New (03) Altima Owners - read on please!

[sursh79]

I just bought a 2003 ALTIMA - 3.5SE V6 (auto)

I have NEVER bought a NEW car before -- so not used to this concept of 'give car/engine time' to 'break in' -- i wanted to ask:

-- just what exactly are we NOT s'posd to do when the car is brand-new?? speed/accelerate/long-distance-drives ??

-- have any of u Altima owners heard the brake (front) 'click' everytime u move the car out of 'park' and then drive forward - just happens once after u FIRST shift to drive(D) ..what the hell is that?? It doesnt sound 'bad' but never heard a 'click' like that before??

-- I have approx. 800 miles (1200 km) on it so far -- I want to do a 1000mile (total mileage) trip next week ..is that advisable OR is the engine TOO new??

Thanks for tips on ALL questions above!

-sursh79

[joeB]

I have a new 03, my brakes dont click, maybe get that checked out.
just drive it normally for now until its broken in. Can you post any
pics?

[thrasher]

as far as break in period, newer engines don't really require the 1000 mile treat it like a virgin thing anymore...the reason is that everything is microfinished now, so surfaces are smooth and well lubricated which was the whole point of the break in perios. lots of people drive 'em like right from the factory. i would say go a little easy on it at first, but don't worry about it too much

1000 mile trip is fine

[Dave@ActiveTuning]

As thrasher said, technically you don't "need" to do a break-in period...but I DEFINITELY would take it easy at first. That means no driving over 4,000rpms.

Basically just drive the car nicely and don't abuse it. It may save you trouble in the long run.

Also, you'll want to change your oil at your first 1,000 mile mark, and then change it every 3,000 miles afterwards.

If you want to use synthetic oil in the future, you can do so anytime after about 7,000 miles.

[Ibu31]

I would just follow what it says in the manual. If it says there is a break-in period, then you probably should respect it.

Generally, you need to keep your RPM below a certain value (around 4k but again, read your manual), keep your speed below a certain value (around 45mph), and not keep your speed constant for too long.

We bought a Mercedes-Benz a few months ago and that's basically what we had to do.

As far as the clicking goes, just go to your dealer and tell 'em what the problem is.

Congrats on your new car!


Ibu

[IH8SPM]

Break in periods are reccomended for the owners. I worked at a Honda dealer and the JOCKEY'S that drove the cars from the port to the storage yard raced the cars on a regular basis. They always drove over 80MPH. I have no info on the results or effects that had on the vehicles but those cars never came back to the dealer for service.