Break-in 06 Sienna CE

As part of the 'glad-handing' tour at the dealership I was introduced
to the 'service manager' and I took the opportunity to ask his opinion
on breaking-in the new Sienna CE that I was just purchasing.
He stated NONE was needed! I then asked if it was OK to load up the
wagon and tear across the desert, like a bat out of hell, to Las Vegas
and the East Coast at 80+ miles an hour.
"No problem - it is a Toyota" was his reply. I mentioned something
about differing expert opinions ...
There was no need to ask him anything further. Should I trust this
person for anything including the time of the day?



Page 376 of the Owner's Manual states:
Avoid full throttle acceleration ..
Avoid racing engine.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first 200miles?????????????Why?
Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 500 miles.


Most of these make some sense except the HARD STOPS.
Stopping does what to engine assuming one is using the brakes and not
low gears?

Joe

"joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:nqfn725on2sqsm7nq043jml0248vmn5kd4@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> As part of the 'glad-handing' tour at the dealership I was introduced
> to the 'service manager' and I took the opportunity to ask his opinion
> on breaking-in the new Sienna CE that I was just purchasing.
> He stated NONE was needed! I then asked if it was OK to load up the
> wagon and tear across the desert, like a bat out of hell, to Las Vegas
> and the East Coast at 80+ miles an hour.
> "No problem - it is a Toyota" was his reply. I mentioned something
> about differing expert opinions ...
> There was no need to ask him anything further. Should I trust this
> person for anything including the time of the day?
>
>[/color]

I've "broken in" around 100 new Toyotas. My jobs required extensive travel
so we picked up the cars at the port of entry and hit the road at not quite
80 MPH for 5 or 6 hours. Many friends and relatives bought my company cars
and had not problems.

Don't worry about full throttle acceleration because it is done as a QC
check before the car leaves the assembly line. The car is fueled, put on a
dynamometer, put into gear, and accelerated at wide open throttle to redline
for 2 minutes, slowed to idle, and driven off the line.

[color=blue]
>
> Page 376 of the Owner's Manual states:
> Avoid full throttle acceleration ..
> Avoid racing engine.
> Try to avoid hard stops during the first 200miles?????????????Why?
> Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow.
> Do not tow a trailer during the first 500 miles.
>
>
> Most of these make some sense except the HARD STOPS.
> Stopping does what to engine assuming one is using the brakes and not
> low gears?
>
> Joe[/color]

The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional wisdom
from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains because
customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.

The advice about avoiding hard stops is to allow the brake linings to wear
enough to match the friction surfaces.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Ray O wrote:[color=blue]
> snip[/color]
[color=blue]
> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional wisdom
> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains because
> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)[/color]

Yup, I agree with Ray except varying speed for the first few hundred
miles is probably a good thing. If you drive at 80+ mph checking the
oil every other fuel stop might be a good idea - piston rings still
have to seat. For most folks, just drive the car normally and forget
about break-in.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 23:37:05 -0500, Ray O <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:[color=blue]
> The advice about avoiding hard stops is to allow the brake linings to wear
> enough to match the friction surfaces.[/color]

And should be done every time pads/discs/shoes/drums are replaced or
machined.

sdb


--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

On Tue, 30 May 2006 10:47:04 -0600, sylvan butler
<ZsdbUse1+noZs_0605@Zbigfoot.Zcom.invalid> wrote:
[color=blue]
>On Mon, 29 May 2006 23:37:05 -0500, Ray O <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:[color=green]
>> The advice about avoiding hard stops is to allow the brake linings to wear
>> enough to match the friction surfaces.[/color]
>
>And should be done every time pads/discs/shoes/drums are replaced or
>machined.
>
>sdb[/color]


I one never ask - then one will never know.
Thanks

didnt know about the 2 minutes at red line. gosh thats more punishment
than i give a car in 5 years. my 06 camry and 97 corolla has never
been over 4000 rpm ever.dang, the engines should last me forever. toyota
do any other wild things before i buy the cars? thanks. any of them blow
durning that 2 minutes?

