Advice and Tips

[AnthonyH89]

Just got email today that's its left factory! Ordered GTI+ pure white on 17s parker's. Should receive it end of April
Looking for tips on a good run in procedure.

Any do's or do nots and what to expect. I'm super excited to receive it.

[SRGTD]

There are differing schools of thought on whether or not a new car needs to be run in; some will say just drive normally and others might say drive it like you stole it!

When I’ve taken delivery of a new car, I just drive it normally, but I do avoid driving it too enthusiastically (no red-lining or excessive engine revs) during the first 1,000 miles. Also, vary your speed and engine revs regularly and avoid driving at a constant speed for prolonged periods. Make sure the oil is up to optimum operating temperature when you do drive it with a bit more enthusiasm - not just when the car’s new but always. I also always avoid letting the engine labour in too high a gear for the speed being travelled (I’ve always owned manual cars, so probably easier to do than with a DSG).

I’d suggest avoiding excessively hard braking during the first 100-200 miles to bed the brakes in, unless you need to brake hard for emergency reasons. Also, it’s possible that the tyres may still have some of the release compound (used by tyre manufacturers to release tyres from the tyre moulding machines) on the tyre treads. If so, tyre grip might be below par during the first few hundred miles of driving, until any residual release compound on the tyre treads has been scrubbed off through normal driving.

Enjoy your new car when you get it .

[PhilArnold]

Just got email today that's its left factory! Ordered GTI+ pure white on 17s parker's. Should receive it end of April
Looking for tips on a good run in procedure.

Any do's or do nots and what to expect. I'm super excited to receive it.

Do you mind me asking what was your confirmed build week? Was it built on time?

Mine is due to be built next week but I'm fearful that Corona virus will delay things

[AnthonyH89]

Thanks for the advice on run in. I was leaning more into the (drive it normal and not enthusiastically for the first 1000 miles) only issue is my commute to work is 90% motorway. Just figuring out how to vary revs & speed while on there.

Going to be fun for drivers behind me for the first 1k


I was worried about delays caused by this coronavirus also. I ordered my car on the 8th of Feb. I never got build week confirmed date, just that it has been confirmed. Basically the following monday after the 8th I got my order number, then using the app, it stated with the factory. Come friday changed to build week confirmed. Stayed on stage 3 for roughly around a month ish. Then my dealer called me Thursday this week, saying your car will be built by saturday the 14/3/20. I woke up yesterday 13/3/20 with a text from VW saying it's been built and left the factory. (Jumped from stage 3 to 5 on the app) Called dealer and he said takes around 6-8 weeks to get here so looking at around end of april.


I have read alot into the thread on here about lead times. ( got abit worried) but mine has been one of the quickest by quite abit, so I think you should also be fine. Mine has been ordered, built and sent during all this virus panic with no delays. I was originally told, I'm looking at 3 to 4 months to take delivery.

[AnthonyH89]

Just to add: I'll keep this thread updated on when I take delivery. How long it took from ordering.

Delays could happen now during transport or entering the UK ect, I dont know.
(Finger crossed they dont)

[MattHGR]

Fantastic points from SRGTD.
I did a very similar method, but since I was driving up and down long hills, I didn't want to do too much engine braking.
Therefore, I would run it in eco mode so the car would coast down hills instead of engine braking.
Since the engine is new, you want to seat the piston rings to the cylinder walls, to get a good seal. Engine braking won't give that same seal. Whether it makes much of a difference, I don't know. But I didn't want to take the risk.

Since you are doing lots of motorway driving, just hop between fifth and sixth gear every few mins. This just cycles the gear box a little more, and also the clutches.
Plus, the engine isn't sitting at the same revs for ages, which is good.

Sent from my SM-N9750 using Tapatalk

[monkeyhanger]

^ Absolute opposite - engine braking is good for running in. I'm not talking drastic braking here, slamming into 2nd at 45mph, but coming off the gas and allowing the engine to slow itself down. There's a high manifold vacuum when you come off the accelerator, working against the cylinders, and causing the braking.

It allows the sealing rings to flex more (highly positive cylinder pressure when combustion, much reduced pressure when engine braking and only air coming in), you end up with a better seal, keeping in pressure and stopping oil getting where it shouldn't.

Not only that, you're only burning soot in the GPF when there's spare oxygen in the exhaust gases, which only happens when you're engine braking and not pulling fuel through to burn.

Worst thing you can do for running in a car is to baby it, keeping it under 3000 revs for the first 1000 miles or have it sat on the motorway in 6th at 70mph for most of its first 500 miles. You'll glaze the bores, have a poor piston ring seal and as a result, high oil consumption, with the potential to be poisoning the catalyst in burning oil in the exhaust system.

Drive it normally when its warm, do anything but thrash it cold. In fact, the VW engine management in operation since 2013 won't let you thrash a cold engine - the ECU gives you reduced output until the oil reaches 70C.

