Breaking in a gti

[joema2]

There is wisdom behind that. I learned it when I got my Focus ST back in '13. Due to the new methods and "fineness" of the honing in the cylinders of a fresh, high-output, new generation engine, I researched about it in depth and found one overwhelming conclusion....
The conclusion was that the new honing patterns respond better to the "drive it like you stole it" method of break in. You still need to keep the RPM's varied and not steady during break-in, as well as not redlining it heavily, but drive the car the way you intend to from the beginning.

The reasoning is that breaking in this new way helps to seat the rings better against the tighter honing patterns, helping the car not burn oil as bad and keeping compression better.

There is some evidence to support this. The book "Sportbike Performance Handbook" had photomicrographs showing the new finer finish on cylinder walls and pistons. It said:

"Thirty years go, piston rings were less well-finished, and the cylinder wall had to be used as a file to shave them into intimate contact. This was the function of the old, relatively coarse, 60-degree crosshatch honing pattern used as a cylinder wall finish. This degree of roughness was essential to remove the necessary metal from the rings to make the seal."

"Today, the standard wall finish is...called a plateau finish. The cylinder is first coarse-honed, then finished with either a much finer hone or a plateau brush. This leaves the cylinder wall as a series of smooth-surfaced islands, surrounded by the deeper incissions left by the coarse hone. The incissions limit how far any scuffing -- smearing of metal -- can go, and they also serve to retain oil."

"Sensible instructions for breaking in call for...frequent applications of full throttle acceleration, but without holding high rpms or load for long periods. Between throttle applications, the engine oil system can carry away wear particles to the filter, and excess heat developed in areas contact has time to diffuse."

"Engines today are so well manufactured, with such good surface finishes, that it takes real power to push the smooth parts through the separating oil-and-additive film, into the partial contact that is necessary to achieving a final, high-quality fit."

However I wouldn't tell people to do this on their new car unless they are comfortable with it.

That said, my sportbike was broken in on the dyno and it ran great and never used a drop of oil. It was uncrated, assembled, and pushed from the showroom floor to the dyno, strapped down, and the first 250 miles were on the dyno -- frequently but intermittently at full throttle. Some exotic cars are broken in this way on the dyno or on the racetrack -- by the manufacturer.

Personally I'd recommend changing the oil early the 1st time. The factory fill oil on my Mk7 GTI was professionally analyzed and the engineer said it needed changing at 3,000 miles. My car is APR stage 1 so maybe that's a factor.

 

[Irishace]

Break in procedure:

1. Order GTI

2. Pickup GTI

3. Constantly and repeatedly mash the gas pedal

4. Try to stop smiling

/hard break in

 

[thunderstruck1]

The factory fill oil on my Mk7 GTI was professionally analyzed and the engineer said it needed changing at 3,000 miles.

Who did the analysis, and did you get the UOA at oil change time, or beforehand and that's why you had it done at 3K? I'm coming from TDI land where it's once every 10K, first time included.

 

[mono98]

Lol every time you test dive a new car with 15 miles they take the shi&$ out of it! Testing launch control, braking, acceleration etc... that's the break in lol

 

[Deuxi]

what i mean is : does the way you run your car during these 1000 first miles has a effect on the fuel consumption???

 

[CaptObvious75]

what i mean is : does the way you run your car during these 1000 first miles has a effect on the fuel consumption???

It won't. Everything is monitored by sensors so it will do what the computer calls for based on the tables/fuel trims set by the manufacturer.

Basically, what is going to mess with your fuel consumption is your right foot.

 

[2015WhiteGTI]

I know I'm going to get flack for this, but the manual states:
Breaking in a new engine
A new engine must be carefully broken in during the first 1000 miles (1600 kms). During the first few hours of driving, the engines internal friction is higher than later when all moving parts have beenbroken in.

So who do you think knows more about the GTI engine? The engineers that designed it or the "sources" you're finding on the internet?

I've seen this time and time again, look at the test figures on a new car vs. a 30,000 mile test. Car and Driver has long-term tests and most of the time, the car is actually quicker at the 30,000 mile test than when the car first arrived. Why? Because the engine has loosened up and is running more efficiently.

