Break-In Period For '05 Accord

Hi all-

I've taken the plunge and I'm getting a new Accord EX V-6 (Sedan). This will be my first "new car" purchase and I'm getting it from a dealer about 400 miles away (my friend's brother-in-law in the GM). So my question is: what exactly should I do/not do when I drive this baby home? For those who are familiar with California, I will be driving this from Orange County to the Bay Area up the 5 freeway :confused: . For thos who are not familiar, the 5 freeway is about 300 miles of straight road up the central valley...no hills and everyone's pretty much driving 75-85mph consistantly. I've heard I shouldn't maintain constant speeds and that I shouldn't go above 55mph. I've also heard that new cars don't really need a "breaking in" period and the only thing I really need to watch is hard breaking.

Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

You got it. Vary your speed, no full throttle starts, use the brakes firmly but not excessively hard. The Honda dealer here tells them 500 miles of reasonable driving, then drive it like you stole it.

Don't use the cruise on those flats if you can avoid it. Let it climb slowly to your max speed you are gonna drive, then let it coast down 10-15 mph.

They really don't need the break-in like they used to, cause machining processes and tolerances are much better than in the past, so parts don't have to wear into each other gradually as much as they used to.

It still can't hurt to give it a little time to wear in.

Just like Jeff said...
I just want to add a comment:
you may want to change your oil after the break in period...once again, it isn't mandatory, but it's still a good idea. If any metal shavings or anything were initially in your engine or broke off during the break in period, it would flush them out sooner, rather than later.

Thanks a bunch for the responses. So do you think it will be safe to drive 65-70mph as long as I don't "gun" it to reach those speeds?

Yes