General Fit TalkGeneral Discussion on the Honda Fit/Jazz.
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This site has been around for a while and has been the center of a major debate.
Some say it works. Some say it doesn't. There is no real way to prove it unless you do it and you prop your car on a dyno.
BUT the real question, I think, is: why do it?
If the factory gives you the recommendation break-in procedure in the manual, I think it's a pretty good idea to follow it.
I thought about this for my new car but in the end, I thought I'd just stick with it.
I have broken in my last several new vehicles, both cars and bikes with much the same method, although this is the first time I have seen this article. All my engines, including the much maligned VW's, have performed well, and never been oil drinkers.
When I get my Fit, I am going to break it in the same way. Moderate to heavy acceleration in all the gears, alternated with closed throttle decel. The only change might be how quickly I change the oil.
Every freshly assembled motorbike off the Honda production line in Japan is fired up put on a dyno and reved through each gear to redline then the engine shut off, wheeled off and prep'd and packed for shipping.
__________________ Australian Honda Fit Jazz Club - www.ausfit.com
Why does the manufacturer want you to "take it easy" some of you ask? Well think about this... They are responsible for anything that goes wrong with a car while under warrenty... and well... most people do not have any mechanical knowledge, nor understand what happens to an engine when you run it to redline... To tell people that they should run their engine hard is dangerous, because most people will not read the manual and see that you cannot run it to redline, but about 80% to redline... They also may not wait until the engine is fully warmed up... Combine those two mistakes and you are setting up the car for failure... Why take that risk?
One more reason.. why does the company care if an engine begins burning oil at 80K miles? They don't!! it will no longer be under warrently most likely! and now they are no longer responsible!!
I think it's good to run it gradually up higher on the RPMs as you're breaking it in and let it decel on it's own. This guy wrote the article mainly with racing bikes in mind so I am not sure it is entirely 1:1 with a normal everyday car.
Besides I don't know if it's true but I have heard that Honda runs the engine for a bit before it's put in the car so that kind of negates his "first 20 miles" theory.
I've never had a problem with following the owners manual for break in on any vehicle I've owned. I mean, wouldn't the manufacturer put that in there if it was actually better?
Also, you can check out the Mitsu EVO forums and see what happens to those cars when they are beat from the start. Thats right, they start using oil after 40,000 miles or so. Something a newer car should never do. I have an 02 WRX and it has been taken care of from the start. It has 56,000 miles on it now and I never have to add oil between changes (every 3,000 miles).
So you decide on what you want to do, I'll stick with taking it easy.
i've always heard the phrase "break-in period" is a joke. i've owned two new cars, my fit and an s2000, and was never once told about "breaking in the engine." i've never taken the s2000 in for maintanence (other than oil changes, etc.) and have 40K on it. no problems, no worries. and i expect the same from the fit.
I think the seals will break in normally providing you don't redline it at every opportunity. I find it impossible to keep it under 3k rpm when going up hills or even steep inclines on the freeway and I hear that honda runs the engine at a certain RPM for about 45 minutes - pre-breaking it in before it leaves the factory. But I would imagine the main reason not to drive it rough is to break in the drivetrain, transmission, gears, etc. Either that or they don't want to directly say "Do not exceed 3k RPM for the first 600 miles" because someone will surely file a lawsuit when they get into an accident while adhering to Honda's instructions.
I wish Honda themselves would put up a bulletin rather than having the dealers second-guessing everything.
I've never had a problem with following the owners manual for break in on any vehicle I've owned. I mean, wouldn't the manufacturer put that in there if it was actually better?
Also, you can check out the Mitsu EVO forums and see what happens to those cars when they are beat from the start. Thats right, they start using oil after 40,000 miles or so. Something a newer car should never do. I have an 02 WRX and it has been taken care of from the start. It has 56,000 miles on it now and I never have to add oil between changes (every 3,000 miles).
So you decide on what you want to do, I'll stick with taking it easy.
"beat from the start" is now what that sight is saying... it is saying to run the engine harder than you normally would to increase the pressure on the pistons that forces the rings to break in quicker and more effectively....
My regular mechanic (Honda certified) and a guy at the dealer's service dept. said pretty much the same thing, and said it well -- Honda engineers are the best, the cars are built to last, and the manufacturer's advice won't steer you wrong.
My driving varies a lot between all highway and all city.
My lowest was like 28 mpg at the very beginning, and my highest was 37 mpg, on an all-highway trip. The other tanks of gas got me like 32 mpg. I would say that's the average...
As for breaking in...teehee. I haven't really been good with that. But after about 5 tanks of gas now (only have had it for like a month), I'm always careful to make very gradual slow downs when approaching a stop and same with accelerating after a stop.
Took it easy for the first 1000 km. Nothing over 3500 rpm, avoided A/c as much as possible, wich was hard. no cruse control, and took it easy on the brakes.
there is a break in period for the car. it is for the first 600 miles. during that time, avoid full throttle starts and rapid acceleration. don't change the oil until the maintenance minder sytem is at 15% per honda service deptartment. after that you can go down to about 5%. also avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles. obviously, id you need to, do it. but try not to. any other questions?
Australian Honda Fit Jazz Club - 
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