Hard to say exactly... Ever drive a car that had around 50K miles on it that felt loose, slow and sloppy, maybe consumed oil or has some kind of knock. Then there is the car with the same miles that drives and feels like it came off the showroom floor.
Problems from in-proper break-in might not show up for some time.. maybe not at all depending on the severity or abuse. Too many variables to pin point exactly what may happen.
It's not just the engine you are breaking in.. The transmission, rear end, brakes, etc... also form wear patterns and benefit from gradual heat cycles.
If you were buying a used car, would you choose one that was carefully broken in or one that was a$$ raped from day one?

 

I honestly believe you have a greater chance of excessive oil consumption and compression losses later on if you drive the bejeeezus out of it from day one.

 

As a matter of fact, yes. 12 years as a R & D VP for Dana Corp qualifies as vast experience in any court.

 

There used to be a saying "Never have a dick size contest on the Usenet". Too often, the local genius would find himself arguing the fine points of Unix with dmr.

 

Thats funny, because thats the exact same thing that people that say will go wrong if you do follow the proper break in method.

Me I hardly keep a car more than 2 years, maybe 3 at the most, then I trade it in for something better/different.

Maybe I'll keep the G longer.

I don't know what the answer is, I don't think it matters. But I will say

I never buy used because I know how I drive.

 

From what I understand, the break in is not as much for the motor as it is for all the other working, moving parts of the car. The motor is tested and ran in factory, but the trans, axles, brakes, etc are not as tested as an engine. By keeping your rpms low at first, and gradually increasing, you can really test and work out the transmission in a new car without overstressing it. Gradual wear, as opposed to immediate beating, may bring to light any problems inherent from the production line.

 

Hello All,

Just picked up my 07' last weekend and had to drive about 250 highway miles home. Although I did use cruise control for 70% of the trip, I did use the paddles to vary my RPM speed frequently - not to mention having to speed up/down to account for traffic, lane changes, etc...

Think I have anything to worry about with a proper break-in?

Thanks,

 

Absolutely not. Don't worry about it.

 

A few times I have switched in DS mode to use engine braking coming off a freeway and I downshift to 3rd "too soon" which revs the car way over 4000. Will this hurt the car? I am keeping the tach below 4000 rpm for the 1200 miles but I wonder if these "oops!!" are damaging the tranny?

Another goof -- in my previous car (Lexus ES330) in DBW mode the gear you set is the "maximum", for example, if I am in 3rd gear and come to a full stop, when you start to accelerate, the Lexus switched through the gears until it hit 3rd.

In the G, once you are DBW/DS mode, you have to shift through the gears manually from 1st. The G works more like a manual transmission should.

I've forgotten this a few times and revved up over 4000 rpmin 1st gear before I remembered to shift through the gears. Is this hurting the transmission?

 

No problem, you are fine. The 4000 limit is artificially low. Just to keep guys like you from overdoing it.

In fact there is a large proportion who believe the entire babying "break-in" regime is nonsense. The dealer who sold me my Sport 6MT last week told me just to drive the car as I wanted. Some feel that babying the car at the outset will result in a less responsive engine that has "learned" your driving style. Apparently you can undo this learned behavior by driving in a more spirited fashion for an extended period.

Relax.

 

I've always broken in new cars by just driving them at a normal pace and not
overreving the engine. This doesn't mean you jump in and drive it to Vegas
when the temp is 125 degrees and go 95 mph all the way......dumb! I also
dump the factory oil prior to reaching 1K miles and switch to a full synthetic
oil like Mobil 1 or Red Line 5/30. I've NEVER had a problem doing this so don't
quote what some manual might say about starting synthetic oil too soon!

 

This was the same info that my dealer told me. They did mention take it easy (don't redline) on the first 500 miles and you can open it up afterwards. They also mentioned to vary the speed and try and avoid using cruise control. I think the engine does learn your driving style so if you baby it the engine may not be as responsive. But what do I know, I've only had the car for 3 days.

 

IMO, every car manufacture wants u to baby it so u cant notice any problem till few month or years after warranty coverage expires!!!! so... PEDAL TO THE METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am going to wait until it reaches 120,000,000 miles, then I'll open it up.

 

When I noticed that I hit 1200 miles (just the other week), I exited the freeway, turned off the engine for a few minutes to let the oil drain into the pan, checked the dipstick (midway between full and a quart low) and then - HIT IT!!!

Man, what a screamer as I descended down the on-ramp back onto the freeway. I held it to redline in 3rd and when I tugged the magnesium paddle to go into 4th the car literally LEAPED forward, further confirming Infiniti's advertised "Acceleration Swell" tuning.

'07 G35 Sport? $34,000.

New FX35 chrome 20's and Nitto 555's? $2,200.

Hearing that big 3.5 liter motor singing at 7,500 rpm? PRICELESS!