CTH & gti 2 week thoughts

[Yaks1974]

I regularly get around 730 km/ tank doing a 70:30 hwy/city mix

[Melon Head]

My fuel economy is crap, although it is improving. I think I only got around 520km from my first tank.

[AC74]

I regularly get around 730 km/ tank doing a 70:30 hwy/city mix

That's good going! I make that around 5.5 - 6.0L/100km depending on how many litres you filled up with. Just goes to show that how you drive, or how your local traffic allows you to drive, can result in very different fuel economy figures. I'm getting pretty consistent figures around 6.8 - 7.0L/100km for a tank (@ 5000kms now) but get 5.1 - 5.3 on my trip to work which is 42km of Ring Rd & Tulla Fwy in generally flowing traffic just cruising in 'D'.

[mclouj]

Mine was collecting soot for the first ~500km, but seems to have stopped completely now - clean rump for the last 300km. Fuel economy getting better with each tank too, 9.1 for the first fill up, then 8.6, now 8.2 yesterday. 70% city, 20% highway, 10% flogging it up the hill .

[Melon Head]

Mine was collecting soot for the first ~500km, but seems to have stopped completely now - clean rump for the last 300km. Fuel economy getting better with each tank too, 9.1 for the first fill up, then 8.6, now 8.2 yesterday. 70% city, 20% highway, 10% flogging it up the hill .

That is almost exactly what I got. 9.1, 8.5, 8.2, 8.0, 7.4

https://www.fuelly.com/driver/positron007/polo?fu=4035151

[scobb]

Sure, well from the second we picked it up at the dealership first and most important the car has always been warmed up before driven (water to 90 and oil a minimum of 75-80 before driven) once warmed up the car is driven 1/4 throttle until oil is at 95+. I take the same route everyday no highways on the way just 60-80 zones. For the first 500km the car was driven between 1/4 to 1/2 throttle every gear till 4k rpm. Also when coming to a stop gears are shifted down to engine break. Down gearing to keep revs between 3.5k to 2.5k with minimal breaking when possible. If I was in no traffic and maintaining a certain speed say 80km once the car car was in 7th for more then 20 seconds I'd shift down to 6th, then 5th, 4th then back to 5th, 6th and 7th continuously. Even though maintaining speed just keeping the revs and throttle varying.

Once past 500km it was mostly the same but driving a lot more in sport/manual modes doing 1/2 to 3/4 throttles once fully warmed up. I do limit 1st gear to 1/2 throttle then 1/2 to 3/4 for the rest. And down gearing a little more aggressively. Also been driving at say 80km in 7th and slowing down a little and full throttling it to put the engine under decent load in high gear. Also do this alot 6th in say a 60-70km zone.

Now that I'm over 1000km I do everything I was doing before, perhaps 3/4 throttle in 1st but still short shifting into 2nd say 5.5k rpm and do a few full throttles through the gears when possible a few times a day. Have been on the highway a few times but only short trips varying load and gears along the way.

So far so good I guess. Since I'm a smoker it makes waiting for the car to warm up less painfull. Also if it's a hot day and the oil goes around 100, once I park downstairs in the basement I will hop out have a smoke and let the oil temp cool down say to 90-92, then turn it off. Won't always be doing this just for a 1st month especially if it's really hot and I have given it a decent squirt before I get home.

Sorry, slightly late to this thread, but I've just ordered and will take delivery of a brand new CTH-engined MY13 Polo GTI in about 2 weeks. I've always followed your sort of approach when breaking in a new car engine, but read recently that getting the engine warm, then giving it beans from the get go might be a better approach. This site suggests that approach. I've never had the balls to adopt this approach, but would be interested in other owner's thoughts on the best method to follow.

[gavs]

CTH & gti 2 week thoughts

Regardless of which approach you take it's fairly pointless because the engines are pre-run in at the engine plant.

I adopted the 'drive it like you stole it' (quotes from the service manager at Bayford Epping) approach and I have fairly little oil consumption. Others did the same and their engines guzzle oil. Others too have taken the softly-softly approach and they too burn oil.

It's the way the engine is built, not the first 100kms that dictate if you will have oil issues.

[AC74]

Regardless of which approach you take it's fairly pointless because the engines are pre-run in at the engine plant.

I adopted the 'drive it like you stole it' (quotes from the service manager at Bayford Epping) approach and I have fairly little oil consumption. Others did the same and their engines guzzle oil. Others too have taken the softly-softly approach and they too burn oil.

It's the way the engine is built, not the first 100kms that dictate if you will have oil issues.

Have to say I agree with this assessment. What you get from doing it your own way - whichever way you choose - is peace of mind that you did what you thought was right.

[essfer]

That was my recollection also. In fact, I'm sure the manual also says somewhere to avoid unnecessary periods of extended idling.

I'm quite sure it's in the marketing brochure for the gti. Haven't got the manual yet but have re-read the brochure a dozen times while awaiting delivery. It definitely suggests that warming up is unnecessary.

That said, I will be letting it warm a little from cold start, especially over the first few thousand kms. That's just me. Pretty sure it isn't going to damage the engine, even if it is unnecessary. Placebo? Peace of mind?

Just trying to respect the car.

[AndrewBurns]

Just over 1000km on my CTHE engine polo GTI, I've been checking the oil like a hawk because of what I've read but so far it doesn't appear to have moved, in any case it's still above the hatched area. Fingers crossed but I'm actually loving the engine and DSG iteration in this car so far, they're a good combo. Just wish the gearbox would hold revs a bit higher and shift back into first during city driving (DSG tune might be worth getting).