How can I tell if someone broke through the engine correctly??

[Razor4ever]

^ Cuz I have a chance of buying a 07Si for really decent cash!. And it has 1156 miles on it. Would a compression test show something?

[moxom]

There is no reliable way of knowing if the engine was broken in as prescribed by Honda.

[Vince]

Damn near everyone has their own "method" and swear by it like it's straight from God himself. If I could tell you how it was treated, I could find 100 people that'd say it was fvcked.
Don't worry about it. Just don't pay "new" price for a car with a grand on it even if it is an 07.

[xmx250]

Theres probably no way to tell. But i'm willing to bet no matter how the car was broken in, it is probably perfectly fine.


Actually if it was broken in the hard way it might even read higher compression numbers due to the rings having sealed really tight. This is just in my opinion, i'm no mechanic by any means.

[2RotorMotor]

Originally Posted by moxom

There is no reliable way of knowing if the engine was broken in as prescribed by Honda.

honda doesnt prescribe anything, the clutch needs break in more than the motor does...

[NIGHTHAWKSI]

if it only has 1,1xx miles on it...it has plenty of time left under warrenty. dont worry about it.

[moxom]

Originally Posted by 2RotorMotor

honda doesnt prescribe anything, the clutch needs break in more than the motor does...

RTFM.
Page 150 states:
Break In Period
Help assure your vehicle’s future reliability and performance by paying extra attention to how you drive during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:
1. Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.
2. Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km).
3. Do not change the oil until the scheduled maintenance time.
4. Do not tow a trailer.

[kero]

Why is this price so good? Needs to get rid of it, possible accident, a friend?

Make sure you are not getting someone elses headache, you just never know!

[Vince]

Dealers do make mistakes in delivery, give people the wrong VIN cars.
<<<< Happened to this guy believe it or not LOL, well not really, I was highly agitated at the time!!!!!!!
I put 450 something miles on that car with a sort of hard break-in, well I didn't baby it and didn't beat on it either. I treated it like it was my own because I didn't know any better.
I don't want to make this a discussion on break-in because that's a tired and beat down topic, just explaining maybe how the miles got there.

[Paradox Lost]

My take is basically the same as what others have said- I doubt there exists a reliable means of determining the treatment of the vehicle during the break-in period.

I bought my 07' Si with eight miles, but for all I know, it could have been eight miles back and forth on the 1/4 mile strip. It would be highly unsurprising if my car was taken to its rev limit before I bought it. At the car dealership I used to work at, many of the sales persons (okay, okay, I'm guilty of this as well) would simply test drive new cars for the sake of it, driving them pretty rough with very low miles, and in some cases, downright abusing them. I highly doubt it's dramatically different at other dealerships, and besides, if those eight miles were eight test-drive miles with customers, I'm confident something like the following phrase came up a number of times: "here, let me show you how fast this car hits redline".

On a side note, I'm curious as to whether or not hitting VTEC during tbe break-in period is incompatible with actually breaking the car in at a comfortable rate. One interesting point that another poster (I forgot who, and correct me if I'm wrong) brought up in a different break-in thread- during my break-in period, I never actually hit VTEC, but even if you avoid hitting VTEC, the second cam profile never gets activated, and hence, is never actually "broken in". So at some point, I suppose you have to break-in your VTEC, and that's not exactly the type of thing done under "normal" driving conditions, or at least those suggested by the owners manual (though it's also a far cry from hitting it once every 15 minutes and taking it to red-line each time).

Just something to think about.

EDIT: Here's the thread:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showthread.php?p=220874

[fyreant]

Originally Posted by Paradox Lost

but even if you avoid hitting VTEC, the second cam profile never gets activated, and hence, is never actually "broken in". So at some point, I suppose you have to break-in your VTEC, and that's not exactly the type of thing done under "normal" driving conditions, or at least those suggested by the owners manual (though it's also a far cry from hitting it once every 15 minutes and taking it to red-line each time).

that is correct.. you are actually supposed to break it in in different levels.. as for the topic of this post there is NO WAY to know. but a compression test WILL give you a good idea as to how it was broken in / driven...

