Was the engine damaged by doing this?

[maurice]

We just took delivery of a 2010 Subaru Forester. Unfortunately, my wife drove it first and on the second day with the car having only 30 kms on it, she took it on the highway and for about 80Km, she drove in 3rd gear at 100-110 km/hr instead of Drive without realizing it. She thought the engine was quite 'noisy' and she didn't think this was normal, but she kept going & eventually realized that the car was not in drive.

So my question is: Could this have damaged the engine and if yes, is there anything we can do to minimize the damage?

Thanks,
Maurice

[TopGun]

We just took delivery of a 2010 Subaru Forester. Unfortunately, my wife drove it first and on the second day with the car having only 30 kms on it, she took it on the highway and for about 80Km, she drove in 3rd gear at 100-110 km/hr instead of Drive without realizing it. She thought the engine was quite 'noisy' and she didn't think this was normal, but she kept going & eventually realized that the car was not in drive.

So my question is: Could this have damaged the engine and if yes, is there anything we can do to minimize the damage?

Thanks,
Maurice

Sigh...

Do you know what were the revs were at?  I doubt there is any damage...the cars nowadays have rev limiters on them so they won't blow themselves up.

It wouldn't hurt to change the oil...it never hurts to change the oil.  Take the dipstick out (the one under the bonnet) and check out the colour of the oil...is it still a nice straw colour?

[maurice]

Sigh alright  . No idea what she was thinking (or not). I also don't know high high the revs might have been but I was able to determine that she did that by leaving the car in 'Sport mode' which allows you to 'shift' manually.

Will check the oil when I go home though and see if it still looks good. I'll change it as well just to be sure.

Thanks,
Maurice

[Careener]

I'm sure it'll be fine.

[mrthompson]

It's a 4 speed auto, yes?  Driving at those speeds in 3rd would be no different than towing a trailer on the 401 with the Forester.  I agree with Careener.

[Shnak]

And besides, I doubt the engine runs much higher than 4000rpm in 3rd gear at 100-110kph... That's nothing.

[curls]

Pretty sure it'll be fine.  Heck, if anything, your wife took care of the break-in procedure in a different way for your new car.  Don't change the oil until it's recommended in the service manual, as manufacturers often use a special additive and/or special oil from the factory, to help with proper break-in of the engine.

[maurice]

I like what I am hearing. Thank you all for alleviating my fears  

Maurice

[mrthompson]

Stick around...this place is a laugh riot. 

[DockMan]

Maurice....might I interest you in some Hercules Tires G5000Z? 

Welcome!

[maurice]

Maurice....might I interest you in some Hercules Tires G5000Z? 

Welcome!

Never heard of Hercules tires, so did a quick Google search and was amazed by all the forum hits. I would never have imagined that any particular tire brand would be such an 'exciting' topic  . Now, since I drive at 10-15 km max over speed limit, I would think that tires made of chewing gum would be good enough for me 

Maurice

[tpl]

If you find and read the ORIGINAL thread it will all become clear...

[Careener]

Even if the engine was at high revs it would hit a rev limiter at some point so not to worry. I wouldn't bother changing the oil or anything.

[safristi]

It's facked........I'll give ya $9999.99.................... .........relax Maurice.U have a SUBE........I'll make it $11.111................

[Altima1]

Don't sweat this one my friend, have you ever seen how they drive these things in Australia?  Sleep tight.

[safristi]

  sheep alert..................

[Trainman]

I have the 09 Forester with AT and I regularly run it in 3rd gear at 110 KPH due to the steep hills we have around here.  In your wife's case it would have been running around 3,000-3,500 rpm, well under the 6,000 red line so I would not worry.  Just a quick way to break it in     The motor likes to rev up to about 4,500 or so but after that there is no gain, it really runs out of breath at 5,000.

And welcome to the Forester club!  Mine just turned 36,000 kms (in 13 months) with no issues so far and averaging around 30 mpg.

[TopGun]

.....manufacturers often use a special additive and/or special oil from the factory, to help with proper break-in of the engine.

Never heard of that before.

[curls]

.....manufacturers often use a special additive and/or special oil from the factory, to help with proper break-in of the engine.

Never heard of that before.

I have read it in the past (many times).  There's also the assembly lube that is used, which is chalk full of molybdenum, a very common ingredient in oils that are excellent for protecting an engine from wear.  Molybdenum is very good at coating/protecting metal from wear, especially when the parts are not yet coated in engine oil.

[Roddy]

While not ideal, there won't have been any engine damage.