The car when new had a sort of raw feeling to it, and felt like it was laboring to do what I asked in the start. Later on, it was relaxed and smooth doing the same thing.

Also, it's the revs that matter, not the speeds. To be safer than sorry-er, made sense to not push it and check your manual.

[WizSatish]

Drove across the RPM range without redlining. I believe it helped me to not have the dreaded DPF issue in my EcoSport. Currently 9200km on the odo without any trouble.

[ToThePoint]

Some things stick around and are passed on from one generation to another and are rarely questioned because it came from the elderly and hence (assumed) more knowledgeable folk. Same is the case with the engine run in.

However, there was a time when the manufacturing processes were not as technologically advanced or had as much precision engineering and robotics as we have today and hence it was recommended to bed in the engine before giving it the beans so as to prolong its life. Not any more.

But the belief continues; as majority will err on the side of caution when it comes to their prized possession ain't it? Like for ex: majority of the car buying/evaluating folk talk a lot about power/torque figures, but rarely do they check the rpm range where it's made and will rarely go beyond 2.5-3k rpm in real life as they feel it will "damage the engine" despite the engine being designed to make its full power at a far higher rpm. A mainstream car guy doesn't understand what 'redline' means, what 'v-tec' is n so on.

In fact what needs running in is the person who's getting in the driver's seat after he has upgraded to a high powered vehicle(bike/car) so as to understand the vehicle, the nuances and be able to remain in control at all times. Now that's something worth sticking to and passing onto the next generation!

Attaching a video from Ari@Revzilla debunking the myths:

https://youtu.be/xpoglovyy_8

Cheers.

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

I bought my Ignis from Kannur, Kerala. ....But still I am a little worried. I have decided to change the engine oil and oil filter when I go for the first service that's due in next two weeks.

Hi there again! Do not worry. I didn't follow any standard procedure and at 2121 kms it's still running buttery smooth. Smoother than it was initially and no oil change yet. My running is low at around 200-300kms per month due to weekend drives only and occasional short runs yet it runs like a charm.

[Jude300]

While one can vouch for certain only if they had compared 2 cars, one following proper running-in procedures and one without, no one knows the car better than the creator. So as a thumb rule it is best to follow the manufacturers guidelines.

I take it further by following a
- 5000 km running-in period
- driving at varying speeds
- maintaining low RPMs
- strictly avoiding sudden acceleration
- single person driving
-
and the other 2 very important things that I always follow is
- to always idle for atleast a minute or two before moving the vehicle after the first start in the day / if starting the vehicle after being parked for a while
- leave the vehicle to idle for atleast 30 seconds before turning off the engine (this greatly helps the turbo and the other moving parts

To follow or not to follow the procedure is pure common sense. Just like we train your body we need to also give it some time for the moving parts in the machine to settle down well.

[gauravanekar]

I am quoting myself from another thread.
I feel breaking-in is irrelevant in 4 wheeler.

Originally Posted by gauravanekar

A short note on running in:

I have worked three years in Two wheeler manufacturing plant and my entire 9 year career is spent in auto OEM factories. Nobody gives two hoots about engine rpm in any company when the engines are tested in test bench, when the vehicle is test ridden or when it is loaded onto containers by driving/riding it on ramp. Logic dictates that if at all higher engine rpm damages engine, it is already done. There is no point in babying the engine later.
However it is indeed true that all the machined parts, seals, cast surfaces will always carry some impurities at the time of engine assembly and these gets mixed up with engine oil and may act as abrasive material between moving parts. Thus it is advisable to run the engine at slow speeds to minimize the effect of bad oil on moving parts.

Thats why I practice engine oil replacement @ 50km ODO

When I had bought Pulsar 200, I had drained the oil with 50km on the ODO. I had observed that the oil was black yet the viscosity felt just right. What was concerning was that I had also noticed some tiny shiny materials in it (most probably metallic).

Armed with new oil (no new oil filter), I promptly drained the factory filled oil and refilled the mineral oil. The plan is to get the oil replaced again as per manufacturer recommendation @950-1000km. However, this time with the Suzuki the drained oil did not have any shiny metal parts in it, but the oil was black and dirty for sure.

