GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

How to run in a new gti engine?

BlueHen

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Delmarva
I invented a new break-in method. PayPal $5 to BlueHen@scam.com and I'll send it to you. I can't give it all away here, but the real secret is lots of reverse for the first 1,000 miles. If you can do the whole 1,000 miles in reverse, your car will have more horsepower than 99 and 44/100 percent of all GTIs on the road and won't burn a drop of oil. In fact, your oil will never need to be changed, because it won't even get dirty.
 
Location
St. Olaf
There has been said some 'BS' on page 1. Two examples:

Unlike Ferrari, there's definitely no run-in or even break-in done by Volkswagen
(or Audi's factory in Györ/Hungary, who manufature the EA888 engines for the
European markets). The engine 'sees' fuel for the very first time when the car
leaves the factory. During and post assembly of the engine itself, it's getting
checks witout a single drop of fuel. If it is driven at all, then it is driven by an
electric motor. For environmental, safety and monetary reasons it's simply not
appropriate to run every engine. This Volkswagen/Audi, not Porsche or Ferrari.
So please stop guessing if there's a factory run-in or break-in, as there's none.

Secondly, any EA888 3G engine is running at high-level oil pressure for its first
1000 km. These engines have an electronically controlled oil-pressure control,
varying oil pressure depending on load and speed (post its first 1000 km). This
also proves, that Audi (who developed this engine) intended a break-in period.

I'm not saying you have to baby your car for the first 1500 km or 800 mls. It's
just there's so much popular believe, misconception and myth around there. ;)

I'm 100 % convinced there is no chance to find a common ground here. There
is at least two views with valid arguments. The discussion will be infinite which
isn't a issue as long as the arguments are fairly objective.

.
 

GOLF NUTT

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Planet Earth for now
Car(s)
2019 Golf GTI
Very timely thread, picked my 2017 GTI a few weeks ago and will be breaking it in over the next months. I plan an early oil/oil filter change around 1000 KM.
Not going to baby her but will drive with restraint for the first 1000 KM.
 

dah90

Ready to race!
Location
CA
I really think break in is over thought on here or any car forum for that matter. I bought my car with 50 miles on it and due to life events had to drive it 2 hours away to a family members house 2 days after purchase. The ride was mostly highway and I used the cruise control. It did get some variation to engine load and rpms due to the stretch of road I was on had many hills. After I had maybe a thousand miles on it I decided to see what she really had! Pedal to the floor up to about 80 a few times. My car now has almost 16k miles on her and runs perfectly fine. No oil consumption issues or anything. I even managed to get 38 mpg on a trip to NC recently. Maintain the car as required per the owners manual and make sure your oil is up to temp before putting your car above 3k rpms and I believe you are good to go. Besides, unless you get your car as soon as it was taken off the truck I would be willing to bet somebody gave her hell before you bought it.
 

Eury

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Nottingham NH
That last point is really key. Those miles that your GTI had when you bought it (Mine had 78mi) were HARD miles. It wasn't warmed up and the pedal was to the floor multiple times. Hell, I did it with mine on the test drive.
 

mk7matteo

Go Kart Champion
Mine had 75 miles on it unfortunately as it was the only Tornado Red S nearby. It was driven up here from Ventura so most of the miles are from that trip I believe. Can only hope it wasn't driven too hard
 
Location
St. Olaf
Doesn't it make you wonder how the GTI you end up owning was driven on test rides? My guess is every test ride involved putting the DSG in sport mode and gunning it.
I definitely wouldn't purchase a car that was on 'test drives'.
I never bought any car that was sitting on the dealer lot.



You're vehicle's engine is beaten on pretty well before it even makes it to the dealership.
guessing, hearsay . . .
 

BananaSlug

Ready to race!
I was the only person to test drive my car. It only had 4 miles on it when I drove it home. :p
 

JacobAllison

Ready to race!
Location
San Diego, CA
So, correct me if I'm wrong, and this isn't entirely related, but I'm positive I saw a video 'walking through' the process of building a Golf/GTI where it clearly shows someone testing it on a dyno. I wouldn't call that a break-in, but they certainly had it gassed up and ran it all the way up through all the gears.

