A very specific running in question....

[gt40]

I'l be picking up my vRS Tdi DSG very soon (yipee!) and the very next day I will be driving around 500 mostly motorway miles.

 

In terms of running it in - how should I drive it?  Assuming I'm doing a steady 70 ish - should I just go down the box every now and again to get some variation in the revs?  Boot it every time slow traffic clears? Let the ACC do the work? <---- not my favourite answer

 

Any helpful advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

G

 

ps - I'll be doing the 500 back in the other direction a few days later, just like The Proclaimers did.

[Neily03]

Just drive it normally without caning it.

[Telboy5]

As above, although I have heard in some cases that caning it can actually be better 

[thekidfromkensington]

Just don't give it the full beans for first 1000km. This is from the manual (in it's unique broken english)

 

The engine has to be run in during the first 1500 kilometres.

Up to 1000 kilometres

›

Do not drive faster than 3/4 of the maximum speed permissible for the engaged

gear.

›

No full throttle.

›

Avoid high engine speeds.

›

Do not tow a trailer.

From 1000 up to 1500 kilometres

Gradually

increase the speed until you reach the full speed of the engaged gear.

The red scale of the rev counter indicates the range in which the system begins

to limit the engine speed.

During the first operating hours the engine has higher internal friction than later

until all of the moving parts have harmonized. The driving style which you adopt

during the first approx.1500 kilometres plays a decisive part in the success of run-

ning in your car.

Never drive at unnecessarily high engine speeds, even after the running-in period

is complete.

On vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox, at the very latest shift up into the next

gear when the red area is reached.

Very

high engine speeds when accelerating

(accelerator) are automatically restricted

»

.

With vehicles with a manual gearbox, do not drive at unnecessarily

low

engine

speeds. Shift down a gear when the engine is no longer running smoothly. Ob-

serve the recommended gear

[Daveinuk]

Running-in advice is on page 130 of the Owners Manual. No more than 75% of the maximum speed of the gear in use for the first 1000 miles, which I take to mean the rev counter red line. No full throttle, avoid high engine speeds and no towing a trailer.

For 1000 to 1500 miles, gradually increase the power output upto the full speed of the gear engaged. i.e. maximum permissable engine speed.

The red line is the point where the system begins to limit the engine speed.

Not sure where the advice to "floor it" whilst running-in comes from, and I would think that any evidence of doing such a thing whilst running-in would lead to refusing a warranty claim should the engine be damaged as a result.

[Smeghead]

Go by the book and you won't get any warranty issues, but there are many theories regarding break-in.

 

Some advocate the old fashioned 'tickle the throttle' method. Others say raise the revs on a low throttle / low gear for the first 100 miles or so.

 

Caning it....hmmmm no, but I know some manufacturers (Porsche for example) dyno test every engine from new (as do all racers).

 

I think, it's safe to say drive normally and it will be fine.  Bear in mind that even a brand new engine has been run at the factory and at various points between the factory and the dealer so the initial break in has been started already. 

[themanwithnoaim]

Telboy5, caning it works better on a petrol than a diesel & the OP is on about a diesel.

 

Daveinuk, don't you be pussyfooting than 1.4 TSI when it arrives, its a monster of an engine for its size.

[gt40]

I don't think I'll be caning it, but I'm not sure 7 hours at 2,200rpm (or whatever) is best either.

[Web Ferret]

70mph for 7 hours?  I'm happy if I cruise at 70 mph for 7 minutes. You will be fine given traffic, stops and accidents unless you are driving from 10pm to 5am lol.

[Miz]

Where are you driving from / to??

[gt40]

Where are you driving from / to??

London to north east Scotland

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[Ambrose1]

I drove my courtesy octavia from England to Switzerland when it had 10 miles on it drove it normally returned high 50 mpg it's never used any oil and pulls well ! Still got the car and has now done 3600

[Miz]

Why not plan a route avoiding some of the motorways, that way you get to see some better scenery and give the car a better drive.

[Gabbo]

Just drive it normally without caning it.

 

As Neily said.

[countryboy]

There is a school of thought which says cane it from the start as that beds in the piston rings to the bores better. Best thing to do is allow the engine to rev freely and vary those revs on the way up. You should get plenty of opportunity to do that on the Scottish roads!

Ian

[Sheldon.Cooper]

Is it your car or a company car? How you treat it depends on the answer

[Smeghead]

I don't think I'll be caning it, but I'm not sure 7 hours at 2,200rpm (or whatever) is best either.

10 hours, more like

[gt40]

Is it your car or a company car? How you treat it depends on the answer

It's mine, but if it was a company car I don't think I'd treat it any differently.

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[gt40]

10 hours, more like

It's never taken me more than 8, or less than 6!

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[neiln]

Don't cruise at constant revs.  That is not good for seating piston rings.  During running in some variation in load ,and revs is important.  I'd do a fee minutes at a time at differing speeds and differing gears, staying within the rev ranges described in the manual.

[Dempsek]

Autoexpress recently set the world endurance record for a family car. The running in process was to drive the car for 60 miles around Cheshire.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/vauxhall/astra/66535/auto-express-and-record-breaking-vauxhall-astra

 

Just drive the car and try to vary your speed.  I took my car down a dual carriageway that I knew had lots of roundabouts, drove down and then back keeping up with traffic.

[gt40]

Thanks all - I think the consensus is "just drive it".  Which I'll do.

[gt40]

In the end I set the satnav, stuck it in drive, took to the M11, set the ACC at 85 mph, put my feet up and 7 hours later I'd arrived.

 

Marvellous!

[Honkycrash]

Congrats. My first journey after 300 miles on clock was to Aberdeen from Northampton.

New car, sready driving -

45mins to Brum,

3hrs to Carlisle (good stop at McDonalds/Asda). Watch out for cameras on bridges after Lancaster to just before Lesmahago.

1h45 to Glasgow (20 miles before Glasgow, Tesco at Lesmahago for a fill up).

2 to Aberdeen - Perth to Aberdeen camera alley, take it easy.

lt can be done quicker, (6h 20mins my record)but new motor and if you ain't sure of where the camera vans are, 8 hours from London l'd say, M1, M6. Glasgow,Perth,Dundee up.

Do this once a month, great drive, enjoy.

lf you have time then Perth, Aviemore, Grantown on spey to Elgin.

Edited 9 May, 2014 by Honkycrash