Steven_H

Where are the recommendations for the break-in period?

OldGuy

2000 miles at below 4000rpms No long drives at the same speeds .
vary your rpms and speeds.
Bed in the brakes. More info to come from our members.
Have fun.

The Baron

Yeah right ......... Gooooooood luck !!

Chuck

'05 GT3 #2164 (for sale)
'07 GT3rs #2513
'07 GT3rs #3115

OldGuy

Baron I know I know. I was smiling even as I typed it!LOL

C.J. Ichiban

just vary the revs and try to keep away from wide open throttle, or WOT as we like to call it.

you can increase the RPMS after 1000 miles to 5000 and have a bit more fun.

one of the best thing you can do is to avoid lugging the engine at low RPMS (less than 1500) while in gear.

shifting often and downshifting a lot will help break in the clutch properly also.

to help seat the moving parts against their metal neighbors- try and park it outside after driving it at least one night- letting the entire engine block cool from full warm to really really cold helps according to my friends with engine building experience, as well as various engine mechanics.

Mike Murphy

Take is easy the first 200 miles, varying engine RPM from 1500-4500. Then, drive it hard and change the oil at 1,000 miles.

C.J. Ichiban

fwiw it's not the engine but the driver that needs the most breaking in- hence there is no "2000 mile" or "3000KM" break in period dictated by European Porsche car manuals...

340Elise

Agreed, that is what I have heard also several times. However, the ECU does keep track of things like max RPM's and during what mileage or engine hours (at least I think it does). So I would break it in by the book in case the next buyer insists on an ECU dump to see if it has been broken in properly (or what they think is proper).

It is very common for the Elise/Exige guys to have this requested when the cars are being sold. In fact, Lotus does an ECU dump on the first service to make sure that the break-in procedures were followed. The dealer has to send this in to Lotus to get the warranty validated. If you do not do it right, then you can say bye bye to your Lotus warranty. And I don't blame them one damn bit; I would do the same if I were a car manufacturer.

chardonet

When you say "where", I assume in the Owner's Manual? It is on page 18. 4,200 for first 2,000 miles.

MJones

Take a road trip of some distance!
Avoid short haul trips.

Mike Murphy

I was surprised to learn the Black Boxes were being installed in passenger cars as early as 2000, and by 2008 - all cars are supposed to have one.

It's only a matter of time before the enthusiast world starts using this as a tool when buying used cars. We rely on a paper trail and check that maintenance was done at the shop, so why not check the Black Box too?

As you pointed out, some enthusiasts are already into it. Good point to bring this up!

zellamsee

I understand the new Nissan GTR, through its Sat-Nav system, knows if you've been to a race-track and records that info in the Black Box!! I heard a warning in fact flashes up on the screen and says something to the effect of: "warning, you are now at the racetrack; warranty coverage may be denied." Wow.

SpeedGeek

Has that been tested in court? I cannot imagine Lotus getting away with denying a warranty claim without proving that the problem is a direct result of the owner failing to comply with the breakin procedure. And I can't see how they could reasonably prove such a thing.

I'm no legal expert, just wondering if such a case has ever been tested. I understand it's very difficult for a manufacturer to legally deny a warranty claim unless they can prove the problem to be a direct result of user error.

340Elise

I have not heard this but believe it. This is scary for me since it can and will be used for other purposes. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I believe that the manufacturer should have a right to record engine speeds during the mileage or engine life of the car, and also at what engine temps the engine speeds are reached. Or even standing starts as another example (Lotus also has a count of these on thier warranty ECU dump). If the manufacturer specifically states an engine break-in procedure, a max rpm allowed while the engine is not up to operating temp, or that road racing the car will void the warranty, they should have a right to do so. It needs to be clearly stated and is then like any other contract. If you don't like the terms of the contract, then don't buy the car, IMHO. If they use the data recorded on the ECU to enforce this contract, I have no problem with this. We all know that even most honest people will play very dumb when it comes to an expensive warranty claim; "I never redline my car as soon as I pull out of the garage in the morning" or "I would never miss a down shift; I'm a man!"

As for tracking the car to see where you have been seems a bit over the line to me. It is an invasion of your privacy, and simply locating your car at a race track does not mean you are racing, you could just be a spectator. This also paves the way for misuse of the system by the government; "we will not use your social security # as a form of identification."

I know that one insurance company already tried using GPS tracking to validate the information given by the client. How many miles driven, where the car is driven, how many miles, and possibly even speeds driven. I believe this was an experiment in Texas (which really is surprising to me) and took place some time ago.

I also know that rental car agencies have had fine print in their contracts stating that you are being tracked with the GPS in your car, and if you exceed the speed limits by a certain amount or over a certain length of time, you will be required to pay an additional fee when you return the car; which I'm sure they take out of your credit card deposit or simply charge to your card.

So what I believe is only a matter of time, is that the Federal Govt will mandate a chip or tracking device in all cars to be used for speed enforcement. They already have cameras used for red lights and speed violations; these methods are already used as judge, jury and executioner. And half of the money goes to the companies who install these cameras. Here in New Mexico they started using them as a test for one year. The results have been presented to the mayor, and the cameras may still be removed; it is a constant debate. The fines were anywhere from 100 to $400. I received my very first one for $200; it was for speeding. I should post the violation so you can read how they basically tell you that you have no chance in fighting it and that you should just pay the fine because it does not go on your record and is not reported to your insurance company. In other words, we want to keep you driving; we just want your money/tax dollars! I got this ticket a year ago and I am still fighting it today with an attorney. He has not charged me anything so far, but I really do not care how much it costs; I will fight this until the bitter end. In the mean time, the New Mexico law makers have decided that the fines will be a maximum of no more than $75 and that none of the money will go to the companies who installed the cameras. Good for New Mexico; they did something right, but they need to go all the way and get rid of these devices.

Anyway, those of you who like to occasionaly go over the speed limit when the conditions permit you to do it safely, you may have that ability taken away from you at some point in the future. Of course they are working on cars that drive themselves and take the human error out of the equation all together. Once the computers drive our cars, they may allow cars to travel well over 100 mph on super highways between cities. I really hope that this is very far in the future, although watching Discovery and the TLC and the Science Channel has me very, very scared right now. They are accomplishing some incredible things.

As for tracking our speed with GPS; that will be a big fight that I don't see this happening very soon either, but the technology is here and ready to go.

What was the OP's original question? I hope he is not afraid to buy another car or drive his current ones.

C.J. Ichiban

the gtR warranty issue is multi-fold:

you cannot modify the car or your warranty is voided

you can only drive on PRE APPROVED racing circuits (is there a list? wtf!)

also rumored was that if you sell your car in less than a year- your warranty is voided.

I'll be sticking with porsche.