New Car, Long Trip?

Pieszeckipower

Pieszeckipower

New member
Hi everyone.

I’ve had my new 2018 4Runner for less than a month. It had 515 miles on it when I rolled it off the lot. In three weeks I’m up to about 1200 miles.

I’m considering taking a completely crazy but once in a lifetime trip, driving from home in Tennessee to upstate New York to attend an event and then back home again, all in the course of one weekend. 886 miles up, 886 miles back (plus pit stops, etc.).

This trip would put more miles on my new car in one weekend than I’ve put on it in three/four weeks of ownership.

Are there any special precautions I should take? Is there any concern with taking a new car on such a long trip? I bought this car with the intention of having it a long long time, and I definitely don’t want to do anything now that could affect that in the long term.

I welcome your thoughts!
 
Register to hide this ad
Pieszeckipower said:
Hi everyone.

I’ve had my new 2018 4Runner for less than a month. It had 515 miles on it when I rolled it off the lot. In three weeks I’m up to about 1200 miles.

I’m considering taking a completely crazy but once in a lifetime trip, driving from home in Tennessee to upstate New York to attend an event and then back home again, all in the course of one weekend. 886 miles up, 886 miles back (plus pit stops, etc.).

This trip would put more miles on my new car in one weekend than I’ve put on it in three/four weeks of ownership.

Are there any special precautions I should take? Is there any concern with taking a new car on such a long trip? I bought this car with the intention of having it a long long time, and I definitely don’t want to do anything now that could affect that in the long term.

I welcome your thoughts!
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum and to 4R ownership.

Not to be a dick, since this is your "once in a lifetime trip"... but 1600 miles is nothing. Nothing. No special prep would be required, with the caveat that I would probably change the oil and filter beforehand since you still have break in crap in there. Otherwise... drive on.
 
I put 1100 miles on my 4R the first weekend we had her home, in January weather in Iowa. Didn't worry about the oil before we left. Have a great time where you're headed. The truck will be fine if you go right now. (for the record, we put over 100K on our 4R in less than 4 years, so that first trip didn't hurt anything).
 
You need to broaden your horizon if you think that's a "once in a lifetime" trip. Especially considering you have a vehicle that will drive for miles and miles and miles.
 
I put 10k miles on the first 3 months. First real trip was well over what you are looking at. Enjoy your journey.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
T4R2014 said:
You need to broaden your horizon if you think that's a "once in a lifetime" trip. Especially considering you have a vehicle that will drive for miles and miles and miles.
Click to expand...

I have been abroad multiple times and driven cross country. It’s not the distance that makes it once in a lifetime, it’s the event I’m driving to attend.
 
Pieszeckipower said:
I have been abroad multiple times and driven cross country. It’s not the distance that makes it once in a lifetime, it’s the event I’m driving to attend.
Click to expand...

Ah, that sounds way more sane then. Dude, it's a brand new 4Runner. My dad started doing longer trips than this every week when he got his. 22 years later and everything is still great.
 
We did an 1100 mile road trip the weekend after we got my wife's new Camry. At 1200 miles on your odo, you're past the break-in mileage stated in the manual, so I'd have no worries with it at all. Enjoy the trip!
 
I don’t see why you would need to change the oil. Just consult your manual. There isn’t much of a break-in period from what I recall.
 
515 miles off the lot? Was it a test drive vehicle?

I took my car from socal and a month old started working in Mammoth, and stayed there for the season. Racked up 6000 miles with super light offroading. Got home, first thing was force Toyota to give me a first oil change at the first toyota care service. I figured, its got break-in crap in there and the change in temps from below 0 up to 80 degrees in 3 months cant be good for the oil.
 
JayceeP said:
I don’t see why you would need to change the oil. Just consult your manual. There isn’t much of a break-in period from what I recall.
Click to expand...

It's cheap insurance. I am surprised that a lot of new vehicles don't call for a 600 mile break in oil change anymore, they just spec out the first change at 5,000 miles or whatever the intervals are.

I personally feel like that's too long. I want to get the first bits of fine metal out of the engine, but - literally - YMMV.

I typically do a oil and filter at 500 miles, then oil at 1000, then follow the intervals. If I'm on a long trip (10,000 miles to Alaska, for example) I do an oil and filter before I leave, just change the oil (no filter change) while on the trip, and then do a oil and filter when I get back.
 
Just turn the key and go. These things last 200k even when people don’t even care about oil changes.
 
Like others have stated, you and your 4runner will be just fine. In 2014 we purchased our new 5th gen 4runner and within a couple days took a 4000 mile road trip. We just turned 107k miles on it a couple weeks ago and it's been completely trouble free the entire time.

FWIW, last May I purchased my Tundra in OH and immediately drove it back to NM, 1600 miles in two days. It currently has 17k and it's been trouble free as well. I'm not expecting any trouble down the road either.
 
I find the seats are a bit too stiff so when I go south 1700 miles in 2 days I use my seat cushion for my azz...

if this is new to you best drop the spare tire and also use the tire jack so you know how to change the tire and perhaps need some other tools..
get torque wrench also and torque the lugs and check air pressures of the tires..

oil changes on engine 5K miles new 1st change is good .. this is not a GM engine .. I did my first oil change and the oil and filter was almost perfect..

I did have to replace the rear diff gear oil @5K because it was gray in color had some particles in it ...

my 2016 T4R never has been back to dealership since I purchased it .. no problems or vehicle defects .. that has never happened in my life ..
 
JayceeP said:
I don’t see why you would need to change the oil. Just consult your manual. There isn’t much of a break-in period from what I recall.
Click to expand...

Like this guy says. If Toyota doesn't recommend changing the oil until 10,000 miles, a couple of bent-wrench knuckleheads on a forum shouldn't convince you otherwise. Have fun OP!
 
Picked up a new to me 18 TRDOR in Salt Lake with 900 miles, changed the oil and filter, and drove it back to the Phoenix area. Enjoy your trip!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 389 (members: 1, guests: 388)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,310
Messages
3,554,080
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top