I purchased my 04 Nissan Maxima SE on Saturday with 0.8 miles on it and I'm dying to push the throttle to test out the beasty engine however I've read that the car needs 1400 miles to break in. What do you all think about this?

Also, I was wondering who has raced what and what was the outcome?

 

General consensus on the board is that you need at least this amount of mileage before putting the pedal to the metal.

The manual states no going over 4K rpms during the break-in period, no jack-rabbit starts, etc.

Just as important for the brakes and everything else...

While we have also all been tempted, we have (painfully) waited for break-in and first oil changes to occur first....

Then again, if you are leasing it and not keeping it for the long term, let 'er rip...

 

IIRC, the manual specifies 1200 miles as the break-in period. And as 2004 Smoke said, hold 'er under 4K rpms during that period.

The Maxima is a fine machine, worthy of proper treatment at all times. I personally feel it would be worthwhile to hold things under 5K rpms until the clock is around 2400 miles, under 6K until around 3600 miles, and I would never redline it. But then I have always babied my Maximas. As a result, they have always babied me.

Using the above method, I put 206,000 on an '85 Maxima, and the engine ran beautifully when I let it go.

I understand the terrible temptation, but . . .

 

ya , dont push it. it will be worth it in the long run when ur car has 140k miles and still going strong. lol

 

I could not help it. I mean I did not smoke the tires, But I diffentally wanted to see what it could do, Let's be real how many of you kept it under 4400rpm

 

I was told to drive it like my driving habits. I'm not going to floor it untill about 1,000 miles. For Me, it's transportation and not a race car. jmo

 

may sound dumb but you should drive the car the way you normally drive and if that consists of you flooring it on straights or banking turns then do so. What is a so called break in period. You purchase a new house, do you take it easy on the air conditioner or heater for a break in period. NO It's about maintence not a break in period that makes a car last. IMO Ain't like we're driving 100k cars, its a mid ranged car that most of the working class can afford but just don't know the potentials about the max. If I where you, I'd be sitting at a red light smoking the tires up. If everything is electronically controlled then if you baby your car and after the so called break in period beat on it, then the computer compensated for the ***** foot driving and now you go to beat on it and its sluggish.

Fleetwood is right, drive it like my driving habits.

 

The computer's subtle parameters will not be able to make up for mechanical damage in the engine.

We could debate all day on the merits of a break in vs. "seating the seals" by driving it hard during break in. We couild give anecdotal stories until we're blue in the face, but when it all comes down to it, none of us know the car as well as Nissan, and if Nissan is recommending a break in period, you'd do well to follow it.

I've never owned a new car. I never intend to. But, if I did, I'd break it in according to the manual. Driving a thousand or two thousand miles without redlining it is not that much to ask.

 

Of course it's your car, so do what you like. Nissan recommends 1200 miles take it easy. My salesman said 600 miles, vary the rpms (don't use cruise control, or stay at the same rpm for more than 10 minutes), stay under 4k rpms. Doesn't take that long. If something goes wrong early on and your "black box" reports the hard driving, you may risk your warranty.

This car is engineered to perform. Very well known mechanics of mine say cars today are pretty much broken in when they leave the plant. I tried to take it easy, but I know I jumped past 4k once or twice for a quick second around 500 miles. But I haven't touched the redline until recently, 3300 miles. And that's b/c I had it in first, so it shifted to second on its own. Nice feature. With proper maintence, these engines are bullet-proof.

 

I kept it under 4k for the first 1200 miles, just like Nissan said, and I'm a very aggressive driver. The nice thing about the car is that you don't have to go easy to keep it under 4k. Hitting 3900RPMs is plenty to get up to speed most of the time.

-Nate

 

I agree, I had really no problem keeping it under 4k and getting decent power. I have just a tad over 2000 miles on the car now so it gets hammered now and again. I think it will really be ready to open her up though after the first oil change.