On 30 May 2006 05:55:04 -0700, [email]dimndsonmywndshld@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>> snip[/color]
>[color=green]
>> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional wisdom
>> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains because
>> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>>
>> Ray O
>> (correct punctuation to reply)[/color]
>
>Yup, I agree with Ray except varying speed for the first few hundred
>miles is probably a good thing. If you drive at 80+ mph checking the
>oil every other fuel stop might be a good idea - piston rings still
>have to seat. For most folks, just drive the car normally and forget
>about break-in.[/color]


I very much appreciate your answers. On second thought, apparently
Toyota motor co will knowingly make false statements. One may ask
what else in their publication(s) etc. is false and kept there
"because customers expect to see it"?
One may generally assume that there is not just one - once the first
one has been found.

j

"joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:nk1p7213v5fmnm56qolh9giarg4hcuc0uo@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On 30 May 2006 05:55:04 -0700, [email]dimndsonmywndshld@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Ray O wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> snip[/color]
>>[color=darkred]
>>> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional
>>> wisdom
>>> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains
>>> because
>>> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>>>
>>> Ray O
>>> (correct punctuation to reply)[/color]
>>
>>Yup, I agree with Ray except varying speed for the first few hundred
>>miles is probably a good thing. If you drive at 80+ mph checking the
>>oil every other fuel stop might be a good idea - piston rings still
>>have to seat. For most folks, just drive the car normally and forget
>>about break-in.[/color]
>
>
> I very much appreciate your answers. On second thought, apparently
> Toyota motor co will knowingly make false statements. One may ask
> what else in their publication(s) etc. is false and kept there
> "because customers expect to see it"?
> One may generally assume that there is not just one - once the first
> one has been found.
>
> j[/color]


I wouldn't call those statements false. Following the advice in the owner's
manual certainly does not harm the vehicle or shorten its useable life, and
super-cautious owners do get satisfaction from "breaking in" a new car.
There are a lot of so-called automotive experts who think they know more
than the company that built their car, and if it comes down to following
their advice or the car company's advice, you will generally be better off
if you follow the car company's advice. That goes for advice from me, even
though I used to work for the company that made your new van.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Dave Dave" <daveooo58@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:12144-447C816A-183@storefull-3352.bay.webtv.net...[color=blue]
> didnt know about the 2 minutes at red line. gosh thats more punishment
> than i give a car in 5 years. my 06 camry and 97 corolla has never
> been over 4000 rpm ever.dang, the engines should last me forever. toyota
> do any other wild things before i buy the cars? thanks. any of them blow
> durning that 2 minutes?
>[/color]

Several cars from every production shift go on the test/torture track and
get a shot at high speeds, banked curves, deep puddles, panic stops, bumpy
roads, steep inclines, etc.

I don't know for sure whether any engines have blown during that 2 minutes,
but I suspect some have. The engines are run-in at the engine assembly
plant before they are installed in a car so even the assembly line test is
not it first startup.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On Tue, 30 May 2006 13:23:09 -0500, "Ray O"
<rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
>news:nk1p7213v5fmnm56qolh9giarg4hcuc0uo@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On 30 May 2006 05:55:04 -0700, [email]dimndsonmywndshld@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>Ray O wrote:
>>>> snip
>>>
>>>> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional
>>>> wisdom
>>>> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains
>>>> because
>>>> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>>>>
>>>> Ray O
>>>> (correct punctuation to reply)
>>>
>>>Yup, I agree with Ray except varying speed for the first few hundred
>>>miles is probably a good thing. If you drive at 80+ mph checking the
>>>oil every other fuel stop might be a good idea - piston rings still
>>>have to seat. For most folks, just drive the car normally and forget
>>>about break-in.[/color]
>>
>>
>> I very much appreciate your answers. On second thought, apparently
>> Toyota motor co will knowingly make false statements. One may ask
>> what else in their publication(s) etc. is false and kept there
>> "because customers expect to see it"?
>> One may generally assume that there is not just one - once the first
>> one has been found.
>>
>> j[/color]
>
>
>I wouldn't call those statements false. Following the advice in the owner's
>manual certainly does not harm the vehicle or shorten its useable life, and
>super-cautious owners do get satisfaction from "breaking in" a new car.
>There are a lot of so-called automotive experts who think they know more
>than the company that built their car, and if it comes down to following
>their advice or the car company's advice, you will generally be better off
>if you follow the car company's advice. That goes for advice from me, even
>though I used to work for the company that made your new van.[/color]


A very diplomatic answer.