I'd be more concerned with longevity of my engine and properly break it in as the manufacturer has stated rather than just go off of another website.

 

[joema2]

Who did the analysis, and did you get the UOA at oil change time, or beforehand and that's why you had it done at 3K? I'm coming from TDI land where it's once every 10K, first time included.

Dyson Analysis: http://www.dysonanalysis.com/

Yes the UOA was at oil change time, about 2,900 miles. I'm only reporting what my oil analysis was and the commentary by the lubrication engineer. This may not apply to all Golfs, especially TDI which are totally different engine designs.

My brother has an older PDI diesel and has had similar Dyson oil analysis. In that case 10k miles was just fine, no need for an earlier change. The problem is you never know.

 

[joema2]

...So who do you think knows more about the GTI engine? The engineers that designed it or the "sources" you're finding on the internet?...I'd be more concerned with longevity of my engine and properly break it in as the manufacturer has stated rather than just go off of another website.

The manufacturer's advice on break in, oil change, etc is a simplistic, filtered generic recommendation. There is no guarantee it is optimal for your unique car and operating conditions.

In the case of oil change, what the manufacturer says is without a doubt less authoritative than professional analysis by a lubrication engineer on your specific car. It's like the difference between reading general health advice by a doctor vs having a blood test.

In the case of break in, it's harder to be confident since there's no straightforward test for different break in procedures. We do know certain low-volume manufacturers thrash the daylights out of engines on the dyno and racetrack before the buyer gets the car. If this adversely impacted engine durability (thus warranty costs) they wouldn't do that.

All GM crate engines undergo a undergo a 50-hour, full-throttle engine dynamometer validation. If that somehow hurt the durability they wouldn't do it: http://howto.gmpartsnow.com/

OTOH the Chevrolet Z06 owner's manual specifically says "Do not participate in track events, sport driving schools, or similar activities during the first 2414 km (1500 mi)."

Re break in I would tend to do what the manufacturer said, but I'm not sure deviating from this modestly has a major negative effect.

 

[SHFT]

To break it in, drive it how you plan to drive it.

 

[2015WhiteGTI]

The manufacturer's advice on break in, oil change, etc is a simplistic, filtered generic recommendation. There is no guarantee it is optimal for your unique car and operating conditions.

In the case of oil change, what the manufacturer says is without a doubt less authoritative than professional analysis by a lubrication engineer on your specific car. It's like the difference between reading general health advice by a doctor vs having a blood test.

In the case of break in, it's harder to be confident since there's no straightforward test for different break in procedures. We do know certain low-volume manufacturers thrash the daylights out of engines on the dyno and racetrack before the buyer gets the car. If this adversely impacted engine durability (thus warranty costs) they wouldn't do that.

All GM crate engines undergo a undergo a 50-hour, full-throttle engine dynamometer validation. If that somehow hurt the durability they wouldn't do it: http://howto.gmpartsnow.com/

OTOH the Chevrolet Z06 owner's manual specifically says "Do not participate in track events, sport driving schools, or similar activities during the first 2414 km (1500 mi)."

Re break in I would tend to do what the manufacturer said, but I'm not sure deviating from this modestly has a major negative effect.

Yes, I completely agree on the oil analysis (I was a hydraulics engineer and a filtration manager for 12 years). There are so many variables when it comes to oil cleanliness and I believe even the manual states that the interval is dependent on driving conditions.

The design of each engine is for certain different and many are run on rolling dynos prior to customer delivery or driven on the track, but that's the way they're designed. You can actually see some long-term tests of vehicles at Car and Driver or Motortrend where the 30,000 miles test shows acceleration is actually quicker than when they first received the car.

I just err on the side of caution and go with what the engineers wrote for the break in period. What do I have to lose other than the first 1000 miles of driving and possible long-term reliability. I tend to keep cars a long time so I try to take care of everything I possibly can.

In the end, to each their own. I'm sure the engines can take much more abuse that we can dish out. A buddy of mine was an engineer for Chrysler back in the early '90s and he said that they went out on test tracks and were told to try to break the car by driving it MUCH harder for long periods of time than any person with their own personal car ever would (or could) and they typically lasted without a problem.