Break In Period? Was I Bad?

[kanniballl]

I just bought an 06 CTS w/ the 3.6L V6.

Anyway, I decided to do some early break in driving today and put about 100miles on it.

The problem is, I was following traffic and was doing 80 mi/hr
I also had cruise control on every now and then (maybe 20 miles worth).

Now, at no point was I burning out and the car was plenty warm before taking on the highway.

However, when I mentioned it to my family today they flipped out. They said what I did was really wrong.

The agent that closed out my purchase laughed and said to take it easy and not go over 100.

I saw 1 or 2 threads, but they were pretty short.

In any case, did I f$(%@ up?

[d-dash]

What ive heard as far as break in on the new cars is that you are just not supposed to keep it at the same rpm for an extended period of time. i.e. having cruise control on at 65 for 4 hours. The dealers that ive talked to said that is really all that is necessary.

[Mbai2]

Nah, you did fine. Enjoy your new baby! It'll be sucking your bank accounts dry

[kanniballl]

Originally Posted by d-dash

What ive heard as far as break in on the new cars is that you are just not supposed to keep it at the same rpm for an extended period of time. i.e. having cruise control on at 65 for 4 hours. The dealers that ive talked to said that is really all that is necessary.

But that's kind of what I did/ Granted, not cruise control for that long, but I was just driving long stretches of highway at the same speed. So for the most part it was hovering around 2300RPM.

[FSU_Noles]

I don't think what you did was all that bad, even if, the car is under warranty so rather it break now than later.

[haute_heir]

yeah, i wouldnt worry about anything. The ones I heard you have to break in are high performance exotics, because they can and will cause a real headache if you bagg the shit out of it from day one. But any other car I wouldnt be really worried about too much...

[Jon]

What break in period? I turned the t/c off and floored it outta the dealership the night I picked up the V6.

[Devil_concours]

They recommend a small break in procedures but most new cars are already broken in. (it's not mandatory like the old days)

[BYNSL4U]

Engines come out of the factory much more refined than they once did. Cyclinders were simply honed and break-ins allowed for rings to and valves to properly seat. Hell, the synthetic oil that our cars come with out of the factory are almost too slippery to effect any real break-in.

[2 Da Max]

What you guys said about breaking in exotics, and not needing to break in the caddy is true. My uncle at the dealership said these cars are all ready made to broken at the factory. the first couple miles or so that the car was droven, the process is already done. You should not stress it.

But i must admitt, i did my breakin process really bad. lol i have about 400 miles and i kind of beat on it pretty hard for the past 100 miles. But i still baby it at times. But the sucker eats gas! 8 dollars gives me half a tank!

[JB311]

I would agree with most everyone here but would also like to add that you need not worry unless most of your driving was in the mid to upper end of your power-band.
You stated that you were around 2300 rpm for the time in which you are concerned. You weren't quite there. That would probably be a level your car would see quite frequently if driving around town during a "textbook" break-in period anyway.
It's all gravy baby! You're good.

[elevation]

I just bought my CTS and the dealer told me all GM engines are now dyno'ed for the first 1000 m/kms.

I bought a 2000 ford focus brand new and beat the shit out of it when I first got it. I sold it at 160,000 kms and I am sure it will get another 160k.

cars today can take it! your family should relax.

[Ilyesha]

My only recommendation is probably a hold over from years gone by.....I changed my oil after the first 500 miles in case there was metal in it from the parts seating. I think Caddy has you coming in after the first 3000?

[GrafAnton]

Any of you knuckleheads think of checking the owners manual?

Per the owners manual for the 2005 3.6L:
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in.

They go on to mention a few things you shouldn't do for the first 500 miles, but I think in general given modern metallurgy and manufacturing technics break in periods are a thing of the past.

[BYNSL4U]

Originally Posted by Ilyesha

My only recommendation is probably a hold over from years gone by.....I changed my oil after the first 500 miles in case there was metal in it from the parts seating. I think Caddy has you coming in after the first 3000?

My Dealer said don't come in to change the synthetic until about 7500 miles. At $150 bucks for an oil change, I'm thankful!