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"Break in Period"?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by lumpy95, Sep 2, 2013.

  1. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    In the book for my 2008 Prius there was mention of a 5,000 mile break in but in the book for my new 2013 Prius 3, I saw no mention of a break in period.
    Neither the dealer nor the service dept. mentioned anything about a break in period either.
    I haven't had it over 65 mph yet so I guess I am safe enough but was just curious if there is a mileage break in.
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My 2010 and 2012 listed 600 mile (1000 km) breakin periods, just the standard stuff.
     
  3. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    Interesting.
    The service dept. just setup my first maintenance appt. for 6 mos. and said nothing else.
     
  4. nekoashide

    nekoashide Junior Member

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    I don't think break-in periods apply anymore, In 10 years and two new cars later it's made no difference to drive a certain speed or change the oil early to me. In the end it was the same and the cars all performed like they were supposed to by following the maintenance manual until i got tired of driving them and traded them in. 180k 2003 Ford Focus and a 134k 2010 Ford Focus. My Prius is a certified pre-owned with 23k on it and 5k oil changes (Lease Return) and i fully expect this to be the last car i buy until someone runs a red light and tbones me.
     
  5. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Not sure what book you are looking at, my 2012 C states 1,000 miles as the break in period. The dealer should know this as well!!
     
  6. nekoashide

    nekoashide Junior Member

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    I never had a choice, as i recall the book said no constant speeds in my Ford Focuses (Highway) for the break in period but work quickly killed that. I regularly do 200mi one way with the cruise control on and it never had any ill effect. As i recall the 2010 Ford Focus that i just traded in was a quart low after 7500mi from 7mi and after that it never burned a drop right up until i traded it in with 7500mi oil changes, i was at about 134k.
     
  7. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Your service visits should be every 5k miles, the way you drive that will be less than 6 months.
     
  8. nekoashide

    nekoashide Junior Member

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    It was every month or two for 7500mi, they knew me and even the service writer and mechanic would be ready if i called that day. I was put at the front of the line no questions asked. It was all highway driving with minimal city and that doesn't denote severe, just a lot of cruise control and satellite radio. They engineer cars so well now that 10k oil changes are more the norm and i don't believe in ever changing the transmission fluid, P/S fluid or radiator fluid.

    My belief is that if something is going to fail with the number of miles i put on my cars then I'll trade it in and or just wait for it to break. So far it's worked out great with no major problems and cars with high mileage going to people who will appreciate the fact that i took care of them and they got a deal at the auction.
     
  9. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Well not changing the trans fluid per the factory recommendation is not something i would appreciate if i purchased the car. After oil its the 2nd most important fluid in a car. :(
     
  10. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    I only average around 4,000 miles a yr. so my 2 yr. free maintenance will be based on 6 month intervals.
    I didn't see anything about a 1,000 mile break in, but maybe I missed it somewhere in the owners manual. Thanks for the info to all that responded.
     
  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I read my 2013 manual and I can't remember the exact words, but there was a part where it was recommended you avoid hard braking or a "steady speed" for X number of miles.

    I want to say 1st 1000 miles but could be wrong.

    In anycase, it was no big deal, and I just avoided hard braking and tried to vary my speed for a while.

    With todays modern vehicles don't know if it makes too much difference, but it's easy enough to do for a while, and the peace of mind placebo affect is ok with me.
     
  12. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    The interesting thing about the Prius is that even when you maintain a steady speed, the ICE does not maintain a steady speed. As you go up and down hills and inclines the ICE speed varies even though the wheels maintain a steady speed.

    So you really do not need to worry about the steady speed part of it.
     
  13. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    I found it on page 183 of my 2013 owners manual.

    Breaking in your new Toyota

    1- For the first 200 miles:
    Avoid sudden stops
    2- For the first 600 miles:
    Do not drive at extremely high speeds
    Avoid sudden acceleration
    Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods
     
    102mm likes this.
  14. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Damn....I think I did it for the 1st thousand miles.

    You mean I could of made it to work on time after the 1st 600 miles?
     
  15. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    Well yours is realllllly broke in, LOL
     
  16. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    1000 kilometers or 600 miles. It pays to notice the difference.
     
  17. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Not in this case, I really don't think the extra 400 miles of relative caution did any damage at all.
     
  18. 102mm

    102mm Junior Member

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    I haven't made it to that page yet! Thanks

    SCH-I605 ? 4
     
  19. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

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    Your welcome