I have "also" been told that a rough break-in period for cars is like
a rough youth with lots of chain smoking (of anything) and other
excessive activities. Some day it will come back and bite you - like
late 50's and 60's with the big C etc. You will have a shorter life.

Being a vet myself I know that our young ones are smoking, drinking
heavily in Iraq - every single chance they have. Yet there are few
cases of cancer etc. for any number of reasons - including illness is
not being manly.

j

"joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:ba6p729l8p1hcjiedpt8c87dj8b5avllum@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Tue, 30 May 2006 13:23:09 -0500, "Ray O"
> <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>>"joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
>>news:nk1p7213v5fmnm56qolh9giarg4hcuc0uo@4ax.com...[color=darkred]
>>> On 30 May 2006 05:55:04 -0700, [email]dimndsonmywndshld@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
>>>
>>>>Ray O wrote:
>>>>> snip
>>>>
>>>>> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional
>>>>> wisdom
>>>>> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains
>>>>> because
>>>>> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ray O
>>>>> (correct punctuation to reply)
>>>>
>>>>Yup, I agree with Ray except varying speed for the first few hundred
>>>>miles is probably a good thing. If you drive at 80+ mph checking the
>>>>oil every other fuel stop might be a good idea - piston rings still
>>>>have to seat. For most folks, just drive the car normally and forget
>>>>about break-in.
>>>
>>>
>>> I very much appreciate your answers. On second thought, apparently
>>> Toyota motor co will knowingly make false statements. One may ask
>>> what else in their publication(s) etc. is false and kept there
>>> "because customers expect to see it"?
>>> One may generally assume that there is not just one - once the first
>>> one has been found.
>>>
>>> j[/color]
>>
>>
>>I wouldn't call those statements false. Following the advice in the
>>owner's
>>manual certainly does not harm the vehicle or shorten its useable life,
>>and
>>super-cautious owners do get satisfaction from "breaking in" a new car.
>>There are a lot of so-called automotive experts who think they know more
>>than the company that built their car, and if it comes down to following
>>their advice or the car company's advice, you will generally be better off
>>if you follow the car company's advice. That goes for advice from me,
>>even
>>though I used to work for the company that made your new van.[/color]
>
>
> A very diplomatic answer.
>
> I have "also" been told that a rough break-in period for cars is like
> a rough youth with lots of chain smoking (of anything) and other
> excessive activities. Some day it will come back and bite you - like
> late 50's and 60's with the big C etc. You will have a shorter life.
>[/color]

There are 2 schools of thought on how to break in a new car. One is the one
outlined in the owner's manual, and the other is that a new car should be
driven hard to loosen it up, because breaking in a new car is like training
a new dog. A "looser" engine will perform better, rev more freely, and get
better fuel mileage at the expense at slightly higher oil consusmption as
the engine passes 150,000 miles than a "tighter" engine.

In my previous job, I was fortunate enough to get a brand new car every 3 or
4 months, plus, when new models were introduced we generally drove them for
a week or so to become familiar with them. When you work for an automaker,
your friends, acquaintances, and relatives all want you to get them
tremendous deals on a factory demo, and my friends and relatives who
purchased my factory demos did not enccounter any problems with them. One
friend keeps his cars to 300,000 miles, and he did not have problems with
them.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)





[color=blue]
> Being a vet myself I know that our young ones are smoking, drinking
> heavily in Iraq - every single chance they have. Yet there are few
> cases of cancer etc. for any number of reasons - including illness is
> not being manly.
>
> j
>[/color]

who is driving their car to the red line? What are u? wanna be NASCAR
DIRVIERS? LOL

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:d0c75$447bcbf3$180fead6$3785@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "joe" <nospam@invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:nqfn725on2sqsm7nq043jml0248vmn5kd4@4ax.com...[color=green]
> > As part of the 'glad-handing' tour at the dealership I was introduced
> > to the 'service manager' and I took the opportunity to ask his opinion
> > on breaking-in the new Sienna CE that I was just purchasing.
> > He stated NONE was needed! I then asked if it was OK to load up the
> > wagon and tear across the desert, like a bat out of hell, to Las Vegas
> > and the East Coast at 80+ miles an hour.
> > "No problem - it is a Toyota" was his reply. I mentioned something
> > about differing expert opinions ...
> > There was no need to ask him anything further. Should I trust this
> > person for anything including the time of the day?
> >
> >[/color]
>
> I've "broken in" around 100 new Toyotas. My jobs required extensive[/color]
travel[color=blue]
> so we picked up the cars at the port of entry and hit the road at not[/color]
quite[color=blue]
> 80 MPH for 5 or 6 hours. Many friends and relatives bought my company[/color]
cars[color=blue]
> and had not problems.
>
> Don't worry about full throttle acceleration because it is done as a QC
> check before the car leaves the assembly line. The car is fueled, put on[/color]
a[color=blue]
> dynamometer, put into gear, and accelerated at wide open throttle to[/color]
redline[color=blue]
> for 2 minutes, slowed to idle, and driven off the line.[/color]

