"Breaking in" your Brand New Tacoma

Read this article today, I do not agree but do agree on the 1st Oil change. Maybe I'm just old school. Thoughts?

Do you still have to “break in” a new vehicle today?In a word, no. Lubricants and engine oil have come a long way, compared to the products of old; they protect metal parts much better than their predecessors. In addition, the steel and aluminum used for engine parts come from the factory already conditioned and treated, thus ready to run.The only caveat comes with that first oil change. Make sure you change your new car's oil and filter for the first time at 1500 miles unless otherwise recommended by the manufacturer. The reason? Metal has worn off while mating surfaces were established, and those metal scraps need to be removed from the engine before they cause long-term damage.

 

No break in from factory, drive it normal.

 

^X2 this

 

The only breaking in is the back seat...

 

2014 Owner's Manual says (p. 132):

 

^^ All of that is to avoid warping your rotors

 

Why would rotors be more susceptible to warpage from those things in the first 1000 miles, compared to any other time?

 

Because they are new

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

 

I still like to seat the rings properly (if they aren't). Doesn't take too much effort, and in case you do need to do it, you only get one shot at it. If they are seated from the factory, no harm, no foul...

 

Pretty much what I thought when I read the breakin info I quoted above. Babying it for a few weeks is a small price to pay for something I want to keep for 20 years, and if it doesn't really need it, it definitely isn't going to hurt anything.

 

I have heard the same, that they need no break in. I personally would rather be safe than sorry. Many break-in oils contain zinc and phosphorous, I guess modern materials may not need it.

The other thing not mentioned is to avoid extended periods of steady speed or RPM during break in.

 

On the contrary. I don't think you want to baby the vehicle at all. Here's the way I do it, right, wrong, or otherwise:

Good accelerations putting the engine under about 75% load. The key is not to "race" the engine and get rapid RPM changes in accelerations or decelerations. For this engine, I would go to the 3000-3500 rpm range a few times in the first 500 miles when the engine/oil is good and hot, after about 15-20 minutes of normal driving. The best way to do this IMO is in the 25-55mph range.

Would like to hear others' opinions.

 

I usually try to vary the engine speeds....55mph up to 80mph for very short durations, then cruise around the speed limit which around here is 60 to 65mph. I do this for the first 500 miles, then I drive it like the bank doesn't own it!

 

Smoke show in the dealer parking lot. Get rubber spray on their front window.

 

FYI... all modern engines are broken in during load testing at the factory.

 

Agreed! All the engine's I've rebuilt were broken in with the "drive it like you stole it" and "beat it like a red-headed stepchild" sort of mentality with perfect long-term results. IMHO the worst possible thing to do to a new engine is to idle and baby it as it causes glazing of the cylinder walls and subsequent oil consumption.

Now brakes on the other hand - yeah, hard braking before the rotors and pads are worn in will cause warped rotors. This applies to replacement pads and rotors as well as on a new vehicle.

 

Not quite.... a proper bedding in of new brakes involves several hard almost stops followed by a proper cool down. 6-8 or so 60 to 5 mph almost on the ABS stops followed by a good 5+ mi drive with 0 stops is going to produces much better brakes that do not warp.

 

the manual says to do the first oil change at 5000 miles. not 1500.

 

you are supposed to keep it under 55 for the first 1000 miles.

 

I picked mine up in Bremerhaven, Germany and was on the Autobahn within the first mile. I pinned it for several hundred miles at triple digit speeds for "break in". I continued to drive at triple digit speeds for most of my three year tour there. Then I got orders to SoCal, bolted LT suspension on it, and continued holding it to the floor all over the Mojave desert. It's had a rough life for the last decade. Still runs fine, good compression and normal power, etc. Is break in all that important? I don't think so, but some people are really sensitive about their cars. I was fixing the automatic sprinklers (they normally run at night) and they sprayed water on this dudes car at work. He went ape shit. Freaked, took out a shami and wiped it down while hosing it with some kind of mothers car spray. It's a 15 year old four door shitbox that would not look out of place in any walmart parking lot. Some people are weird about their cars. They are the kind of people that keep their furniture in plastic wrap and take off their shoes at home.