I'm still a few months away from delivery, but wanted to ask - what's the recommended 'break-in' period?


Also since my car is being built to order, I thought I read somewhere not to have it detailed right away (or washed?) in order to give the paint time to cure? My detailer says I should wax and put a coat of Teflon on the paint as soon as possible. He says the paint is sufficiently cured at the factory. Opinions?


Thx

 

During this Breaking-in period of 2,000 miles
(3,000 km) you should:
• Avoid frequent cold starts followed by
short-distance driving.
• Preferably take longer trips.
• Do not use full throttle during starts and
normal driving.
• Avoid continuous operation at high engine
speed and abrupt stops.
• Do not participate in track days, sports
driving schools or similar.
In addition specifically up to 1,200 miles
(2,000 km):
• Drive at varying engine and road speeds,
but do not exceed an engine speed of 4500
rpm (revolutions per minute) and a road
speed of 105 mph (170 km/h).
From 1,200 miles (2,000 km) to 2,000 miles
(3,000 km):
• Engine and road speeds can be increased
gradually.
• Engine speeds in excess of 5000rpm
should only be used briefly e.g. when
overtaking.
At all times, not just during the Breaking-in
period:
• Do not exceed 4,000 rpm until the engine
has reached full operating temperature.
• Avoid labouring the engine by operating
the engine in too high a gear at low speeds.

As for the immediate coat of wax and Teflon, I believe you misunderstood.
the dealer. He didn't mean YOU should put them on -- I'm certain he meant
you should pay HIM to put it on, so as to make some more money.

Go ahead a put a little wax on the wheels (to help with brake dust); wait a bit
on the painted surfaces. Consider getting a front end wrap with Xpel Ultimate.

 

Fast cut & paster,lol...yeah spelled out in the manual, between 1500-2k miles, fully broken in after that...enjoy when you get it!

 

Thanks - it wasn't the Dealer saying to wax and Teflon (exterior - not interior), it was my 'Detailer' - the guy I use regularly on all my cars. I'm questioning if I really do need to wait before buffing/waxing and if so, how long I need to wait.


Doesn't the dealer detail them anyways as a part of the prep out the door? They obviously aren't waiting.

 

every test drive I've done has been on cars with less than 50 miles and the sales people were more than encouraging of me red-lining them and driving like a maniac. So if a break-in period is something you believe in, probably best that you're custom ordering.

 

No need to wait, these modern paints are cured upon delivery...wax & Teflon away!

 

Why would a brand new car need to be buffed?

 

The salesman wants you to buy a car, he doesn't care whether it will potentially cause problems for the eventual owner of that test drive vehicle. So there is no real incentive to ask you to follow the break-in process during a test-drive. Knowing this I typically aim to custom order or purchase a floor stock vehicle that hasn't been used as a demo/test-drive car.

Now it can be argued that modern cars get some break-in at the factory, and the 2000 mile break-in period isn't necessary, but I see it as a bit of a risk reducer. It doesn't guarantee that you won't have an issue, but it avoids behaviors that will encourage future problems. At the least I always aim to take it easy for at least the first 500-1000 miles or so.

IMO, if you need to push the car harder in the first 2000 miles its probably good to at least do an oil change after that period to help flush the metal and other contaminants out.

 

I'll second Merlin's comments on the salesman's limited interest horizon. I was ready to pull the trigger on a 911 Turbo last year, but asked for a rev report. Sure enough, it showed over-rev's just a few hours back. Clearly someone turned it loose or someone who didn't know what they were doing missed a shift. No deal.

BTW, if anyone has read the "Confessions of a car salesman" at Edmunds, it's good reading to make you mindful of (and a bit sympathetic to) the guys on the floor.

 

FYI, was told that on my 2016 there is no break in period (by Dealer). I wonder where that came from?

Orkney

 

The same place sales projections come from? Should we get the doctor with a flashlight to check for us?

 

"And since there's no dipstick, there's really no reason to check the oil..."

 

Note on Xpel - had the front of my car wrapped. This Tuesday on SR-121 in Dallas, a highly energetic rock came flying towards me, but I was far enough behind the vehicle in front that I could swerve. Rather that hit dead center, it hit just on the far left edge, completely tearing the Xpel layer, but (it appears) keeping the paint below intact.

This stuff really worked!

BTW, have never seen a rock like that before. It was big and was bounding down the lane at an impressive speed. Many of the roads around Dallas have far too many rock truck and cement mixers.

Orkney

 

It's impossible to say whether or not a break in is worth while, unless the manufacturer has conducted a controlled study on engines broken in vs those not, and the frequency with each cohort experiences problems.

One could just as easily argue that failures are caused by break in periods. There's the same amount of evidence in favor of that theory.

 

I don't know for sure, but there's a lot of disagreement among paint experts about that. Any decent body and paint shop will tell you it takes 60-90 days. I realize that there is some "curing" at the factory after the robots finish spraying it on an assembly line, the body usually rolls through an oven-like facility, but I can't imagine it's for very long. That's what they call the "curing process."

Whether it's sprayed in a body shop or sprayed by a robot at the factory and rolls through a hot room for an hour, paint is paint, and it takes awhile for the underlying layers to outgas. I don't believe whatever they do at the factory fully cures the finish since cars move through the assembly process very quickly these days.

Most new cars probably sit for at least 60 days, and usually quite a bit longer, before they sell, so that takes care of it. However, we've had members here take delivery of F-Types 30-40 days after manufacture. It seems to me the smartest thing to do is wait 60-90 days after a build date before applying paint protection film or a coating. Let your new paint breathe . . .

 

[QUOTE=uncheel;1302549I was ready to pull the trigger on a 911 Turbo last year, but asked for a rev report. Sure enough, it showed over-rev's just a few hours back. Clearly someone turned it loose or someone who didn't know what they were doing missed a shift. No deal.
[/QUOTE]

You never hit the rev limited in your car? It's there for a reason, you know - only prob would be if someone floors it in neutral, which seems to be a popular pass time for drivers without the skills to do so when engaged ..

 

Not just during break-in, but always the best way conserve your engine