Took the bike to office (25km ride), the engine felt much smoother, silent and the gear shifting had smoothened, didn’t notice vibration @4krpm prominently.

[BoneCollector]

We have followed the running in as suggested by the manufacturer for the last 3 purchases, Wagon R, Brezza and S-Cross. The cars have been doing good. I've posted snapshot from the manual. If you see, the DDiS of Brezza and S-Cross(SHVS) mentions 960kms (around 600miles) as the running in period whereas that of Wagon R mentions 1000kms (1.0 K series). I guess it's the same for Ritz too which we had and I did a proper running in. I've not faced any engine related issue. I religiously follow the turbo warm up and cooling in before and after a drive.

Brezza(DDiS)


S-Cross (SHVS DDiS)


Wagon R (1.0 K series)

[Taha Mir]

I wasn't a petrol head when I first started driving. So my brand new 1.5 tdci EcoSport in 2013 was thrashed from the beginning. Cold starts, redlining, hooning, burnouts etc. I didn't even read the owners manual until I grew a real interest in cars. Now I religiously drive carefully on a cold start, wait 1 min before switching off a hot engine etc.

At 55k kms now, it has made no perceptible difference in how the engine performs. All oil changes were done before the 10k kms mark. Engine consumes a minor amount of oil between changes ( in line with other 1.5 tdcis)

ALSO, new cars are driven like bonkers until they reach the owners hands. I've personally have done some
VERY spirited driving along with 2 brand new unregistered EcoSports being driven from the stockyard to the showroom

[ScorpioYadav]

More than the engine, suspension & brake components, it is the driver/rider who needs a running in with the new vehicle so that the man becomes a part of the machine & the machine becomes an extension of the man !!
It’s nice to gauge what the characteristics of the vehicle are, what it’s capable of & what it’s not, getting an idea of the corners & the clearance available etc. & it helps when all this happens at sedate speeds & RPMs without putting anyone at risk.

[OffRoadFun]

I believe idling before driving actually hurts the engine. Here is why:
The major wear and tear in any engine is initially, when the temperature is low, lubrication being low leading to higher friction. While intuitively it may seem logical to idle before driving so that optimal temperature is reached, the process of idling actually delays engine reaching higher temperature and consequently better lubrication. Based on this (read across many forums), it is actually harmful to idle and no wonder Toyota/Audi ALL recommend NOT idling.

Personally I avoid revving too high till engine heats up but many times NOT.

Apart from that, I think in my first three years of owning Audi 2.0T, I drove 50% more time in sports mode (=higher RPM) and in 80% of the rides will touch redline or close (RPM more than 5K). Have done 40k kms and engine is as smooth as ever.

Remember, car engines are run at full RPM for days in reliability testing and intermittently touching redline makes NO difference in my opinion.

It's like, again in my opinion, asking does your ceiling fan suffer if you run it at full speed for a night?
Edit: I realized this thread is about run-in of the engine, first 1k km or so. My post is more about revving and idling, later-on. I believe run-in should be done carefully, staying in limits specified by manufacturer.

Of course, it's all assuming proper service is done regularly and oil level is maintained well.

[dsuman]

It is tough to understand if the Run in really helped. It is always good to let drive easy till First 2 Services. Various components need to blend in with each other. Be cautious for the first 2000 to 3000 Kms. After that you can floor the pedal.

[Reinhard]

I have to say my run-ins never really ended at all! My current 2 cars are #3 and #4 that I have owned in my name over the last 16 years. I practically hate high revving in general. So mostly my driving remains always as if I'm running-in the car - even after a decade of ownership .
And whether it is pure luck, or the run-in like driving helps, I shall never know. But (touch wood) all through these years - I have not faced a single issue in engine-transmission and related electronics. Not once has the car spent more than a day at a workshop - that also, purely for routine services (except of course at body shop for 2 accidents). The only experience of "Check Engine" light glowing was when the glow-plugs lived out their designed life in the 1.3MJD.

So yes - superstitious maybe - but no matter what the car makers may say - I will always continue to run-in my cars (even an EV once I get one perhaps). No harm so far in doing so for sure. Then why not!