[ryanponti]

Looks like mine has a buddy, mine also finished production on Friday. What is your confirmed delivery date? Mine was the end of May, but going from other peoples time frames from this message to delivery it puts it around 47 days which is around a month and a half so looking like end of April.

[AnthonyH89]

I'm also looking at end of april. Well that's what I have been told. Think ours will be on the same ship maybe

Does anyone know if the app provides ship details or if you can actually track the ship it's on? All my app says currently is, in transit.

[AnthonyH89]

My plan is after taking delivery I'm going to take it for a drive around in rush hour traffic. Will be varying the revs and speed quite abit doing that.

[stevereeves]

Just got email today that's its left factory! Ordered GTI+ pure white on 17s parker's. Should receive it end of April
Looking for tips on a good run in procedure.

Any do's or do nots and what to expect. I'm super excited to receive it.

How do folk get VW 'order tracker' thingy to load, please, I could never get it to work....

[sc-red]

Just got email today that's its left factory! Ordered GTI+ pure white on 17s parker's. Should receive it end of April
Looking for tips on a good run in procedure.

Any do's or do nots and what to expect. I'm super excited to receive it.

How do folk get VW 'order tracker' thingy to load, please, I could never get it to work....

Have you downloaded the app? You will need to create an account and also know your VW order number. What I would say about it though, it is always out of date info.

[SRGTD]

Just got email today that's its left factory! Ordered GTI+ pure white on 17s parker's. Should receive it end of April
Looking for tips on a good run in procedure.

Any do's or do nots and what to expect. I'm super excited to receive it.

How do folk get VW 'order tracker' thingy to load, please, I could never get it to work....

Have you downloaded the app? You will need to create an account and also know your VW order number. What I would say about it though, it is always out of date info.

Yes, it tends to be pretty rubbish IMO.

[RUM4MO]

Quote:- "Worst thing you can do for running in a car is to baby it, keeping it under 3000 revs for the first 1000 miles or have it sat on the motorway in 6th at 70mph for most of its first 500 miles. You'll glaze the bores, have a poor piston ring seal and as a result, high oil consumption, with the potential to be poisoning the catalyst in burning oil in the exhaust system."

I totally agree, why, well I did that running back from Limberg province in Holland near the end of May 2000 after collecting my brand new VW Passat 4Motion - I tried to avoid doing that but shocking weather and Friday "end of week" extra traffic messed up any good plans I had, and making it back to Chunnel for my allocated journey back to UK messed up that plan, and most if the remainder of the journey back up to Central Scotland was not much better!

That car "happily" used a litre of engine oil over 400 miles over its entire life with me, ie up to 13 years and 85K miles, the cats survived though - using that amount of oil does mean that you never run out of empty cans to dump the used engine oils into though!

[monkeyhanger]

Quote:- "Worst thing you can do for running in a car is to baby it, keeping it under 3000 revs for the first 1000 miles or have it sat on the motorway in 6th at 70mph for most of its first 500 miles. You'll glaze the bores, have a poor piston ring seal and as a result, high oil consumption, with the potential to be poisoning the catalyst in burning oil in the exhaust system."

I totally agree, why, well I did that running back from Limberg province in Holland near the end of May 2000 after collecting my brand new VW Passat 4Motion - I tried to avoid doing that but shocking weather and Friday "end of week" extra traffic messed up any good plans I had, and making it back to Chunnel for my allocated journey back to UK messed up that plan, and most if the remainder of the journey back up to Central Scotland was not much better!

That car "happily" used a litre of engine oil over 400 miles over its entire life with me, ie up to 13 years and 85K miles, the cats survived though - using that amount of oil does mean that you never run out of empty cans to dump the used engine oils into though!

Do you mean a litre of oil every 400 miles? I would've got that back to the dealers ASAP. That is not acceptable oil use, even though your running in probably caused it - the manual doesn't outright forbid sitting on the motorway during the running in period.

However, I've a story like yours. I've had 11 VAGs from new, and only one had noteworthy oil consumption.

I bought a MK5 Golf GT TDI140 in 2005 through drivethe deal and the supplying dealership was in Burnley. Picked the car up in Burnley, drove down to my Dad's house in Southampton, took the car on the Southampton to LeHavre ferry the following day. Landed on French soil and had an amber alert to top up oil (the car had done about 400 miles at that point) so the complementary litre went in and Carried on. Bought some cheese at my Dad's request - didn't seem smelly, but it stunk the car out as the car deck hot quite warm when the ship was on the move due to proximity to the engines. So new car smell was gone for 3 weeks!
After a short bout in Southampton I drove back up to Newcastle, 800 miles on the clock, needing another litre of oil. The car used a litre every 1000 miles thereafter.

None of my other cars have needed topping up between oil changes, but they were all run in on mixed miles.