I'm the proud new owner of an 05 6MT sedan. I'll probably be digging through the archives for bits of wisdom... So far (about 60 miles worth) I love the car.

Jeremy

 

Congrats. Let the fun begin

 

jeremybhm... congratulations. welcome to the club of car-obsessiveness.

 

I am still waiting for mine. How bout some details on the car-options, color, dealer experience, etc.

 

The next 1200 miles will be the hardest of your life....assuming you follow the break-in schedule.

CONGRATS on your new baby!

 

Congratulations and hopefully your break-in will go quicker than mine . Its murder trying to keep my foot out of the 4k rpm range.

 

I did not follow the strict 4K limit during the first 1200 miles. I also didnt abuse the car and run the snot out of it. What Infiniti is trying to say is to not subject the engine to "sustained" speeds above 4K. I would stay below 4K for the first 100 miles or so, then give it a full throttle run up to about 70 mph (for at least one redline shift point). Then drive normally for 10 minutes or so, and hit it again.

Do this once or twice a week, and never drive for extended periods at the same speed during this time. Also make sure the engine is at proper operating temperature before running it at full throttle (this is true at any point in an engines life). At 1200 miles, change the oil and filter. Dont use the OEM filter, it is a tiny teacup. Use a real filter.
http://ecat.arvinmeritor.com/smartlink/?partnum=PL14610

The above may seem harsh, but I did it this way and have over 51000 miles on it and it uses about a qt. of oil every 5000 miles. Smooth as glass.

 

Brilliant silver, grey leather interior, premium package a and aero kit. I bought the car from Crown Infiniti in Birmingham, AL. The dealer/salesperson has been great so far. The purchase experience was much less painful than the other two new cars I have bought in my life (a 2000 Civic Si, and a 2001 626 for the wife). There was no high pressure sales pitch from the dealer or any pressure to get dealer add-ons. I did get a competitive quote from a dealer in Chattanooga and they chased me down trying to get me to come buy it up there and steal the deal from Crown. I got Crown down to the offer the other dealership made and drove on with my day. I have to say that the car is amazing. The Civic Si was fast, but it was screaming bloody murder the whole way. The G is faster, and just purrs right along. I asked the dealership about a breakin period, and they told me that it was a good idea not to go around redlining it the first three months, but other than that not to worry too much about it. I'll keep your recommendations in mind. The 18" rims blend right in with the silver ext/grey int colors. and I can't count the number of compliments I've gotten since yesterday.

Jeremy

 

Dog jeremybhm, you pick well. Brilliant Silver - that's the business. The sedan always impresses me with its understated heft. By that, I mean how tightly drawn the body is around its 5-seater dimensions. The Silver compliments that modern design. (Please don't hate me for my preference. I love all colors. ) Having the 6 speed must be nice. I wish there was a better solution for balancing driver control with convenience in a transmission. I wouldn't have manual as my first choice but I'd love to have it as an option. Manumatic makes for strange bedfellows.

 

Hey guys,

I just got my 6MT'05 yesterday .... drove it from LA to SF. What a drive!!! The only compaint I have is .... not so hot during rain with stock tires. Otherwise - simply a blast. So stable, quick and resposive.

As far s break-in goes: I heard that it's good to redline car once in a while especially with new engines so that pistons travel all the way and no notches are created on the cylinder walls. Are we not supposed to drive it above 4k for the first 1200 to avoid engine getting to too hot?

Also, why is it important not to drive the car at the same speed for prolong periods?

Greg

 

Since modern machining is automated and extremely precise, break in is not as critical as it once was. But there are still tolerance differences from cylinder to cylinder, and within the same cylinder as far as concentricity. So what that means is there can be and usually are localized "hot spots" due to tightness from one area to another. The goal during break in is to not increase the friction/heat excessively on these spots until they have a chance to come into synch with the rest of the surrounding area.

It is important not to rev a new motor to redline for extended periods because of the above. However, it is important that the motor be allowed to feel full load to redline briefly (seconds) during this time. High chamber pressure at operating temp. is needed to properly seat and seal rings for max. compression retention and oil control.

Sustained engine RPM (hours) during breakin can cause something like the "burned in" effect you see on monitors or TV's if the same image is allowed to stay in the same place too long. Since an engine is a mechanical "system", it will have natural resonances within it. These resonances can effect how things wear in. At the same frequency (RPM) all the time, the surfaces will adjust and smooth to synch with it. But when a new frequency (RPM) is applied, other 2nd order resonances will develop and the driver will detect them as vibrations. So, in order to have the smoothest VQ on your block, make sure you allow it to experience the full range of its capabilities early in life. If not, you could have a poorly adjusted, sheltered VQ that only knows how to be cool at 1 speed. Kinda like some people I have known.

 

That was very informative. That was all the motivation needed for me to drop the hammer tomorrow nite.

 

Ok. Now I am a little concerned. Picked up my 6mt 2005 yesterday and had to drive it back 4 hrs to get her home. I was at around 70 most of the way. Granted I did get off exits a few times and ran it up a bit, but I was on the interstate 98% percent of the time. It had 20 miles on it when I picked it up. Now it has 280.

The dealer said no break in period just don't redline it.

Am I in trouble or is this break in business just for the true die hards that can feel every little nuance in a vehicle? I am not a die hard I just love this car.

 

As posted in the other thread...

When in doubt, do what the manual states. If nothing else, if and when the engine gives you problems it won't be because you didn't do what the folks who engineered the car recommended.

As per the online owner's manual on the infiniti website, pg 5-21:

CAUTION
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.

Do not tow a trailer or haul a heavy
load for the first 500 miles (800 km).

 

Oh - and as another brand new G owner (200 miles) congrats on the great choice - great car.