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Running-In Information


CortinaGT

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Yes, would whole heartedley endorse CortinaGT's sentiments on 'running in'. It's adviseable. You can of course just flog it from the word go, and it will survive due to modern design, materials and technology. But will it be at it's best? Will it last as long as it was designed to do, give maximum power for it's lifetime, give the best fuel economy, use less oil and be mechanically quiet and reliable into the 100.000's of miles? Probably not. There is plenty of evidence to suggest running in is still the best way, and essential for the best engine life and fuel economy. That's why manufacturers tell you to do it. If you don't do it, then your engine will suffer in some way and it usually hits you pocket! But running in doesn't mean you should drive slowly. Far from it. You can go too easy with the engine. That is worse than going too fast or too heavy with the throttle. Follow the instructions in your manuals and you'll be fine. In the trade it's often said that fleet cars have a lively, but shorter life than privately owned cars because they get flogged flat out from new. As an ex-tech of some 32 years, I'd agree with that. Incidentally, it's possible for techs to tell if an engine has been correctly run-in. I've stripped many engines with piston or ring failure during warranty, and the owner/s have told me they stuck rigorously to the running in regime. But from what I could see in the engine it had often been flogged mercilessly from the word go. It's rare otherwise for pistons or rings to break during warranty, or any other time in the life of the engine if it's run in correctly. The engine tells it's own story. Good luck all you Citigo owners and have fun. I'm looking at getting one in the not too distant future so I'm keeping an eye on you all!

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  • 3 weeks later...

My wife has just done a round trip of 480 mls averaging 72mpg with the cruise control set at 58mph ( 75 greentech elegance ) used 31 ltrs

Next time you do a similar trip check the real time figures, brim tank, use, brim tank again. Check your usage and trip mileage. Bet it's at best around mid 60's.

I was hoping for at least 50+mpg all the time whatever the road, trip conditions. I know now that ain't going to be the case. Still happy with what it does, great little car.

Mick

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MickA, don't worry, I'm sure your mpg will continue to improve. How many miles have you done? If it's below 3k miles your ecu is still learning and this also has a very marginal effect on economy. Also, your engine may still be tight. It takes several thousands of miles to fully loosen and produce full power and economy. I realise you probably know all that but it's worth saying/reminding. Also, ignore the gear change indicator lights (as Cortina GT suggests) as these encourage you to rev the engine too low and this uses too much fuel as the engine can often end up labouring somewhat. Try experimenting with your driving technique too. On cars like this is can make a huge difference to mpg's. Hope you are enjoying your new car!

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Yes I realise all that you say and coupled with the type of journeys I do and the fact it's a new engine things should get better.

I am also used to seeing poorer mpg figures at this time of year, especially after driving a big diesel, that was never properly at operating temp after such short trips.

I've now done 730 miles so still a very new engine and quite a way to go before it's at it's best. I've never really taken any notice of that gear change advice on the display. Infact I've ignored it from day one, it says change to 5th at just over 30mph, don't think so. :happy:

I did a 125mile trip shortly after taking delivery of the car and absolutely loved it, just as comfy as my big diesel hatch.

Mick

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  • 2 months later...

always flog them from the word go... my fabia vRS uses no oil at all, and is fast and good on fuel...

the citygo we have was a "press car" so I'm sure its even been on a track during its first 1000 miles! :o brilliant little car, no issues at 3,300 miles now, and seemingly better fuel economy than others can get...

my advice is totally against the others, to "drive normally" if you need full throttle fine, use it, if you need the red line, fine go there... you will probably be driving gently most of the time anyway ;)

just my opinion :) not designed to wind people up or troll or argue, just a different point of view.

edit: just read a bit of the posts, mostly scanned through: re engine wear, my biggest miles was a saxo VTR at 155,000 miles, still running "as new" with the engine, no faults (3 gearboxes though) my last car fiat grande punto sporting (1.9 multijet deisel) mapped at 4k, 110k ... still "as new" never had to top any of my cars up with oil... most of the vRS's with oil issues (although not all) were run in "properly" most without were driven "normally" ... I've never had my "normal drive from new" method limit any of my cars engine lives or performance........

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I have to say my "running in" involves just driving the car normally, and it is rare that I have ever had to top up oil between services. The Citigo has been driven just the same, it's just ticked over to 1000 miles, hasn't used a drop of oil and is running sweet with good economy.

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  • 4 months later...

The best technique for running in is to ensure the engine is frequently put under enough load to really bed the piston rings into the bores. You have to avoid lugging the engine or over-revving it, but it must be loaded hard at moderate revs (e.g. under acceleration or uphill). The worst thing you can do is to take it straight on the motorway and to sit there for hours at a constant 70mph under light cruising load. This can glaze the bores and it will never quite be right from then onwards.

Car manufacturers will advise against changing the oil at 1,000 miles, which was traditional after running-in, because they say the oil needs to get a bit mucky to complete the bedding-in process. I'm not totally convinced by this. At any rate, I'd be reluctant to go the whole first year without an oil and filter change.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm not sure I subscribe to the opinion that just because manufacturing tolerances are better these days that running in matters less. 

I think it might have more of an effect if the materials used were the same as in the past. But how often do you see a modern engine

with a cast iron block these days? They're almost all concerned with weight saving that they are using lighter and perhaps more brittle materials like 

aluminium or even magnesium etc. 

 

I would gather many a mechanic would say that doing away with careful running in periods as well as ever increasing service intervals is more

down to marketing and sales pressures on brands rather than engineer's recommendations. I reckon running in matters just as much as it ever did. 

 

Remember too there's probably running in effectively for components that never existed in the past like the catalysts and turbo components and

things like common rail diesel injectors or whatever else is in modern cars. 

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