It's Easier Here.
Leith Cars Blog
Buying a brand new car is an exciting and nerve wracking experience. That new car smell, the tight and responsive steering, and the touchy accelerator enchant your senses… You pull your new car off the lot with extreme care, making sure to come to a complete stop and look both ways like it’s your first day out of driving school. Hitting the open road, you check your side and rear view mirrors for potential threats, but before long you can’t help but wonder what your new ride is really capable of…
You want to open that throttle and test out your new wheels, but the anxious voice in the back of your mind reminds you not to push it too hard, the car is brand new, and new cars need time to break-in, right?
Well, not exactly.
What is the Break-In Period?
For years the break-in period has been a widely prescribed step for preparing your new ride. The purpose of this procedure is to set the piston rings into the new engine’s cylinder wall and give the engine’s parts time to shift and seal correctly. In order to do this, some would advise to, “Drive under 55mph for [insert number here] miles”, “Drive at varying speeds and don’t use cruise control”, or “Run it wide open if you want it to be fast.”
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Needless to say, how to “correctly” break-in a new car has been subject to much debate, and the evidence supporting either side is anecdotal at best. In the past, car manufactures would suggest all kinds of break-in regimens, but modern manufactures have nearly all surpassed these procedures.
To Break-In Or Not to Break-In
From a conventional standpoint, the break-in period for your new car is very important, but from our modern standpoint, it is unnecessary. Our modern cars have superior manufacturing standards as compared to their ancestors, and trained engineers give them the break-in treatment before they reach the showroom floor. Unless it is going to cause you major anxiety to refrain from breaking in your new car, we say don’t bother.
Still, manufactures do suggest that you refrain from putting the car under a great deal of stress early, so don’t Tokyo drift your new vehicle out of the dealership. Just drive the new one off the lot the same way you drove the old one onto it, and it’ll all be fine. New cars are ready to drive; it’s what they were built for.
Don’t Forget your Maintenance
Breaking in a new vehicle these days is of little importance, but car maintenance is as critical as ever. Changing your oil as suggested by your manufacturer, maintaining your break, transmission, and power steering fluids, changing your coolant once a year, and preserving the interior and exterior are all important to keeping your car in good condition. Try to set up a scheduled maintenance time once every few months for your vehicle, and take it to your car’s manufacturer when it needs work. This will ensure that your vehicle is around for the long haul, and that you are happy with your purchase!
If you feel that your car does need work and are looking for where to take it, don’t hesitate to search our service locations for a team of engineers trained to service your car.
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