My buddy brought home a brand new WRX STI last month, and the dealership told him to keep it under 4K for the first 1000 miles. Right or wrong, that's what the Subaru dealership instructed. We really ought to get together again before it snows... pretty sure he's past break-in by now, and that is one helluva car.

With respect to break-in, I think that:

1) every car & manufacturer is different
2) break-in periods aren't at all what they used to be
3) Nissans are relatively solid designs compared to others

I also think worrying about how random people test-drove your car before purchase is silly and borderline paranoia. While I'm admittedly protective about my G, 00Max00's comment was completely ridiculous; (to me, not to him).

 

To my recollection, break-in periods were designed for cars a few generations back. Nowadays, the amount of stress tests and strenuous outputs engines are designed to go through after assembly and before shipped are incredible, only to ensure everything is in working order and ready for the consumer. Although i'm still a fan of the "break-in" guidelines, i personally dont know a car that wasn't severely beat on, disregarding the break in instructions, and has had problems in the long run.
Mine would be a example =]

 

This. CR is better at objective/quantitative analysis than subjective assessments. CR thinks highly of the Lexus ES (and deservedly so from a luxury family sedan perspective) but reviewing the new IS with a similar mindset seems ridiculous.

 

You know those 10 or 20 miles a brand new car has when you buy it? The dealership will tell you they are putting it through it's paces just to check everything out, which is true, but how they drive it to put it through those paces would make you go .

And it's not just about break in periods either. With regards to long term health and performance of an engine, if I were to buy a used car with 30000 miles on it with all other things being equal, I would rather buy it from a person who drove aggressively than someone who hardly takes it on the highway and uses cruise control any chance they get. There's alot of technical mumbo jumbo on why that is but a car engine is not that much different from the human body in that you need to stretch it out often just like you need to exercise regularly.

 

Very true. Those who have torn down motors know the squeaky clean insides come from someone who drive it hard and maintained it well.

On race bikes, the new block is broken in on a dyno. It is given a controlled hell run. After the dyno break in, bikes have more hp vs the bikes that were broken in by very low stress exposure. I bet you could find a proper 1000cc break in procedure on YouTube. I haven't looked.

 

Marketing doesn't change the fact they missed the boat with the car altogether. I finally got to test drive a Q50 and it is not the same car. They lost the sportieness and gained a bunch of crap most people dont care about. Other car companies get this while some don't. Having new technology doesnt mean you have to go over board and loose what made a car desirable to begin with.

 

To both of you, read your manual. Yes every car and maker is different, read your manual. If you feel like Nissan was putting BS in their manual, I am not going to argue with you, that's your car, I don't care. Just my opinion, no hard feelings. There may be someone feels the advice worth while. Having said that, enjoy your car until it has to be replaced.

 

I think that is kind of the point...break in is very unlikely to affect any of us here. Chances of me driving this car past 100k is zero.

I'll buy a BMW as soon as they start making them in Japan.

 

^^ It takes me roughly 5 years on average to get to 100K. All my cars were at least 150K before replacing them with another, and none of them burnt oil. Good break in make a lot of sense to me. My brother in law had an off lease QX4 which burnt oil like crazy, it had 20K on the clock when he bought it. He swears only buy new car ever since.

 

Could be. But as far as I can tell, the only advice here that you're offering is to never buy a used car. As opinions go, that's a little silly, neither practical nor optimal, by any measure... But you're certainly entitled to it.

 

^^^ You love gambling if you were a gambler. That's the risk you are willing to take, nothing wrong with it, just get prepared that you may lose. There's nothing silly about not to gamble, nor not to buy used cars when financially capable. I personally know plenty of people doing just that which doesn't make them less intelligent. Don't talk silly when you do not agree with what other people do. You might well be the one who is silly when you lose. ;-)

 

On that note...

I've been watching Walking Dead on Netflix these last few weeks. I think maybe I ought be be carrying a handgun now. You know, for the Zombie Apocalypse. And while that sounds perfectly logical, I'm hesitant because people who revel in certainty of the unknown, unlikely or statistical improbability... well, they're just weird.

 

Break-In Schedule: Excerpt from the 2013 Infiniti G - Owner's Manual:

"During the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km), follow these recommendations to obtain maximum engine performance and ensure the future reliability and economy of your new vehicle.
Failure to follow these recommendations may result in shortened engine life and reduced engine performance.
. Avoid driving for long periods at constant speed, either fast or slow. Do not run the engine over 4,000 rpm.
. Do not accelerate at full throttle in any gear.
. Avoid quick starts.
. Avoid hard braking as much as possible."

Read the manual, please.

 

Thanks Infiniti for killing the values of all G37 owners by keeping the G around. This negative press doesn't help

 

I like the IS250 a lot. It's a great all around car. The infinity sedan is horrible. Looks like something from the 90's...