Running in - thank god I didnt listen to most of you guys

[Chardy]

How can you argue with this?? Even my old man who builds VW race engines told me to drive it hard out of the box.... I think here endth the arguement.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Also the fact my GTi now has about 6500 km's on it and is faster than my other mates one with similar km's who chose to take the "im not taking it past 4000 rpm until ive done 7500 k's"  It also has a better exhaust note and revs harder.

I am also pleased to announce I regularly get between 380 and 400 k's out of a tank of either BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power (both 98 RON) Yes thats right, I drive my GTi like I stole it!!!!!

[Mr Blue]

can i have a go? 

[maxamus]

I am also pleased to announce I regularly get between 380 and 400 k's out of a tank of either BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power (both 98 RON) Yes thats right, I drive my GTi like I stole it!!!!!

so you get 380k's which is 236miles out of a full tank ?

Thats rubbish!!!!!!

i get atleast 300miles out of mine even when im hard on the pedel

[R32UK]

I must be honest and say i very rarely run my cars in. I too feel that this makes them faster.. "conditioning" I like to call it.

[TagnuT]

You do what ever you want to do - your choice. 

[kenny.s]

I've read that article several times and to some extent i do believe what he says.
The only problem with trying to apply this method to any new car, GTi or not, is the fact that it comes from the factory with fully sythetic oil. Which he recommends removing and replacing normal mineral oil until his running in method is complete, then refilling with synthetic oil. How many people are going to be prepared to do this?

The way i see it you can do more harm than good to an engine by being too gentle on it in it's early days. Using full revs is not an issue for a new engine, sustained high load is! ie going up a hill in a high gear at low revs, much better to drop a gear and use some revs even if it means going over 4k or what ever is suggested as being the limit for the first 1k miles.
When i get my car i'm not going to thrash the crap out of it but it will get run up through the gears and use what ever revs suit at the time, i'm not going to bounce it off the limiter but i'm not going to set an imaginary limit either. That, and making a point if allowing it to overrun on hills, or on the run up to roundabouts etc

Having said all that, the amount of running in that can actually be done with fully synthetic oil is minimal anyway. This leads me to think that VW must bench run the engines before they go in the car and/or are confident that rings are already suitably beaded in.

Kenny

[Hurdy]

I wondered how long it would be until that website turned up again.

Now be honest fella's (and lasses), how many of you ACTUALLY stuck to the run in regime rigidly?

How many of you followed this guys run in regime (including the oil swap!)?

Not many I'll bet.

Are we now saying that VW (and ALL the other manufacturers) are wrong?  and that this guy on that website is right?

For the most part I followed the run in schedule and can also happily report that my engine is lively too.

[R32UK]

very true! I hit 140 the second day i had the car... seemed fine to me

[speedynz]

Very contraversial stuff this, a little flawed too.

How many of you have really had the opportunity to drive the crap out of your car in the first 20 miles? Most new cars have covered almost that amount before they leave the showroom and although it makes me chuckle to think of handing the dealer 20k and then smoking the tyres through first and second gears across the forecourt it simply isn't realistic.

Motoman also requests that the engine is fully warm before 'opening it up' - well, there's another 10 miles of gentle driving to add to your 'first 20 mile' window. And if we take it to a track to thrash the crap out of it how do we get it there? Do you take a trailer to your dealers to ppick up your new car? And do the first oil change in the showroom? Better not forget to take your 5 litres of mineral oil too then?

I love this guys experienced insight and I think he knows his (left field) onions but how many people can honestly follow his extreme regime?

 

[datracer99]

While mineral oil is probably better for running in, it's not crucial. I run a Nissan race car and run it from first start on mobil 1. It gets run in on the dyno, using the same basic running in method described on mototune, and we have never had a problem getting the rings to bed in.
Modern rings have a special coating (moly??) which helps the bedding in process, so most of the running in is all over within 500km.

Motoman recommends warming it up before iopeing it up, but the first few runs are at moderate throttle and low revs. Byt he time they were done the engine was up to temp, so no issue there (not in Syndey anyway, might take a bit longer on a winters day in the UK though)

Yes, it is impossible to exactly follow the advice on mototune with a road car, but I followed it as closely as I could - picked up the car with about 30km on it, and immediately went out and cycled through the rev range as suggested, as much as I could with outer suburban traffic. I got 150km up in the first drive, and then drove the car fairly normally. No sustained long runs at any set speed, working it through the gears, using engine braking whenever possible. And took it well above 4000 when I felt like it.
Sounds great and runs well. It now has 7000km on it, and has used about 300ml of oil to date.

Each to their own, but I will never "baby" a motor to run it in.