What Should I Know About Breaking In a Brand-New Vehicle?

You know that it's a good idea to break in a new pair of shoes--but did you know that the same applies to a new car, too? Taking it easy is the key when it comes to driving a new car. Gentle driving is always a good idea, but it's especially important in the first 500 miles or so. Try to keep your vehicle's engine under the 3,000-rpm mark, and begin and end this period with oil changes. It used to be that you wanted to maintain a low maximum speed during the break in period. However, today's engineering comes with improvements that allow normal freeway speed limits. We recommend gently driving your new Subaru at the various speeds it will travel throughout its life without maintaining a steady RPM for extended periods.

More Information About Vehicle Breaking-In Periods

Of course, it's not always possible to follow these standards exactly. If you purchase a car and need to accelerate hard when getting on the highway or need to brake suddenly, you're not going to do irreparable harm to your vehicle. These aren't hard and fast rules; rather, they're guidelines demonstrating the ideal way to break your vehicle in. If you're concerned that you may have overdone it, our technicians will be glad to give your Subaru an inspection to make sure everything is running as it should.