How to nurse your new car’s engine

Just like you won’t take your brand new boots on a 5-day hiking trail, you probably don’t want to do anything too stressful to your new car.  We’re not saying you should drive so cautiously as to frustrate other drivers, but there are things you can do, which will ultimately extend the life of your engine. The first 1600 km are crucial!

Don’t cause engine strain

Be gentle to your new wheels! You can cause engine strain by anything from flooring the accelerator, to towing a caravan, or shifting gears at the top of the rev range. Changing up gears too early or using a gear that’s too high causes the engine to labour unnecessarily as well.

For your car that runs on petrol, try and stick under 3000 rpm

At least for the first 800 - 1000 km, and then increase this to 4000 rpm. Make a point of letting the revs reach this limit.

If your car is diesel-run, keep it under 3000 rpm

...yet it should also be allowed to reach this limit.

Pushing your new car to the redline is not recommended

Unless it has already been broken in to be track-ready (certain performance cars undergo this process at the factory),be gentle. Your car’s manual or the dealership will tell you what the break-in period / distance is for your car, but most of our modern cars just need a little TLC for the first 1600 km.

For a more detailed and technical explanation by an engineer, please take a look at this informative video!