GTI Running in tips - Post rebuild

[dening]

Hi All,

So my GTI is in right now getting it's rebuild to sort the oil consumption, this is a rebuild they are calling "base engine" replacement from what I have been told.

Just wondering if anyone who has had this done can tell me what running in method might have been successful for them following this fix?

I know it's still a bit hit and miss with these things, but I was thinking I'll just to drive relatively easily in manual, varying revs and let the engine warm up before giving it any real load.

Thanks in any advance for any help.

[h100vw]

Water to temp then drive normally. Find some hills to drive it up. The longer the better, needs to be under load to bed the rings in. Certainly don't jump on the highway and think you are doing the right thing.

Gavin

[ATYPIC]

Certainly don't jump on the highway and think you are doing the right thing

Sorry but I have to disagree with this. I did 2 extensive highway drives in the first few thousand kms of ownership...22 hours straight through from Melb to QLD return and another to Sydney and back non stop.

In my experience this was the best thing I did after buying my GTI because as of now, 35,000km on... I don't have oil consumption issues like most on here.

Get the car out of city traffic, avoid stop/start driving....and yes, do some long mountainous drives.

[h100vw]

Sorry but I have to disagree with this. I did 2 extensive highway drives in the first few thousand kms of ownership...22 hours straight through from Melb to QLD return and another to Sydney and back non stop.

In my experience this was the best thing I did after buying my GTI because as of now, 35,000km on... I don't have oil consumption issues like most on here.

Get the car out of city traffic, avoid stop/start driving....and yes, do some long mountainous drives.

Well, he lives in South Australia and to be fair there isn't any Highway to speak of. You could drive up Mt Lofty via the Heysen Tunnel, that would be perfect.

What I was getting at, is sitting at 100ks for hours on end with the cruise control set driving on the flat, isn't running in. Maybe you can count yourself fortunate that you had to do those 2 big drives, with there being plenty of hills in between. doing laps around Melbourne wouldn't be the same.

Gavin

[car_nut]

Yes head straight for the hills, we have plenty close to Adelaide. Take a few days off work! and avoid traffic as much as possible. Of course do not drive in D. S in the Polo is way too revvy, so manual changes only. I never use D.

Miro told me that 'over run' coming down the hills is very good for the motor.

Hope this motor is a good one for you.

[dening]

I was thinking of taking it for a "light" drive along Gorge Road as soon as I get it back then cut back along Lobethal Road which is one of my favourite roads and I'm sure I'm not alone among the Adelaideans here.

Luckily my daily drive to work includes the uphill/downhill drive from the CBD to Blackwood along Windy Point or Old Belair Rd so it'll get some load not gridlock or highway.

Would love to hear from someone who has had the "engine change"

[Snail Style]

This one had always been open to debate. My formula for good bedding in is low load(ie. not beating on the motor or steep hills with low RPM) and as others mentioned, not keeping a constant RPM.

After 1,000km, beat on the motor atleast once per drive and still try to keep it off constant RPMs. Oil change at 2000km and done.

I tend to follow the belief that how the motor is treated in that first 10-20k km is how the motor will operate from then on.

[amazeer]

No light drive! Thats old fashioned advice from when engines had big build tolerances.

Most of the engine run in will happen in the first hour. If the dealer drops the engine in, starts it up, then walks away and services another car while it idles up to temperature before checking for leaks, you wont ever bed those rings in 100%. Never.

The rings arent the same shape as your cylinder. They wear in by being pushed out against the hone marks of the cylinder. They push out under combustion pressure. Stands to reason that there is no point being a pussy waiting for the hone marks to dull and then give it a boot to try and bed the rings in properly.

When you get the key drive out of the dealer at half throttle. Dont let it idle, dont let it sit at any set rpm. 2500 to 4000rpm. After 2 minutes drive it at 3/4 throttle and 5000rpm 1 minute later give it some full throttle. Dont at any time use the engine revs for braking.

Its all out there on the internet.

[alexaescht]

Dont at any time use the engine revs for braking.

That's a bit hard with a DSG isn't it? You can't just chuck it in neutral.

[Zakarados]

Drive it how you want to drive it. Everyone follows different ways and they all drink engine oil like no tomorrow anyway. I just drove my car after rebuild like normal (like I did when new) and it has burnt 500mL in 7000km. It was drinking 7L per 7000km before rebuild. Looks like the engine rebuild worked.

[amazeer]

That's a bit hard with a DSG isn't it? You can't just chuck it in neutral.

use the brake pedal

[alexaescht]

use the brake pedal

Yeah but it still does down changes by itself which is similar to pure engine braking.

[dening]

Drive it how you want to drive it. Everyone follows different ways and they all drink engine oil like no tomorrow anyway. I just drove my car after rebuild like normal (like I did when new) and it has burnt 500mL in 7000km. It was drinking 7L per 7000km before rebuild. Looks like the engine rebuild worked.

This is good to hear.
My car was a demo so I didn't do the initial 2,500km so wont have a direct comparison. But its good to hear that the rebuild can be effective.

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[Yaks1974]

Why not use the engine revs for braking?
The Motoman run-in method encourages it.


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[brad]

I think the best thing I did for my car when I ran it in was to disregard the existance of 5th & 6th gear for the first 1000km (week1) and disregarded 6th for another 1000km (week 2 & 3).

I drove it so that I could keep up with the rest of the traffic. I changed gears at that point where you could feel the engine doesn't want to spin freely anymore - that point started out at about 2500rpm but every 50km or so it went a bit higher.

I did lots of throttle over-run & plenty of moderate half-throttle acceleration out of corners & up hills.

The engine sealed up tighter than a fishe's bum.