[Paradox Lost]

Originally Posted by fyreant

that is correct.. you are actually supposed to break it in in different levels.. as for the topic of this post there is NO WAY to know. but a compression test WILL give you a good idea as to how it was broken in / driven...

Could you give me a little more info on this? Whatever it is, I doubt that's what I did, as once I hit 600 miles, everything was far game. But I'm curious as to what this is, and since I don't recall reading this in the owners manual, would probably be of use to many others.

[fyreant]

well you start off driving like the first 200-300 miles not really going above like5k.. like grandma drivin it.. then the next 100-200 miles you start bringing her up to like 6000-6500k... then after that you start going up to like 7200-7500k for the remainder of the break in and finally making full vtec pulls at 6-700 miles. i have gatherered this through personal experience and from what i've read on the net. hope it helps.

[Chase]

Break it in how you want it to drive... I drove it like I stole when I drove it off the lot.

[fyreant]

Originally Posted by Chase

Break it in how you want it to drive... I drove it like I stole when I drove it off the lot.

that may cost you a chunk of HP in the long hull. your car though. "it looks good from my house!"

[thoughtshewas18]

ive been driving my car like a rocket since ive gotten it :) I drove it like 100 miles without vtech but thats about all I could handle.. Its almost at 2k miles and runs great

[Paradox Lost]

Originally Posted by fyreant

well you start off driving like the first 200-300 miles not really going above like5k.. like grandma drivin it.. then the next 100-200 miles you start bringing her up to like 6000-6500k... then after that you start going up to like 7200-7500k for the remainder of the break in and finally making full vtec pulls at 6-700 miles. i have gatherered this through personal experience and from what i've read on the net. hope it helps.

Hey, thanks- that was pretty informative, but since I've passed that point long ago, I can't really take practical advantage of it now. I basically did the first part as you stated, not really going past 5k for the first 600 miles. But when I hit exactly 601, I took it to VTEC, but didn't actually redline it until 100 or so miles later.

In any event, I'm sure I'll be fine. :)

[06NaviEX]

I'm sure it will be fine.

Engines are started and ran pretty hard at the factory before they ever leave.

I've always bought new cars since I got out of college, and drove them like I stole them from day one. Never had an oil burner or any other problems.

This Civic was the first car that I bought used since I was a kid. It was 6 months old and had just over 13K. The guy bought it in Seattle, WA, and then drove it to Ft. Worth, TX. I figured the only way you can get that many miles on a car in 6 months is with highway miles.

I was able to get an 06 EX with Navi for thousands less than a new one (and this one looked new). I'm not having any problems with it, and I have drove it pretty hard. Let someone else eat the depreciation of driving a new car off the lot! Also, since the dealer called this a Certified Pre-Owned Honda, I got free extensions of the factory warranty!

As long as it's not a rental car or a car that was owned by a "kid" (a kid can be a 40 year old) and ran hard and hot, you should be fine. I'm happy with my decision.

Brian

BTW - make sure you get the dealer/seller to run a CarFax report for you!

[FG-Habanero-NavI]

I got to test drive my vehicle at the Honda dealership I was working at, before I bought it...and drove the hell out of it...ended up buying it..been 'ing since day 1...I got about 10k on my car...and it's perfectly fine, no problems..except my suspension, which is my own fault...lol.. I wouldn't worry about it...from everything that i've heard working for Honda, they come pre-broken in..I used to drive the hell out of
s2000's...and no one ever came back complaining after they bought those either..

So git 'r' done!!

[JeShUa]

But what if they towed a trailer in the first 600 mi??
I'm more than sure it'll be fine.. unless something is NOTICEABLE... gl w/ the new car search