In about 3 weeks I'm taking a road trip to Omaha, about 1000 miles each way.
I have two questions.

1. Is it a bad to run the car for very long stretches of time, like over 8 hours of continuous highway driving?

2. At the time of the trip I will only have 2500 miles on the car. Since I have 4 free oil changes, I was wanting to use my first oil change at 3000 miles. Should I go ahead and change it before the trip, at the destination, or when I get back?

 

1. no
2. i would change it before leaving

 

1. No. In fact, not no, but hell no!
2. When you return. Why? 5k is the recommended interval. 2500 now, + 1000 each way = 4500, so you'll be fine.

Have fun on your trip!

 

I agree. FWIW I drove mine from L.A. to El Paso for 12 hours each way without problems.

 

Your car will be fine, I drove my tC from New Jersey to San Diego and only stopped once for a few hours and other than that just for gas or a real quick nap lol.. but I'd definitely say get the oil changed once before and then again after.. have fun, road trips are great bonding time with your car haha =)

 

i agree with nodsetse why change it before when it's at 5k. change it after

 

yeah, i drove from just north of dc to orlando florida non-stop when my car was only a few months old with 9 thousand miles. ran just fine, but yes, replace the oil and maybe have alittle inspection to make sure you don't find any surprises along the way.

i also drive 125 miles straight twice a week, the tc is a joy on the interstate.

 

Well that's a relief. I thought it might be a problem since I had gone on long trips with my last car, and the first time I drove it longer than 10 hours, the coolant system sprung a leak, and the next time a year later the power steering system died, and each time was right after I drove for 10 hours then parked for 15 minutes.

 

I drove Chicago to Columbus to New York, and then New York to Columbus to Chicago.... It was a breeze, I've love road trips, and taken many, the tC so far has been my best car to take on trip... and it gets great gas mileage... i got nearly 400 miles to the tank (12 gallon mark)

 

lol. I drove straight thru from St.Louis to Toronto, Canada and back with three guys and luggage in my tC.

 

I've gone from RI to florida... south florida actually... over 1500 miles one way.... straight through, 24 hours, just your occasional rest stops for gas/food... with my car completely full of stuff (I was moving down there)... no problems at all... and I had gotten my oil change right before I left so it'd be 1 less thing I'd have to do when I got there...

Good luck and have fun!

 

Assuming this would be your first oil change, I would do it before you left. During the break-in period is when you'll experience the most wear and possibility of metal particles in the oil; thus, it's good to change the oil well before the 5k point. Additionally, Toyota just settled a class-action lawsuit involving oil sludge build-up in it's 2.2 and 3.0 liter engine, where owners changed the oil at the recommended 5K interval. Since I doubt the 2.4 liter engine is different, I wouldn't go passed 3K for any oil change.

 

Your car will be fine. I always change my oil at 3k miles, so I'd recommend once before and once after, but you would be fine either way.

The only concern I would have would be rock chips. You may want to get a nose mask for a trip like that.

 

I have been religiously getting my oil changed at every 5K miles and I have over 50K on the car.

I used to get my oil changed at every 3K on my previous cars, but since oil is better formulated now than it was a number of years ago I don't worry as much.

So do as you will.

Highway miles are the best miles on a car. From Atlanta I've been to Chicago, Vegas, central Ohio, and NC ( not all at the same time ).

 

A nose mask is a bad idea, I properly installed mine and it still scratched the paint. Painter's tape works a lot better for long trips.

 

painters tape + bra works good too :-P

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...n/IMG_0490.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...n/IMG_0491.jpg

 

Long road trips are awesome. I love em. Pack lots of tunes.

And like everyone had said, oil change before and after.

 

Good point, if I knew then what I know now...

Oh... and your Photobucket account is still jacked Neothin.

 

You'll be fine. If you're like me and run at higher speeds (80mph +), you may want to pop your hood during gas stops to vent engine heat. When you're moving, moving air helps to cool the radiator and the engine. Once you're stopped, the engine is still going to be hot, and it's going to bake inside of a fairly insulated hood.

I make long runs (4+ hours) at higher speeds. . . once I pop the hood, I can see the heat gushing out. Although considering your location and the time of year, I doubt heat will be a problem.

 

the tc cruises like a dream on the highway/freeway! i havent taken a trip anywhere yet but i have taken it to a town that is about 10 minutes away on the highway to see what she was like!SMOOTH AS SILK!

i lovvvvvvvve my tc