Break-in period.

[madhermit]

First post, and new to the forum. Trading in a 2008 Merc C350 for the purchase of a 2015 3.8 Genesis Luxury edition (Canadian), and the car is being brought from 200km (125 miles) away.
According to the manual, the break in period is 1000km (600 miles).

There are four main things they say to not do/do.
1. No sudden starts.
2. No sudden stops.
3. Do maintain the RPM between 2000-4000.
4. Do NOT maintain a constant speed for a long period of time.

The car is mostly driving 160km/100 miles along a highway. The driver will probably use cruise control, thus breaking rules 3+4.

When I called the dealer to express my concern (without telling them about the break-in period described in the owners manual) the rep came back on the line saying the Head of Service, and Head Mechanic both said there was no break-in period. I then read him verbatim what the manual says. He back peddled saying the driver wouldn't use cruise control.

I am concerned that no one there seems to know about this and that the car has already been driven there in an incorrect manor.

This is 20% of the break in period.

Should I be concerned?

Thanks

 

[Doc W]

I personally am of the opinion that constant-speed running should be avoided during the break-in period, but otherwise you should drive it like you stole it, then do an oil change at 600-1000 miles.

Considering the money involved here, I think it would be wise for you to enlist the help of a spouse/friend/relative and drive to pick up the car. It's only a 4-hour round trip for somebody to do you this favor, and you'd avoid the situation of always wondering if that's what you should have done. Every little vibration or change in fuel consumption might otherwise drive you nuts as you second-guess your decision to have the car delivered to you.

Just my $.02 ,

Doc

 

[madhermit]

Thanks for the input. I am in alignment with what you are thinking, and thought of offering to pick up the car.

But it seems it is already delivered.

The option for a new one is 6-8 weeks.

More opinions?

Am I being to whiny? At Mercedes, I was treated extremely well and never felt I was being pushy. If Hyundai wants to compete at this level, do they need to step up?

 

[Sal Collaziano]

There is so much controversy regarding break in for cars that I don't know where to begin. I really have no idea what to believe. I was told some cars have the motor broken in before it's delivered to the dealership.

As you mentioned - half the break in period has already taken place. And nobody, certainly not at Hyundai, is going to break the car in properly on that drive. 6-8 weeks to wait for another one would be beyond the capability of my patience. So I'd just take the car as is.

I'd love to see other people's thoughts, opinions and constructive criticism...

 

[JimB47]

First post, and new to the forum. Trading in a 2008 Merc C350 for the purchase of a 2015 3.8 Genesis Luxury edition (Canadian), and the car is being brought from 200km (125 miles) away.
According to the manual, the break in period is 1000km (600 miles).

There are four main things they say to not do/do.
1. No sudden starts.
2. No sudden stops.
3. Do maintain the RPM between 2000-4000.
4. Do NOT maintain a constant speed for a long period of time.

The car is mostly driving 160km/100 miles along a highway. The driver will probably use cruise control, thus breaking rules 3+4.

When I called the dealer to express my concern (without telling them about the break-in period described in the owners manual) the rep came back on the line saying the Head of Service, and Head Mechanic both said there was no break-in period. I then read him verbatim what the manual says. He back peddled saying the driver wouldn't use cruise control.

I am concerned that no one there seems to know about this and that the car has already been driven there in an incorrect manor.

This is 20% of the break in period.

Should I be concerned?

Thanks

I leased my car from a dealer about 125 miles away and drove it home using cruise control. The engine stayed at about 2000 rpm for two hours minus a few accel/decel periods. I generally kept the engine between 2000 and 3000 rpm under normal driving conditions for the remainder of the break-in period. I now have 4500 miles on my car. It runs flawlessly, the oil is still clean and it hasn't used a drop. Don't worry!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I leased my car from a dealer about 125 miles away and drove it home using cruise control. The engine stayed at about 2000 rpm for two hours minus a few accel/decel periods. I generally kept the engine between 2000 and 3000 rpm under normal driving conditions for the remainder of the break-in period. I now have 4500 miles on my car. It runs flawlessly, the oil is still clean and it hasn't used a drop. Don't worry!

I have a feeling it'll be fine as well...

What is the reasoning behind avoiding a steady pace during engine break-in?

 

[Aquineas]

I have a feeling it'll be fine as well...

What is the reasoning behind avoiding a steady pace during engine break-in?

I've always wondered that myself. But every new car I've bought says the same thing. Acura, Genesis, Fusion, V6 Nissans...

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I've always wondered that myself. But every new car I've bought says the same thing. Acura, Genesis, Fusion, V6 Nissans...

Maybe one day somebody will come here and explain it.

 

[Doc W]

I have a feeling it'll be fine as well...

What is the reasoning behind avoiding a steady pace during engine break-in?

I'd like to take a shot at answering this, and let me preface my comments by saying that the half-life of an old wives' tale is very, very long. . .

The theory behind avoiding constant-speed break-in is two-fold, electronic and mechanical. The former holds that electronic throttle bodies and modern engine control computers need miles to properly calibrate themselves, and prolonged operation at a constant speed "prejudices" the system to favor settings found at only that speed. This, as the theory goes, causes a "flat spot" whereby the engine runs very well at a certain speed and underperforms at other speeds.

Mechanically, it's a question of what happens during acceleration/deceleration compared to constant rpm and load. During acceleration, the piston rings are forced squarely against the cylinder walls, which trues them to each respective cylinder and "laps in" the rings. In effect, the rings then conform to the shape of the cylinder.

Conversely, deceleration creates a very low pressure in the combustion chamber (relative to the full power combustion pressures). This low pressure is exposed to the cylinder valves and the oil that gathers in and around the valve guides. This low pressure (essentially a vacuum), draws this oil past the guides and into the engine cylinders. This helps lubricate the cylinder rings in excess of what they receive in normal operation (constant speed). And the rings need this extra lubrication because of the excess friction created by the break-in process.

So constant speed should theoretically be avoided during the break-in period, since by definition if you're not at constant speed you're either accelerating or decelerating, and the above-described processes take place.

Modern engines are manufactured to better tolerances than in the past, superior lubricants are now the norm, and metallurgy has vastly improved. So as a practical matter the above descriptions have less and less impact on engine performance and longevity if they're not followed during the break-in period.

Anecdotal evidence abounds that "improper" break-in procedures have little or no detrimental effects. It's very common for cars to easily attain well over 100K miles of trouble-free performance even though their history clearly points to not having followed recommended break-in procedures: examples are found in rental cars, taxis, police vehicles and fleet vehicles of all types.

So I guess my opinion is that it sure doesn't hurt to follow factory-recommended break-in procedures, but I wouldn't view it as a necessity.

Doc

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thank you, Doc. That sounds like a good explanation.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Alwaysforward]

Ditto ^^ Thank You Doc.

 

[cane2025]

When I test drove my genni the sales person took me to a long stretch of road. Put the car in sports mode and told me to gun it once we turned into the long stretch. Then we turned around and did it again.... Lol. I guess we broke every rule of he break in period huh.....lol

 

[Alwaysforward]

My car came off a hauler and landed into a Miami dealers lot. I paid $200 to have it shipped to my local dealer to purchase the car. Car had very minimal miles on it which I presume is factory/port driving.

 

[madhermit]

Thanks for the input everyone. Sounds like my car only showed up today, so hopefully they coached the driver on how to drive it within breakin rules.

And Doc,
Thanks for that explanation.