Hi.

Please don't laugh.

Simple question as this is the first Brand New car I have ever owned.

Does it need running in? A colleague at work says new cars are already run in so to speak and don't need any particularly gentle treatment.

Thoughts please.

Thank you.

The handbook gives a good guide to running in. Certainly you need to bed in the brakes for the first 100 or so miles, and the tyres need a few hundred easy miles to bed them in to best efficiency.

I've just realised that I haven't been much help with guidance. Bedding the brakes in requires a firm braking but not too hard and certainly not a lot of gentle braking, otherwise they could glaze and not be at their best. I suppose the same goes for tyres.

 

As for the engine and transmission I have never ragged a new engine and the handbook probably gives a guide over the first 1000 Km, or 600 miles.

I believe now they just recommend a good mixture of driving styles to settle everything in. I'd let it get up to temp before giving it too much stick.

The brakes are the only thing I'd go gentle on for the first couple of hundred miles.

Hopefully pick mine up this week. I Believe other than what's been mentioned above Skoda recommend that you use no more than 3/4 of the available revs for the 1st 1500 miles.

With 180+ bhp on tap I don't think you need worry about performance.

In reality just drive sensibly until you are familiar with the car and all will be well.

picking up a brand new car is a special moment so make sure you enjoy it.

My own opinion.

Engine - comes from the factory and shouldn't require the old "running in", drive it like you normally would and the engine will be used to it. Don't drive it like a pansy

Brakes - I bed them in the my mate beds his touring car brakes in and it's the best way (for me) that I've found. Get the brakes up to temperature and perform 5-9 relative hard braking maneuvers....NOT from 100-0 but more like 50 ish, after that I've found them to be perfect.

Take it easy for the first 500 miles, then drive it like you've stolen it

(My own personal opinion)

About brakes, I followed this procedure:

 

http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Brake_pad_bedding_in_procedure

 

They were fine

 

HTH

Excellent stuff everyone, thank you for your guidance.

Roll on Monday!

Just let it warm up (though this always applies whether its new or not) and drive it normally without completely caning it for around 1k miles. That's what I do.

Id suggest driving it sensibly for the first 500-1000miles. Varying your speeds. Or follow the handbook which if i remember correctly does state half revs for first 600miles then increase it.

I had a mk2 fabia vrs which had a new engine at 1200miles, now this may not be down to the running but skoda questioned the running in.

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I just varried the revs for the first 500- 750 miles not sitting at 60 in 6th for hours. The odd little squirt for fun etc. Now it has 3000 miles and just enjoy this lovely engine. Best car ever. Enjoy!

My own opinion.

Engine - comes from the factory and shouldn't require the old "running in", drive it like you normally would and the engine will be used to it. Don't drive it like a pansy

Brakes - I bed them in the my mate beds his touring car brakes in and it's the best way (for me) that I've found. Get the brakes up to temperature and perform 5-9 relative hard braking maneuvers....NOT from 100-0 but more like 50 ish, after that I've found them to be perfect.

I would try that with Red Stuff pads, upto a 1,000 miles to bed in but, Oh boy once they are there, awesome stopping power.  I had them in combination with drilled and grooved discs on the old Mk2, forgot what heatfade was till I drove the wifes i10 one day, damn near didn't stop, wonder what the horrid smell was, then I realised, I was sat in it. 

 

Regards

T

Ok guys, I will moderate right foot usage for a few weeks, as Wasp27 rightly points out, 184bhp is more than enough to make sur I don't have a queue of traffic behind me!

Thought it worth asking, this car has got to last me a long time so I want to get it right from the start.

Ok guys, I will moderate right foot usage for a few weeks, as Wasp27 rightly points out, 184bhp is more than enough to make sur I don't have a queue of traffic behind me!

Thought it worth asking, this car has got to last me a long time so I want to get it right from the start.