Unfortunately Youtube is a no-go on the ship so I might be remembering this entirely wrong.

I suppose what confuses me is, wouldn't it be easy to ask VW if they gas and test the cars at the factory? Anyone got any VW contacts?

As for how it's driven off the lot, no opinion there, sorry! Unfortunately, my car will have been 'on the lot' for nearly a month by the time it's delivered to me, and I'm positive it's the only 6MT GTI in Colorado Springs. Ouch. I sent the sales company an email asking them to request that the dealer doesn't drill license plate bracket holes and not to let anyone drive it, but who knows if that was followed through.
 

russiankid

Drag Race Newbie
Location
PA
I was the only person to test drive my car. It only had 4 miles on it when I drove it home. :p

My car was still on the truck when I signed the paper work. :p

On topic, you definitely want to let everything break in. I don't care what anyone says in regards to "being broken in from factory", I have taken oil filters apart on numerous brand new vehicles after 1k miles and they ALL have had some metal shavings in them.
 

BlueHen

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Delmarva
So, correct me if I'm wrong, and this isn't entirely related, but I'm positive I saw a video 'walking through' the process of building a Golf/GTI where it clearly shows someone testing it on a dyno. I wouldn't call that a break-in, but they certainly had it gassed up and ran it all the way up through all the gears.

Unfortunately Youtube is a no-go on the ship so I might be remembering this entirely wrong.

I suppose what confuses me is, wouldn't it be easy to ask VW if they gas and test the cars at the factory? Anyone got any VW contacts?

As for how it's driven off the lot, no opinion there, sorry! Unfortunately, my car will have been 'on the lot' for nearly a month by the time it's delivered to me, and I'm positive it's the only 6MT GTI in Colorado Springs. Ouch. I sent the sales company an email asking them to request that the dealer doesn't drill license plate bracket holes and not to let anyone drive it, but who knows if that was followed through.

Many carmakers do a shakeout at the end of the assembly process on rollers, often while simultaneously blasting the car with water to check for any leaks. It's more a driveability/function test rather than a dyno per se. I do not know if this is done to GTIs/Golfs, however.
 

Aelwulf

Ready to race!
i am trying REAL hard to not break 4k , i norm dont even go past 3-3.5 , but there are things that happen , ie the asshole SUV that almost plowed into me when i turned onto an access road . she was looking down (i assume txting) didnt stop and i had to push it to about 4500 . i was FURIOUS , not so much that i almost got hit , but more so that i had to push the car that hard even for a second =(

Those situations always suck. I've been run off the interstate by a semi that wasn't paying attention. He knew it though, could tell through the window when I came screaming up behind him after getting out of the grass median. I still wasn't happy but least he wasn't intentionally being an ass. Although these days not sure which is more dangerous... Also run off the road (and hit) by a senior citizen, nearly run off the highway by another senior citizen on my motorcycle, and nearly run off another interstate by another senior citizen in my full-size pickup. Lesson: I drive around too many senior citizens apparently. :p Oh, and doesn't matter what you drive people don't look anymore.

But it's also a good highlight of some of the more 'vague' instructions. I have been told, and it's been backed up on here, that some hard pulls at speed helps with the break-in so long as short and not over redline. I think my Ram actually had it in the manual. All say avoid WOT from a stop.

I've had mine near/to redline a couple of times during break-in but didn't worry about it. If I had to move I moved, it's how I'd need to drive it so it needs to learn to run that way anyway. But I have been pretty easy on it 1) for break-in and 2) to see what starting MPG might be without abusing sport mode. ;)

So keep it in mind, but enjoy it and do what ya need to do. :cool:

Edit: Bit of a thread necro, oops.
 
Last edited:

SugarMouth

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Nevada
want to know what is the best way to run in the new engine...

I drove it the way I want to drive it from the day I bought it with 13 miles on the clock. The test drive was 6k rpm and high load on and off ramps.

I dumped the oil at 1k.

Now I have 46k miles of some stage of tune and the car is happy as can be.
 
Top