Break in for a 2018 Nissan Altima

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Hello all,
I appreciate your input for my Nissan Versa oil change schedule a couple of months ago but unfortunately my car got hit and was totaled. I am thinking of getting a new Nissan Altima. How should I break-in the car properly? I am thinking of getting an oil change right after driving the car from the dealer and a few more oil changes until the car reaches 5000 miles. The car uses 0W-20 but I feel like it is too think and is it ok if I put 5W30 dexos1 gen2 oil into the QR25DE engine? Also thinking of keeping the engine below 3000RPM before 5000 miles and avoid hard braking. Is it bad if I drive the car on 100 mile highway trip everyday during the break-in period? Should I change the CVT fluid or other fluid/parts earlier than the manufacturer's suggestion?
Thank you and have a good day.
 
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Drive it sensibly for the first 500 miles or so. No wide open throttle starts. No heavy braking. Your are also breaking in the transmission and other drive components besides the engine.

I like to change the factory oil at around the 1k mark. That choice is up to you.

Enjoy your new Altima
 
No sense in changing oil when getting home from dealership. On a new car I typically change the oil around 3,000 miles for first OCI. I then follow manufacturers recommended OCI.

As far as break-in just read the manual when you get the car. The manual will tell you if anything special is required.
 
Isnt that there will be many metal shavings in the factory fill? I think it would be better to change it out as soon as possible?
 
Maybe a bit off-topic, but I would like to hear all of your opinion. The Nissan Altima is my first choice as the Versa served me well (I was lucky I did not got seriously injured) but I am open to other options. How does Altima compare to other competitors such as Camry, Accord, Legacy or Optima? I like the design of Altima and Accord but the 2018 Accord is using turbocharged engines and I am concerned with the reliability. Optima sounds a good deal given that there will be a 60000 mile full warranty. Do not know much about the Toyotas. I appreciate the input and have a good one.
 
the manual will guide you.

I think typically it also says you should just drive normally but also at a variety of speeds. Lugging or driving at too low rpm is not advised.

I wouldn't baby the car under 3000rpm all the time with the belief thst that is helpful. You should give it the beans like half or 75% throttle every so often and go through the gears, for example on onramps or passing. This is only like 10 seconds of higher output.
The concern is you shouldnt straight up race or autox where you have minutes of full throttle at a time
 
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A car manufactured to modern tolerances should be effectively broken in by the time you drive it home. Just in case there were some rough edges when it left the factory drive at legal speeds and don't treat a stop light like a drag strip Christmas tree. Most important (like you use the forum and aren't aware of this) don't beat on it when it's cold.

Claud.
 
Originally Posted By: Fulgore
Maybe a bit off-topic, but I would like to hear all of your opinion. The Nissan Altima is my first choice as the Versa served me well (I was lucky I did not got seriously injured) but I am open to other options. How does Altima compare to other competitors such as Camry, Accord, Legacy or Optima? I like the design of Altima and Accord but the 2018 Accord is using turbocharged engines and I am concerned with the reliability. Optima sounds a good deal given that there will be a 60000 mile full warranty. Do not know much about the Toyotas. I appreciate the input and have a good one.


First, I misread your post thinking you already had the Altima.

Cars are so much alike these days. They are appliances that get you around. Your choice depends on your budget and needs. Pretty much all brands are now assembled by machines and robots. No more Monday and Friday goofs. In the end it’s the car that fits your needs but also fits you as a driver. Your above choices are excellent and I would add Mazda to the mix. They have come a long ways since their breakup with Ford.
 
I apologize it was a typo I mean too thin. I know many cars spec 0W20 now but with the same engine code, a couple of years ago they spec 5W30 or even higher... Just concerned if 0W20 provide adequate protection in summer. Thank you.
 
Yes I agree with you. One of the point getting the Altima is that it looks very nice to me. But I am not a car guy and just would like to hear more suggestions. I will also look at the Mazda website. Actually I have thought of getting the Ford but some friends told me that Ford is no longer as good as it was and Japanese cars are more reliable in general. What do you think? Thank you so much.
 
I wouldn't change the oil earlier than 3-5K miles, nor the CVT fluid before 20-30K miles. On a different note, how do you like those seats in the Altima? So comfortable IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: PimTac
Drive it sensibly for the first 500 miles or so. No wide open throttle starts. No heavy braking. Your are also breaking in the transmission and other drive components besides the engine.

I like to change the factory oil at around the 1k mark. That choice is up to you.


That's basically what I do with any new vehicle I've bought. They all run strong and don't use any oil. IMO, if the engine is babied too much when new the rings won't seat very well.
 
I had one as a loaner ( as a Nissan owner) and didn't like it one bit. They do ook nice but everone has one so plain vanilla.

I would look elsewhere.

Of GREAT rentals Ive had: Maybe Dodge Charger v6 (bigger, nicer) or Kia Forte (slicker, in the groove and miserly).

Ther better not be shavings in the oil! Where do people get this "shavings" stuff? Maybe its a flintstones rubble mobile with a Wood block and Ivory pistons?

The Oil filter filters out the big bits. 1500-2500mi and/or Three Months MAX on that first sump.
 
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Originally Posted By: Fulgore
Yes I agree with you. One of the point getting the Altima is that it looks very nice to me. But I am not a car guy and just would like to hear more suggestions. I will also look at the Mazda website. Actually I have thought of getting the Ford but some friends told me that Ford is no longer as good as it was and Japanese cars are more reliable in general. What do you think? Thank you so much.




First I should say that I am partial to the Japanese brands as I lived and drove during the 70’s malaise and the 80’s when American cars were mostly junk. With that said, most of the Japanese cars for the US market are assembled in the US. I have also seen large improvements in the Korean brand. (Hyundai and Kia are one and the same).
 
Ford is above average when it comes in reliability except for the dual-clutch automatic transmissions in the Fiest/Focus... the larger cars like Fusion are good cars - I know many people with them. My 08 Escape was at 215K on the original engine and trans when I sold it to a coworkers daughter and got a newer Escape because the old one needed tires and shocks all the way around and some paint work and I didn't wanna put that money into it.
 
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IMO, if you see any metal shaving by the time you got home from buying the car from stealership, you get a bad engine.
 
Originally Posted By: GMFan
No sense in changing oil when getting home from dealership. On a new car I typically change the oil around 3,000 miles for first OCI. I then follow manufacturers recommended OCI.

As far as break-in just read the manual when you get the car. The manual will tell you if anything special is required.


This is exactly what I do.
 
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