Maybe every car should be delivered with its dynamometer report?

And I'm guessing that a car that failed to deliver within some percentage of
its rated horsepower would fail?
[color=blue][color=green]
> >
> > Page 376 of the Owner's Manual states:
> > Avoid full throttle acceleration ..
> > Avoid racing engine.
> > Try to avoid hard stops during the first 200miles?????????????Why?
> > Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow.
> > Do not tow a trailer during the first 500 miles.
> >
> >
> > Most of these make some sense except the HARD STOPS.
> > Stopping does what to engine assuming one is using the brakes and not
> > low gears?
> >
> > Joe[/color]
>
> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional wisdom
> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains because
> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>
> The advice about avoiding hard stops is to allow the brake linings to wear
> enough to match the friction surfaces.
> --
> Ray O[/color]

Is it also possible that the brakes don't deliver 100% until the surfaces
are slightly worn?



*** Posted via a free Usenet account from [url]http://www.teranews.com[/url] ***

"slatt333" <slatt333@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1149016959.815317.171440@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> who is driving their car to the red line? What are u? wanna be NASCAR
> DIRVIERS? LOL
>[/color]

The car is on a chassis dynamometer so it isn't going anywhere.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"DH" <dh@stargate.com> wrote in message
news:447c9920$0$24296$88260bb3@free.teranews.com...[color=blue]
> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
> news:d0c75$447bcbf3$180fead6$3785@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=green]
>>[/color][/color]
<snipped>[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>> Don't worry about full throttle acceleration because it is done as a QC
>> check before the car leaves the assembly line. The car is fueled, put on[/color]
> a[color=green]
>> dynamometer, put into gear, and accelerated at wide open throttle to[/color]
> redline[color=green]
>> for 2 minutes, slowed to idle, and driven off the line.[/color]
>
> Maybe every car should be delivered with its dynamometer report?
>
> And I'm guessing that a car that failed to deliver within some percentage
> of
> its rated horsepower would fail?
>[/color]

I don't recall seeing a hard copy dynamometeter report. Basically, the car
is driven on to the dynamometer rollers and hooked up to wiring under the
hood, the chassis is secured from underneath, the car is put back into gear
and accelerated until the proper a yellow light comes on, and when it turns
green, the car is braked, the wires under the hood unhooked, the car is
unclamped, and then driven into a tunnel with high pressure water nozzles
while people in the front and back seats look for leaks.

There was a red light next to the green light, I assume that light came on
if the car failed.

[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>> > Page 376 of the Owner's Manual states:
>> > Avoid full throttle acceleration ..
>> > Avoid racing engine.
>> > Try to avoid hard stops during the first 200miles?????????????Why?
>> > Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow.
>> > Do not tow a trailer during the first 500 miles.
>> >
>> >
>> > Most of these make some sense except the HARD STOPS.
>> > Stopping does what to engine assuming one is using the brakes and not
>> > low gears?
>> >
>> > Joe[/color]
>>
>> The "break in" period listed in the owner's manual is conventional wisdom
>> from the times when vehicles actually needed break in. It remains
>> because
>> customers expect to see it in the owner's manual.
>>
>> The advice about avoiding hard stops is to allow the brake linings to
>> wear
>> enough to match the friction surfaces.
>> --
>> Ray O[/color]
>
> Is it also possible that the brakes don't deliver 100% until the surfaces
> are slightly worn?
>[/color]

I've never had problems with making the car stop on a dime right after
replacing the brakes, in fact, I always make a few panic stops right after
doing a brake job. The techs at GM dealers have told me that it is
important to make a few soft stops right after doing a brake job because the
pads need to seat, although I have not run across that myself.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)