GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I've now driven 505 km. I drove the car very smoothly, never above 65 mph, never above 3000 rpm when shifting gears. I'd say it was 80% highway, 20% city.I got 482.5 km for 44.1L (the light was on for several kms when I fueled), which means 9.14L / 100 km. For you in the US, that means 300 miles for 11.65 gallons, which is 25.7 MPG.I think it's not bad (it's rated 21 MPG city and 29 MPG highway) as the car is brand new and needs to break in, but I really hope I'll reach at least 30 MPG later as I was really smooth in my driving...Can I expect a significant improvement when the car will be 2000-3000 km?

Quote, originally posted by Eloi »I've now driven 505 km. I drove the car very smoothly, never above 70 mph, never above 3000 rpm when shifting gears. I'd say it was 80% highway, 20% city.I've heard, the best way to break in an engine in is to run it rough.Let's see if i can find the thread...

I think you may only see 1-2 more MPG after more miles are on the engine... And Vforvibe, I respectfully disagree on running it rough for break in. Owners manuals state easy for the first 500 miles, some a little longer. You also have to break in the brake linings. I also always change my oil at 1,500 miles since it is the engine break in oil and I do not want to leave it in for 3,000 miles or more.

Not to contradict you ToolGuy, but I agree with V - run the engine rough for engine break-in.However, you are trying to break in the car, not just the engine. There are so many ancillary systems (wheel bearings, transmissions, shift solenoids for automatics, brakes like you mentioned, etc) that also have break-in periods that require gentle break-in.I personally, am not afraid to run the engine up while in neutral, and then promptly change the oil. For the Vibe, I drove it home and changed the oil. Most cylinder wear, scarring, and shavings are going to occur in the first few miles of driving. Changing at 1,500 is very good though.So, I agree the engine can be run a little hard to break it in (driven like you would normally do so), but everything else warrants gentle break in. This post is probably redundant.

The Vibe owners manual state do not run it rough, other cars too. That is what I follow and GM states it too. You can find this info on the site under the manual PDFs, I just looked it up. The manuals state, easy on the gas, do not hold one speed and so on. You break in the brakes and no towing on the trans. Not sure where this run it rough came from but the engine bearings have to be seated in place. Running it rough and hard is not good for them. Engine builders will confirm...

@VforVibe: I think I prefer to follow the GM manual instructions and be smooth for the first 1000 km or so. I've used this method with my previous Pontiac Sunfire 1996 and I drove it 353 000 Km (220,000 miles)...I'd like to do the same with my new Vibe...

The question becomes, "do you think that other people who have test driven that car (not always the case) drove it just as easy as you?" How many times do people drive it easy on othe test drive?I agree it is best to follow the GM maintenance manual here, but just pointing out that some thoughts are fact and some are fiction. I'm sure there is a wide philosophy on why engines fail prematurely, but in the end it often comes down to more routine maintenance than anything they can prove from an initial break in period.

But test drives only last a few miles and a few minutes such as the end of line assembly plant dyno runs, not 500 miles for the break in. The main issue with engine break in or not, is the piston rings. Not properly broken in means how much oil the engine will typically consume during its life due the rings not being properly broken in. The rings also contribute to the power the engine will make down the road. Scored cylinder walls from rings that were not seated in properly allow blow by and in effect loss of peak power. Then the only fix is the hone the cylinder walls. I am not trying to argue just stating what I have learned over the years...

ToolGuy is right. So maybe 'rough' is not the right word to use here. Most manuals say to drive a new car gently the first 500 to 1000 miles. More important is to vary engine speed frequently, especially while driving on a highway. Town driving usually makes you do that anyway. After that you should go ahead and drive it normally. Some mechanics now say that the 'break in' period is no longer necessary. I don't think it hurts to give all the systems a little time to break in. I picked my Vibe up with only 1.6 miles on the odo and went the gentle route. The early oil change is insurance against any stray bits of machining that could be circulating in the crankcase. Hopefully the oil filter would take care of straining that stuff out. Another case for changing the oil in the first 1000 miles or less: when you buy new, the actual build date could be 6 months or more before you take possession. That could mean pretty stale oil by the time you drive it off the lot. All this probably doesn't matter much in the long run. But if you are interested in keeping the vehicle a long time... it's probably better to drive it as gently as you can stand all the time. Fewer things will break and your expensive fuel will get you a few more miles down the road. For engine longevity purposes, just make sure to change oil and filter at reasonable intervals.

My new '03 Vibe was traded from a dealer 200 miles away mostly via I-71. You can bet it was driven steady and 70mph for that first 200 miles. Seems a-ok.

I don't wanna get into the debate, but when it comes to brakes, you do not want to be genital with them to break them in... You can have an interesting read over a Baer Brakes on more of this.. http://www.baer.com/technical/...x.phpQuite an interesting read I might add..

That is the correct way to bed in new brakes only... It rarely is followed though since most shops put new pads on and the customer drives down the road which is probably fine for everyday pads but pads such as these, performance pads should probably follow these guides.

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I don't wanna get into the debate, but when it comes to brakes, you do not want to be genital with them to break them in... (removed)! That sounds like it would hurt... and burn if the rotor's hot.

from a 2.4 l engine, and an economy vehicle, 9.14 L / 100 KM isn't as low as I quite expect.With my TSX, I avg about 8.6 L per 100 KM.. but the gas it drinks is a LOT more expensive!!