SAAB 'Break in' oil and long-sit ???

[JHZR2]

Hi, From searching the arcives of the gas oil threads and gas engine UOAs, it seems that the 'break in' oil that saab uses is the same as its standard oil used in changes (granted theres the no importation of elf 0w-30 bit, but thats not my point). There is no indication of a high moly break in oil or similar, the way that toyota and honda do it. That said, here is my situation: My 83 MB was destroyed by an idiotic girl who was excluded from the insurance policy of the car she was driving. My other vehicles are not what you'd call good commuter cars for an 80+ mile commute every day. So, I tried out and really liked the saab 9-3 linear, w/MT. The one I got was a RELLY great deal because it was a MY04 with build date 07/03. I essentialy told them that with the fact that the car has been on their inventory for over a year, and the 05s will be coming soon, they ought to give me a deal. And they did. The issue now is that the car sat on a pedestal type display unit inside of the dealership. It has 43 miles on the odometer, similar to all other saabs I have driven in the lot. But it has sat inside for some time. Good for the finish, bad for the oil. So, do you think it woul dbe OK to just drive gently for a while to get out any potentially dispersed water that would be in the crankcase, or should I demand an oil change? Id hate to drain a break in oil, but at the same time, Id hate risking anything. I suppose in reality, sitting inside is about the best thing, as the climate is relatively controlled all the time, and humidity is pretty constant. Lack of usage limits combustion-caused moisture in the crankcase, so maybe Im OK. But thats why Im asking, to get everyones advise. Thanks very much! JMH

 

[JHZR2]

BTW, this car has an oil life monitor. It determines life comehow, but with limits of 18k or 2 years, apparently. Based upon build date, the oil life should be already at 50%. Once I start driving it, it should go down pretty quick with my commute (although the first 1000+ miles it wont be over 55, etc.). So in other words, I dont anticipate having to wait that long before change time... If I have the dealer drain it, then theyll reset the monitor, and it will take longer to get another oil change (theyre free for 3yr/36k) So that may be a consideration... Thanks, JMH

 

[Gene K]

If it was kept inside all that time I would not be to concerned because the engine was essentially new. There was not much built up contamination to atack the oil. I would run it about 1000 mi and change the oil. Gene