We've had our element a week today...just a shade over 300miles on it so far. Ready to hit the road for the weekend. Do I need to lay off the engine to "break it in" or is that passe? :?:

From what I understand, the old definition of engine break-in where you took it easy on an engine by staying under a certain speed is really a thing of the past. Today's thinking is that you should vary your speeds and do a combination of city and highway driving to ensure the engine sees many types of loads just for the first few hundred miles or so.

The owners manual, which you received with your car at purchase, recommends a break-in period for the first 600 miles. During that period they recommend trying to avoid long periods at steady rpm/speed, driving gently and avoiding hard breaking.

There's lots of other useful information in the manual, too.

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:

- Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration.

- Avoid hard breaking. New brakes need to be broken-in by moderate use for the first 200 miles (300 km).

- Do not change the oil until the recommended time or mileage interval shown in the maintenance scheduled.

You should follow these same recommendations with an overhauld or exchanged engine, or when the brakes are relined.
Why this is on page 158 of the Owner's Manual instead of page 1 of the Quick Start Guide is beyond me. :D

Notice they don't mention varying the speed anymore.