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Breaking In A New Car
Our Tip of the Week concerns breaking in a brand new engine. Obviously, in most cases, that means you've just taken delivery of a brand new vehicle. But it could be that you just replaced the engine on your high-mileage used vehicle. In any case, the first few thousand kilometres could be critical.
There's a few basic things that you should keep in mind. First of all, avoid sustained high-speed driving, avoid idling the engine. And wherever possible, try to vary your speed. If you're cruising on the highway, occasionally lift out of the throttle, then re-accelerate. A few other things to keep in mind if it's a tow vehicle or a heavily-loaded truck, the first tank of gas: I recommend that you drive the vehicle under light load conditions.
And something that I've always practised at the shop when we replace an engine, we always - if it's in the heat of the summer - drive that vehicle late in the evening when the air is much cooler. The hottest part of the summer, if you take delivery of a new car or replace that engine, leave it 'til the evening and drive it three or four hours that evening in the cool night air. Oil and coolant temperatures are significantly lower. It just makes life a whole lot easier on a brand new engine.
That's your Tip of the Week!
From the archives...
Fuel Filling TipsBattery Capacity
Breaking In A New Car
Checking Your Brakelamps
Flooded Engines
Fuel System Additives
Gear Shifter Positions On Your Car
Mechanical Fixes For Winter
Punctured Tires
Seized Spark Plugs
Spare Tires
Starter Motors
Proper Tire Inflation Pressure
Tire Noise
Tramlining
Under-Slung Spare Tire
Warming Up Your Vehicle
Winter Finishes
Winter Tires
Winter Weather
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