Running-in a new car
A little gentle treatment is still important
It used to be absolutely essential to follow rigorous running-in procedures to get maximum life and performance out of a new vehicle. Older drivers will perhaps remember the sight of a new car moving slowly in the nearside lane of a motorway with a 'running-in, please pass' sign on the rear window!
Improvements in engineering, manufacturing and oil quality mean that modern cars are much less dependent on this careful treatment for the first few thousand miles.
It's still a good idea to take a little extra care though, particularly if it's a car you plan to keep for a long time as reliability, oil consumption and fuel consumption can all benefit.
Ask the dealer for advice when you pick the car up, and be sure to check the handbook too - many still include some 'running-in' advice.
The first thousand miles
- Begin with gentle town driving so all the major components, including brakes can bed in
- New tyres have a thin oily coating – a mixture of oils from the rubber and a release agent to prevent the tyre sticking to the manufacturing mould. Until this wears off, vehicle handling will feel different, especially in the wet
- Avoid harsh acceleration and heavy braking
- Don't let the engine speed exceed 3000 rpm if it's a diesel but make sure the revs regularly reach this limit
- For petrol engines stick to a 3000 rpm limit for the first 500-600 miles and then increase the upper limit to around 4000 rpm. Again, revs should regularly reach this limit.
- Avoid labouring the engine – by changing up too early for example
- Check the oil and coolant levels at least once a week – this is a new car so you don't know how much oil it will use. Oil consumption can be high for the first 6000 miles or so but but should slow, particularly if the car's been treated gently in the early days
After the first 1000 miles gradually use more of the car's performance.
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19 June 2009