Smooth, not over revving is best,  use your ears for engine smoothness ,and don't let it labour. Blow out occasionally when warmed up but stay south of red line during first 3000 miles but varying speed / revs even on motorway, evens out stress and internal wear for bedding in.

 

Enjoy your long term  ownership, should be good!

Thank you vrskeith, very much looking forward to driving her home....

One final question guys, am I to expect slightly poorer fuel economy initially as it's a fairly tight engine?

Many thanks.

Once your engine has warmed up, use it properly. Don't fanny around in it, in fact give it a good blast where you can.

<snip>. Don't fanny around in it, in fact give it a good blast where you can.

Is this suggestion based on any engineering theory or just on emotion?

 

In the IT world RTFM is a commonly ignored acronym - I believe that it stands for Read the Fine Manual (or something like that)   Based on that, I would offer you the following advice from the manufacturer of your car:

During the first operating hours the engine has higher internal friction than later until all of the moving parts have harmonised.  The driving style which you adopt during the first 1500 kilometres plays a decisive part in the success of running in your car.  (Manual page 126 of 259)

 

Essentially Skoda suggest that for the first 1,000 kilometres you should not allow the revs to go above 75% of the maximum permissible engine speed and not use full throttle and then gradually increase the revs used for the next 500 kilometres.  I would suspect that anyone who advises you to "drive it like you've stolen it" is not in the habit of owning a car for the long-term.

Personal experience. I've been lucky enought to have run in 30 or so new cars (both my wife and I drive/need a car and historically have not kept them long due to liking a change)

I have found that if a car is broken in too gently there is more of a chance they engine will end up burning too much oil over the rest of its life.

Another thing I've found is that performance is better if an engine is ran in using the method I use.

And no one said anything about driving like you stole it. Stop twisting words please.

One final question guys, am I to expect slightly poorer fuel economy initially as it's a fairly tight engine?

Many thanks.

You can be smooth yet quick .

 

Enjoy,long trouble free ownership.

One final question guys, am I to expect slightly poorer fuel economy initially as it's a fairly tight engine?

Many thanks.

yes, probably by up to 5mpg if my mk2 was anything to go by, though you might find it dips as you get used to the car and start 'exploring' the power. This was often raised on the mk2 forum with the same sort of diverse answers. I read thr manual and followed what it said as beings VAG had designed and built the car I thought they would know best how to run it in.

Enjoy you new car

Personal experience. I've been lucky enought to have run in 30 or so new cars (both my wife and I drive/need a car and historically have not kept them long due to liking a change)  I have found that if a car is broken in too gently there is more of a chance they engine will end up burning too much oil over the rest of its life.  Another thing I've found is that performance is better if an engine is ran in using the method I use.

And no one said anything about driving like you stole it. Stop twisting words please.

 

If you have run in 30 or so new cars, unless you are a senior citizen I suspect that you may not go in for long-term car ownership or have much interest in how long a car lasts for a subsequent owner (¡caveat emptor!)

 

However much experience you have got with running-in cars, I suspect that your interest in avoiding warranty claims is less of an issue than Skoda's is, regardless of any possible strategy of built-in obsolescence on their their part

 

As to driving it like you stole it, perhaps you might like to read back a bit in the thread - calm down dear, it is only a discussion and I am just reiterating the manufacturer's advice and expressing a personal point of view.

My current mk2 f/l VRs tdi was the first new car that I didn't bother running in. Apart from not driving it hard whilst cold, I drove it normally from day one and it is now 3½ years old with 42K miles and it's been (touch wood) the most reliable car I've owned and doesn't use oil between services (on the fixed 10K services).

 

Did the same with the A6 as well and that's now done 8.5K miles and is half way between the top and bottom levels on the electronic dipstick. The V6 diesels have had a bit of a reputation for using oil, but I'm hopeful that doesn't turn out to be the case with ours.

Ok guys, think that's covered it, appreciate you taking the time to comment.