Volemangler

When I ordered the STi, I asked about running it in and was told that it didn't need any such treatment, and that I should drive it. I did manage a peek at the manual though, which stipulates a 1000 mile running in period for which 4000rpm should not be exceeded. When I pointed this out to the guy he dismissed it saying, "Well, they have to put something in there".

Anyone got any specific ideas about running these things in ?

Wannabe

Well, if your only going to have it a couple of years just give it some as your not going to have the trouble with it. lol

In all fairness i would run it in for about 500k then gradualy work the revs up after that just to be on the safe side, its got a 3 year warranty so i wouldnt worry to much


Sy

ramdor

iTrader: (2)

Wait for the 1st 1000 mile service, keeping it below ~4000 until then. After the service... give it some

Richie.

Diablo

As far as i know, the cars arrive in the UK on a thinner "running in" oil which is changed at the first service for something a bit better.

So, if this is still the case, then yes, no heavy loading, excessive revs, etc until the first service at 1,000 miles.

If this is no longer the case then I stand corrected.

In general terms, drive the car normally, avoiding constant RPM (can glaze the bores) avoid labouring the engine, and avoid high revs.

If you go over 4000rpm on occasion (within the guidelines above) don't worry too much.

D

Diablo

Oh, and your dealer is talking mince.....

Like most, it seems, they know **** all about the product.

Josh L

Some dealer

Go by the schedule stipulated in the manual. It may be frustrating, but it's worth it if you want to keep the car for a while.

The cars are supplied with the thinner oil, and should not be abused in the mean time. Although I know of a couple of dealers who have chosen to change the oil early on their demos in case they are abused, I simply can't believe how ignorant some dealers are.

What a wunch of Bankers [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] I don't suppose they have a couple of initials at the beginning of their name do they?

Josh

Volemangler

Yes Josh, they do indeed......I posted a thread about them the other day (Rant, Sulk)

Josh L

Thought as much. I think it must be a desease within the group. They used to own the local Toyota dealership, but recently flogged it, leaving all the same staff.

As a result of the company's attitude being perpetuated by the staff, my Wife is getting her new RAV 4 from a Lincoln dealer, who's arranged for her to collect it from Worcester as she's over there to visit her Mum.

That's proper service.

Josh

Volemangler

Josh, I've had dealings with a couple of other marques in Cheltenham, one being Lotus and the other being Seat, when I bought new cars from them, and I have to say I found their service mediocre at best. Oldbury Cars (now Dick Lovett, but, again, the same staff) were bordering on rude, and massively ignorant of the product. Seat were initally OK, but have slumped to very poor under a new management regime.
I was beginning to think it was the region, i.e. Cheltenham itself, which was the problem, rather than the car industry itself. But I have recently heard stories of various Subaru dealerships seemingly doing their utmost to p1ss customers off. Possibly because they know the demand for the cars is so great that they know required effort on their part is minimal.
As far as CD in Cheltenham goes, all I can do is chalk one up to experience and hope things improve.

Josh L

but we live in Milton Keynes, so it shows how far we have to travel to get decent service.

Josh

Volemangler

I used to take the Elise to Salisbury for servicing instead of driving the two miles to my local Lotus dealer. Which garage do you use to service your Scooby Josh ?

Josh L

Listers (despite having four dealers within 30 miles of me)

Steve777

iTrader: (8)

500K = 500000miles ? Car will be knackered by the time its run in and probably very old.

Don't you mean 0.5K or 500 miles !!!

I would and will be taking it steady for the first 1000 miles until the oil is changed and then build it up and then PPP it

Volemangler

Don't worry Wannabe, I know what you meant, didn't take a lot working out really.

Cheers for the replies.

Mrksti8

I'm picking mine up in the morning.I was also told that only a couple of hundred miles will be enough running in, and better still that the rev light came on when the engine is too hot and its time to ease off,not a preset limit - not quite true is it?

Neil Smalley

Mrksti8

No,

Run it in properly and you'll save loads of hassle later. Set the shift beep and light to 3800 rpm to give you time to change up when it beeps

Mrksti8

Thanks Neil

I will take your advice, he also said to alter ther rev light you had to bring it back to the garage, but after reading the destruction manual it can be altered with the control in the dash i see.

How do these guys get there jobs without been up to date on the products eh!

PSI3

Volemangler, try Simpsons in Swindon, just ordered my 3rd Impreza in 2 years from them, good sales but excellent after sales and service team, i live near Stroud and have to drive right passed TH Whites to get to them , which i do every time and CD Brammall you obviously have come to the same conclusion as me

simon
PSI3

Sheepsplitter

I will most likely get flamed for this but here goes anyway.....

Personally I'm convinced that longetivity of engine life, in what is a fairly highly strung car, is dependent on the way you run it in. Those first few hundred miles are the secret to bedding in the engine and ensuring that the moving parts are mated well. No matter how good the engine components are there is still a bedding in process. I'm absolutely convinced that the reason some people have more problems with engines than others is related to the treatment the car gets in the first 500-600 miles.
Steady running in and building up the temperature a bit at a time has a hardening effect on the engine parts (as it does with most metalic objects).
Seems to work for me as my car is now on 72K miles, dynos at 348BHP and apart from a bit of piston slap first thing on a morning, goes like a nun on a 18-30 holiday!!

Volemangler

Thanks PCB. There are now a number of people who've reported good things about Simpsons. I'll probably take it there for servicing. Just wondering if I should have cancelled the PPP order with CD Bramall (whose sales guy confesssed that they've never fitted a PPP before) and ordered it through Simpsons.

SU3ARU

I am picking my STi8 up in a weeks time .

Was at the dealers last week for a test drive and they said that they set the rev warning device to 4000rpm for the first 1000 miles and then to about 6500rpm after it has come in for the 1000 mile service.

Obviously you can change it yourself, but shows that they are concerned with how it is run in.

When I got my MY99 a few years ago a different dealer told me to not go over 4000rpm at the beginnning but after the 1000 mile service to "thrash the nuts off it" and head for the red line as often as possible. the argument was that this would lossen the car up further and improve what you can get out of it. Any truth in that?

Peter

Josh L

Volemangler,

It strikes me that it might be rpeferable to get your PPP fitted at a dealer that can at least spell it It's a fixed price item, so you can get it done anywhere. If it were me, I move the order to another dealer.

Su3aru,

The general concensus amongst the knowledgable on the board (of which I am not one) has always been to build up the revs after the first service, rather than thrashing the nuts off it on the way home from the garage.

Josh

SiBurt

I picked up my silver PPP'd sti8 this morning from Cross Roads Subaru just south of Stratford.These guys really know their stuff & told me that i could take the car up to 5000rpm for the 1st 1000 miles due to it being a vvc unit.Now,i dont know about you guys,but when an established dealership thats involved with Prodrive as much these boys are,recommend the above id be stupid not to take their advice.

ruminator

Advice given to me when I got my UK MY99 from Oaken Garage, Wolverhampton....

DO NOT exceed 4000 rpm in the 1st 1000 miles, then try and hold back for the next 2000 miles, carefully building up revs. After 3000 miles you can give it a bit more but try to avoid really going for it until second service (7500 miles)Dealers words were "I know this is hard but but it will save you big bills later, and the engine probably wont really losen up until well after the second service" (7500-8500 miles on MY99)

I thought this was reasonable advice, if a tad difficult to adhere to !

Were they right ?

Rumy

Sheepsplitter

ruminator: I'd suggest their advice was a tad cautious.