Advice on running in a GTI, please.

[gossa]

It also depends what you want, a faster car or a longer life engine.  On my motorbikes I was always told that if you run them in harder they go quicker but don't last as long.

I would imagine they would go slightly quicker and last slightly less but who knows with harder initial period. 

I'm certainly tickling the redline on mine, not constantly of course just a good use of the full rev range and a variety of driving.

[ub7rm]

Indeed it was done to death on the mkv forum.  In the mkv manual it does say to use the entire rev range to run in...

Another point to make is that those who ran it in as per the book (using the whole rev range) had very little oil consumption after the initial running in period, whereas those who ran it in gently tend to have a fairly high oil consumption way after the running in period.

There was a fairly technical explanation buy Teutonic Tamer in the mk5 section why you could run the mkv's in hard.  Something to do with the way the cylinders / pistons were honed during manufacture.

Of course, none of this may be applicable to the mkvi engine...

[simonpolly]

I was watching something on the news the other week,anyway it was a production line making new cars,they had a vacuum system connected to all the exhaust pipes on the cars on the line ?.I dont know if the run them in but i doubt it.

[gossa]

I know Ducati bench run every engine but they make a lot less units than VW!

[FroGTI]

Thanks for your input so far, guys I have also heard the theory that if you 'thrash' the car during thr run-in period, the engine somehow gets used to working hard and is therefore more powerful afterwards. Sounds a bit like an urban myth to me, but who knows?

[R32UK]

I have my own thoughts on this so wont bore you with them.... but i think whichever method you chose make sure your well up to running temperature before doing so


unless its not your car 

[DarnPB]

Thanks for your input so far, guys I have also heard the theory that if you 'thrash' the car during thr run-in period, the engine somehow gets used to working hard and is therefore more powerful afterwards. Sounds a bit like an urban myth to me, but who knows?

I can only speak from experience here. The 'official' way to run in an aircraft piston engine is to run the engine whilst in flight at 65% power, then increase to 75% after an hour. The unofficial way is to rag the engine in flight for an hour at full power. This will wear the engine in very quickly and prevent the cylinder walls from glazing. I have the same view for car engines. The thing about running in an engine is the amount of variation in engine speed. If an engine is new or newly overhauled, the best way to run it in, in my opinion, is to run the engine hard on a motorway for a couple of hours whilst maintaining a relatively constant power setting and speed, and also keeping an eye on your temps and pressures.

New engines in obviously new cars are only bench checked through the rev range to make sure they meet all the parameters required. This could last about an hour. No way are they run in properly.

[Gravity]

I just bought a new Mk6 GTI and the garage said dont bother running in.  The manual says do not exceed more than 50% engine power for the first 1000 kilometers.

I am an engineer (electrical) and believe enything mechanical should be treated decently.  I got the car, and drove 300 miles immediately (same day) from showroom to Cornwall and cruised at ??ish (whoops nearly lol) and just stretched her legs a bit

Sweet!!

cheers Brian

[DarnPB]

I just bought a new Mk6 GTI and the garage said dont bother running in.  The manual says do not exceed more than 50% engine power for the first 1000 kilometers.

I am an engineer (electrical) and believe enything mechanical should be treated decently.  I got the car, and drove 300 miles immediately (same day) from showroom to Cornwall and cruised at ??ish (whoops nearly lol) and just stretched her legs a bit

Sweet!!

cheers Brian

Sounds right to me.