is "break-in" really necessary

[dbya rx]

A few years ago I did an oil analysis after having used a factory Subaru filter

where did you get the oil analysis? did you send it out to a lab? i am curious...thanks

[SD_GR]

where did you get the oil analysis? did you send it out to a lab? i am curious...thanks

Blackstone. Reasonably priced, reliable, and consistent. Send off for a container, and then send them the container via regular post. Include $ and you'll soon have data.

[FlyingMoose]

I was told by my salesman to drive my 2010 the way it was going to be driven after the break in period. So I drove it pretty hard, never to the redline but lots of pulls through 2nd-4th. I'm going on 8000 kms now without a problem. Had my first oil change at 5000 kms.

[Syncharmony]

At first- change it early, and change it often.
This I do know. Take your first oil filter off at 1000, and cut it open and inspect it. All those metal shavings are IN YOUR OIL! Get it out of there! It is also plugging portions of your filter, causing less than perfect flow. Change it!
The only thing I have heard contrary to this is people changing over to full synthetics very early in the break-in. Many engine manufacturers like to run conventional oil till the 3000 mark just to be safe. I have never heard people saying don't change the oil during the first 3000. I will have to ask around.
We change after 3 dyno pulls. You would not believe the amount of metal in those first filters. Usually after the third, the oil stays clean and free of metal.

Thanks for the reply! I'll break it in easy, change at 1000 miles the oil and filter and then drive it like I mean it.

[2.0Rs]

It's never a bad thing to take it easy on a new car for the first 1k. I wouldn't get so hung up in all the little specifics that some people say. Just drive your car like a civilized person for 1k miles.

[wrx1234]

Ran in to this somewhere, read through it... seems to be backawards from what everyone else says.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

[tuskenraider]

This first oil change on my last bike had tonnes of metal in it....don't know that I'd want to be running my 11 wrx with all that metal in the oil......

Well that's what the filter is for, to keep the metal from re-entering the supply(highly unlikely), so unless the metal is clogging the filter and preventing flow, no need to prematurely change it.

[tuskenraider]

This/that article has been argued over ad nauseum, and will continue to be. Read all the info and make an educated decision with your car.

[wrx1234]

My car has 13k miles on it. Just wondering what people think about it. He does make some good points. But im not expert, just like most people here.

[mycologist]

merged.

[ClamboyBob]

Hey. I am a noob - bought my first Subaru (2011 WRX base model) a couple of days ago - absolutely LOVING it and thrilled with the purchase!

Long story short - our neighbors, and good friends, work at a local Subaru dealership. The husband is a service advisor and an all around bright/good guy. Was considering a new car and wanted to talk with him first - his recommendation was a WRX and now I am a proud owner...

I crossed over 100 miles on the car today and am currently at about 130. I took my brother in law for a ride today and for the first time hammered it hitting 6K+ RPMS - and then on the way home got pissed at slow traffic and again hammered it.

So I felt a little guilty/bad/concerned and went over to talk to my neighbor (again a very bright guy who is a Subaru service advisor and past STI owner). He frowned at me for hammering it... Enough said but there is more... He said that there would be no permanent damage but that this type of wild behavior could affect the seating of the cams/bearings and the rings leading to an engine that consumed more oil over its lifetime. He recommended smooth/consistent/below 4K RPM driving for 400 miles and told me that WRX ownership means being frustrated with slow drivers

But the one golden bit of advice that he passed along, which I have heard in different contexts, is to warm the engine up for at least two minutes (I prefer more) before driving and to let it cool/idle for at least one minute before shutting down to allow cooler oil to cool the turbo. Makes sense to me.

Anyway, due to my guilt I found this site/thread and promise not to hammer it for a few hundred more miles. Its so hard when the engine develops so much power past 4K RPMS...

Future plans? SPT exhaust and cold air intake - won't hurt the warranty and provides cheap, significant HP boost! Is a "computer upgrade" something I should consider??? Want a fun/fast car but want it to last!

Thanks and looking forward to learning from you all! Am absolutely in love with my WRX and am looking forward to "making it mine" (e.g. modding).

[poly_poly-man]

Just a note on your point about the turbo cool-down procedure:

1. Starting up, you should let it idle for a bit. You don't have to sit in your car for 5 minutes or anything, but maybe give it several seconds just sitting there, and keep rpm low (like you would in a parking lot or residential streets) for a little while before you rag on it. NEVER rev the engine cold - and you can tell if it's cold if the idle is above 750/800 (the latter if the AC is on) RPM.

2. There is no need for an idle turbo cool-down. We have water-cooled turbos instead of oil-cooled turbos. When you shut the engine off, the oil stops flowing to lubricate the turbo - that's alright, it's not spinning any more. This (from a subaru publication, found on unabomber's turbo timer faq from nasioc):

"The heat contained in the turbo charger will begin to vaporize the coolant at the turbo charger after the engine is stopped. This hot vapor will then enter the coolant reservoir tank which is the highest point of the coolant system. At the same time the vapor exits the turbo charger, coolant supplied from the right bank cylinder head flows into the turbo. This action cools the turbo charger down. This process will continue until the vaporizing action in the turbo charger has stopped or cooled down."

So that's not an issue.

I can't imagine the pain of going through that break-in period, if you don't do it the advanced way others talk about... that's why make someone else pay me to do it for me

[ClamboyBob]

Thanks! Good stuff! Yeah break in was bad enough before I discovered the power above 4K. Now it really sucks!

Been driving large non-cop-attraction-getters for the last ~15 years and am learning that just because the WRX goes fast does not mean I have a cloak of invisibility... Had a "close call" last night after submitting my comment here - decided to hit the local "rally loop" one more time before bed (about 1:30AM). Long story short I got to meet one of our local officers and blow into an alcohol meeter (I admitted to having a beer earlier) but drove away completely unscathed. He was hiding in a "roller coaster up and down" section of the loop using instant on radar. Did not see him until the crest of a little hill - he was well hidden at the bottom of the hill - but my high beams and his reflective paint job gave him away. Mashed on the brakes before he hit me with radar (use a V1) so he clocked me at the speed limit. Too bad he was using instant-on or the V1 would have picked him up a lot earlier. And I was not drunk/buzzed - don't do the drinking and driving thing. Thinking he was looking for some easy DUI revenue - especially because he knew I was speeding but could not prove it Weird experience - he was really cool overall but making me blow into the hoo-haa after having a beer earlier in the evening - I was obviously sober so that was not cool.

Thats some $$$ that I can save for the new exhaust/cold air intake...

Lesson learned???

[teflon_jones]

I'll drive like a grandmother the first 1000 miles and get used to the interior and all the quirks of the car. Then at 1001 miles I'll floor and and love it.

So you never floor it or redline it during the first 1000 miles? That's not good for an engine. It needs to run through its entire rev range.

[Chader]

So you never floor it or redline it during the first 1000 miles? That's not good for an engine. It needs to run through its entire rev range.

You are going to have to explain that statement.

All MFG info and info in this thread and other research I have seen on this subject says otherwise. Stay within the recommended range to allow all the hard parts to seat properly to provide better service later in the life of the motor.