Tips for breaking in a brand new engine?

[JordanNaumov]

Hey guys,

I started another thread with this question in it however i thought it was worth starting a thread specifically dedicated to the topic as there seems to be mixed opinions.

What are your tips to breaking in a new engine of a GTi or Golf alike?

Please share any opinions and or do's and don'ts.

[DUB 20V]

comes with warranty so give it hell, run in hard always go hard ......

[JordanNaumov]

Not sure if i feel comfortable with slamming my new $45k car

[markwid]

Whatever you do, don't baby the new car...either treat is as per normal or even perhaps work it hard. It is under warranty and you want issues to surface and be fixed while it is.

[DracZ]

Is there any specific guideline from the manufacturer as to how one should wear a new car in? By 'not babying' the car, do you mean just normal day-day driving but not taking it to redline etc?

As for the working the new car in and not 'babying' it in its first 1000kms, possible its a bit of a catch 22, if you wore it in properly at the beginning instead of thrashing it from the start, perhaps those problems wouldn't have developed in the first place? Either way, the new car warranty is for 3yrs / 100,000kms, even if you baby it in the first 1000kms, there's still another 99,000kms left for the potential problems to surface. So its not like you're shortchanging yourself by doing so.

[gregozedobe]

Plenty of existing threads on this (and plenty of opinions too !).

Here are my opinions:

Don't ever allow the engine to idle to warm up before driving (this is the absolute best way to glaze the bores), just drive gently until the engine is warmed up properly (this applies to ALL engines, new or old)

I like to vary the engine revs all the time (so no cruise control at all) for the first 2,000km, lots of mid range accelerator pedal under load (more pressure on piston rings to help them bed into the bores better), and increase max revs over the first 2,000km.

After that just vary the revs a bit if cruising for the next 2,000km, otherwise drive as normal once warm.

Check the engine oil level regularly, as some engines use a bit at first. If you need to add some make sure it is VW 504/507.

Don't switch the engine off straight away if you have been working the engine hard (the turbo will be red hot). Best is to drive gently for the last 5 minutes of any journey, but if you cant, let the engine idle for a couple of minutes before switching off.

[Doug VeeDub]

The dealer told me to drive it like I stole it, definitely don't baby it because it will forever be a slug. I have driven my GTi hard from the outset but just avoid doing so before warmed up and ensure cool down cruise before shut down.

Got a 6.4 0-100 the other day so it's working!

Baby it at your peril!

[Coxy09]

Just my two cents, and Also im bored,

I know with bike engines, the first 500-1000kms, you should be very easy on the motor, dont thrash it, just nice and quietly about the place. The following 500kms, start to work the motor a bit, building up revs, changing the gear box, (When I say build up revs, be driving along at 60, doing 2k, change back to 3rd, do 3k, back to second do 4k, so on so forth, just dont rev the ring out of it) I had a salesman tell me just jump on a bike and thrash the **** out of it, it will be right. 20kms up the road, I called them to come pick me up as the motor had packed up. Salesman dont know **** most of the time. I'm sure there is the exception, but generally. I agree with Dracz a bit here too, If you dont give the thing **** while its still new, things might not pop up. Might.

As for being forever a slug, Im sure the mk 5 or 6 or what ever it is, has a learning ECU, or what ever it is that they are called. My vr has certainly changed with power delivery as I have driven it over the last 40,000 odd kms. It seems to be alot more mid ranged and now is doing roughly 110 km/h in second gear. I tested that theory on the 110 zone going north.

Anyway as I said, its all opinions, and thats mine

and why is this forum banning the word C R A P all of a sudden?

[markwid]

...but not taking it to redline etc?

Redlining it is perfectly fine if the engine is warmed up already. In fact you should redline it at times.

...if you baby it in the first 1000kms,

you end up with a slug.

[Coxy09]

Redlining it is perfectly fine if the engine is warmed up already. In fact you should redline it at times.

you end up with a slug.

If you redline a new motor, you will damage it, Ask some of the mech's at Austral or your local dealer, provided that they have been working as a mech for a few years, they will say dont redline a brand new motor as it will F**k it.

its a learning ECU, they will change over the driving period. You can re-set it to factory settings too.

Just for light reading

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2420

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1997/September/02.html

http://www.discovery-automotive.com/portal/module.php?name=content&id=6

http://www.lambopower.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17365&mode=threaded

http://myfastgti.com/volkswagen/showthread.php/vw-gti-2-0t-engine-break-119.html?p=123373

(I particularly enjoyed the second post on that one, with what the Manual says)

Happy reading

[111]

Not sure if i feel comfortable with slamming my new $45k car

thrash the crap out of it, if it breaks just get another one

[markwid]

If you redline a new motor, you will damage it

That's fine if you believe that.

Personally, I don't subscribe to the concept of break-in period. Just drive it as you would normally and that includes redlining it at times. If there is any manufacturing issues, I would want it to surface while in warranty not afterwards.

What makes you think the "new" car hasn't been driven hard by handlers while being moved around "in-transit".

[Coxy09]

That's fine if you believe that.

Personally, I don't subscribe to the concept of break-in period. Just drive it as you would normally and that includes redlining it at times. If there is any manufacturing issues, I would want it to surface while in warranty not afterwards.

What makes you think the "new" car hasn't been driven hard by handlers while being moved around "in-transit".

Look its fair enough if you dont believe in that concept, as I said each to their own. I mean look at police, I must be top of their list as a killer, the amounts of times I've found myself being say 1km/h over is amazing....but to others so what!

The handlers dont drive them hard, they move them about 30-40m off the truck. I know that as I used to be one before I moved into the workshop.

[pologti18t]

I have subscribed to driving my cars and bikes vigorously from new for the last 10 yrs or so... Guess what, they have been the best performing vehicles I have had with the lowest oil usage between services.

From new I:

1. Don't idle too much. Drive/ride away gentle from start up until warm
2. Don't run in a vehicle in heavy traffic!
3. Work your way up through gears. Don't hold a particular rev for any long period. Give it a bit of stick!
4. Give the engine some load. Don't be gentle with it. In gear acceleration is good.
5. Slow the vehicle under gears (load on engine while slowing down and no throttle)

[PassatB6]

There's lots of folklore around about this topic but the only answer is:

Do what VW says in the manual.

Its already been driven 50-100 km before you get it so its not as if you're the first one to turn the key.