Did the 350z engine need wearing in when brand new

[HassanZ]

Hi everybody,

 

You may have heard many people talking about 'wearing in' a brand new engine/car. Did this need to be carried out on the Zeds?

 

Some people say this don't need to be done on modern cars and some people say you do

 

The E46 M3 needed a 'wear-in' service so I'm guessing they needed to be worn in properly and they are fairly modern vehicles.

 

If a car needed wearing in, could long-term damage be caused if the car was rev'd hard in it's first few thousand miles?

 

Thank you for your comments guys!

[Chris`I]

This is going to open a whole can of worms. Engines are bench tested before they leave the factory, so IMO no they dont need bedding in when new. Other parts of the car do, brakes, tyres etc, which is why manufacturers dont want you booting it everywhere in the first few hundred miles. I see no problem in getting the engine fully warmed up and giving it a good old thrashing when new, so long as you build up to it when the engine is nice and warm. Put it this way, I wasnt even home before my 370z was nice and warm

 

Theres actually evidence out there that suggests if you take it too easy when they are new that you will get sealing problems with the piston rings and such that you are more likely to suffer excessive oil use if the engine is nannied too much rather than booting it.

 

Sure someone will be along to counter this argument though.

[cmck13]

We have covered this before, historically in the car industry since 1960's (my knowledge) you wore the engine in. It was accepted then that catastrophic engine failure could happpen, i.e. pistons flying through your crankcase at over 500mph was normal, and a little bit frightening!!!

As it went through the 80's due to better quality and closer tolerances on engine fittings it was not deemed neccessary.

However you have always had joints, brakes, rubberknuckles, body parts etc that its sensible to allow settling in. Also in a new car the car manufacturers give information on what to do with your car and how to run it in, for the first few weeks, you would be unwise to ignore this advice for I have no doubt they would say you were reckless, if only not to pay out in the repair costs if any thing went wrong.

I think common sense is prevalent here and just be sensible after all on the highways your not allowed to drive over 70mph are you???

[HassanZ]

This is going to open a whole can of worms. Engines are bench tested before they leave the factory, so IMO no they dont need bedding in when new. Other parts of the car do, brakes, tyres etc, which is why manufacturers dont want you booting it everywhere in the first few hundred miles. I see no problem in getting the engine fully warmed up and giving it a good old thrashing when new, so long as you build up to it when the engine is nice and warm. Put it this way, I wasnt even home before my 370z was nice and warm

 

Theres actually evidence out there that suggests if you take it too easy when they are new that you will get sealing problems with the piston rings and such that you are more likely to suffer excessive oil use if the engine is nannied too much rather than booting it.

 

Sure someone will be along to counter this argument though.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I've always been under the impression that cars still need to be ran in!

 

When I was speaking to some of the boys at Santa Pod, they mentioned that cars that have been driven hard from new would most likely be faster a few years down the line than a car being driven with care. That sounds like the same theory you just explained!

 

I'm curious as to why M3's have a run-in service after like 3,000 miles

 

You are sure lucky to own a 370z though!!!

[JetSet]

In the 60's, 70's machining of engines was nowhere near as good as today and the engines would have metal turnings and swarf which needed to be taken off gradually. That's why the first service always came after 900-1,000 miles, just to get rid of all the bits of metal that finished up in the sump.

 

 

Pete

[HassanZ]

We have covered this before, historically in the car industry since 1960's (my knowledge) you wore the engine in. It was accepted then that catastrophic engine failure could happpen, i.e. pistons flying through your crankcase at over 500mph was normal, and a little bit frightening!!!

As it went through the 80's due to better quality and closer tolerances on engine fittings it was not deemed neccessary.

However you have always had joints, brakes, rubberknuckles, body parts etc that its sensible to allow settling in. Also in a new car the car manufacturers give information on what to do with your car and how to run it in, for the first few weeks, you would be unwise to ignore this advice for I have no doubt they would say you were reckless, if only not to pay out in the repair costs if any thing went wrong.

I think common sense is prevalent here and just be sensible after all on the highways your not allowed to drive over 70mph are you???

 

Thanks for the reply

 

My car being an ex-demo car, do you think it must have taken abuse in the first 1,800 miles whilst Nissan owned it before passing it on to my previous owner who kept it for 5 years? I'm just curious as to whether they went through the precautionary 'running-in' procedures or just let anyone just abuse it regardless of the mileage!

 

But with regards to your explanation, it makes perfect sense!