break in driving home driving home 399 miles
- Thread starter ukspice69
- Start date
You read the owners manual, and follow what it says, not what an enthusiasts club says, as enthusiasts don't build or design these engines. The owners manual says to take it easy the first 500 miles, vary the speed, vary the load and avoid cruise control usage or constant speeds.
Maybe take back roads that are wooded through the mountains, instead of interstate. You get plenty of speed and load variance doing it that way, and shifting too, if it's along a stream or a river.
Maybe take back roads that are wooded through the mountains, instead of interstate. You get plenty of speed and load variance doing it that way, and shifting too, if it's along a stream or a river.
VeeDubTDI
Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
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+1 for the back roads. They are more fun, too!
ruking
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I have broken in the three I own, the same way. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=252501
Basically when new, (zero to app 1,000 miles) you really want to be VERY gentle with the speeds (max 65 mph) and be slightly to moderately aggressive with the RPM (up to 3/4 of red line). It is probably just as important to do higher rev DE celeration. The real reason for that is to allow for the components to get used to each other slowly. This allows for longevity for tires, alignment, springs, struts, shocks, brake pads and rotors, etc. The varied rpm and acceleration and deceleration allow for proper valve seating.
So if red line is 5,100 rpm (read your specific owners manual) then it is more than safe to take it to 4,000 rpm. So the bottom line is to keep the rpms varied and to use the gears to keep the speeds down. After the tires "seat" if you will (300 to 500 miles), then it is more than fine to take it to higher mph (and to rpm red line) "romps."
Basically when new, (zero to app 1,000 miles) you really want to be VERY gentle with the speeds (max 65 mph) and be slightly to moderately aggressive with the RPM (up to 3/4 of red line). It is probably just as important to do higher rev DE celeration. The real reason for that is to allow for the components to get used to each other slowly. This allows for longevity for tires, alignment, springs, struts, shocks, brake pads and rotors, etc. The varied rpm and acceleration and deceleration allow for proper valve seating.
So if red line is 5,100 rpm (read your specific owners manual) then it is more than safe to take it to 4,000 rpm. So the bottom line is to keep the rpms varied and to use the gears to keep the speeds down. After the tires "seat" if you will (300 to 500 miles), then it is more than fine to take it to higher mph (and to rpm red line) "romps."
My redline is at 4500..., and this motor dies off pretty quick past about 34-3500, just runs out of fueling, it's being cut back, due to the tiny turbo on this car.
I also spent a portion of my career working for Brush Research Manufacturing, maker of the Flex Hone, or dingle ball hone, which is what provides the plateaued sealing surface for the bore that you want the rings to seat in. Stay far away from redline in a new daily driver motor, it's not a racing engine, huge difference. The info provided by Pete was by a racing motor motorcyclist rebuilder. It does not apply to today's TDI motors, which have laser honed bores, and have the rings seat almost instantly. It's the rest of the drive train that has to wear in and burnish the parts against each other that you want to keep power output down in a new motor and drive train... E = VM2... that squared portion of the equation is the killer, and it's directly related to reciprocating parts and the rpms going up, squares the amount of load exponentially, based on the rpms. Keep the rpms low, when breaking things in. Better to treat your new car like an instrument instead of a tool during the break in process.
Keeping rpms down is also one of the reasons Bosch recommends running very low wear scar fuel in their injector pumps and HPFP's, under 400 micron, for the first couple of fuel tanks of fuel for run in.
You do want to load the motor up, with some turbo boost, but at lower rpms. City driving or mountain roads and highway canyon driving is probably the best way to go for proper break in on these motors. It does it all for the motor, without the driver having to over think it. Still, no canyon racing...
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ruking
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No, Pete's information was applicable to turbo diesels and was actually gotten more from VW OEM sources. You can easily Email him to verify.
I am glad you agree with almost all that I am saying. So for example with your red line @ 4,500 rpm, 75% of that would be 3,375 rpm. Since you do not indicate what low rpm are, my reference is pretty easy to see as a marker. Also depending on ones oem owners manual, max torque power is delivered between app 1,750 rpm to whatever ones manual indicates. 75% is usually what max HP is delivered @.
Unless you can verify the fuel source and certifications, it is pretty hard to use low scar fuel, with any certainly. Anywhere in the 15 or so states and one foreign country I have fueled in, barely know the cetane ratings, let alone post or know what the low scar less than 400 micron standards are. All the best.
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dieselyeti
Veteran Member
That's a nice chunk of break-in mileage you did. I just brought my Passat home last Friday, but it was only 140 miles back to CT. Drivebiwire's break-in procedure is a good guide, as it's basically commonsense but still read the owner's manual. As far as engine temp goes, you should try to limit rpms until the engine is up to operating temp. Turn the cruise control off and vary engine speeds. Around town, I'll shift down to 3rd or 4th gear to keep the rpms up around 2k, otherwise the engine is barely above idle otherwise.
Regardless of the wear scar of the fuel that you get on first fill up, it is very, very easy to bring the wear scar number down. Add 32 to 48 oz of your favorite biodiesel to bring the first few tanks up to B2, and your wear scar micron reading, according to the Spicer report, will be below 300 microns, even on untreated basic rot gut diesel
I added a qt of biodiesel and 6 oz of Powerservice silver in the lot before I even drove the car off the lot in my 2012 passat.
ruking
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So if I understand you, just the use of B5 will "cure what ails you", aka. make it a total non issue. Again the the same thing is not addressed =, what are the certificatiions and ratings of the typical B5 or for your B2 addition.
VeeDubTDI
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It actually pulls quite strong up to 4000, where the HP peak starts to fall off rapidly.
I am doing the same for a new A3 TDI: 32 oz B100 and PS per tank. Have access to premium D2 but am waiting for nozzle adaptor for high flow truck pump. So far so good.
pkiron
Member
I am planning on taking a trip as soon as I get my 2012 Passat TDI SEL, all highway miles (450 each way). Should I avoid the trip and break in to 500 miles driving around town? please advise
VeeDubTDI
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I wouldn't avoid the trip. Just vary the engine load and road speed instead of sitting on cruise control the entire way. Maybe find a couple of nice non-interstate back roads along the way to explore.
pkiron
Member
thanks for the advice..11 weeks and waiting. Psyched.
VeeDubTDI
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You won't have it in time for TDIFest. Bummer. 
FormerOwner
Veteran Member
Want the best way to break in your new TDI? one word... VARY
Vary your speeds
Vary your rates of acceleration
Vary your braking habits
Vary your shift points
Vary your driving habits from a stopped position
Vary your downshifting
Again... the key word is vary. It's what everyone here is trying to tell you. I'll add 1 thing to the discussion additionally: your engine is a fine piece of German engineering, and like all diesels, it likes to work. Therefore, by VARYing the workload of said engine, you will make it a great powerplant that will last you a very very long time.
However, I suggest that you not VARY the ways in which you vary my advice and the advice of my colleagues...
SES
Vary your speeds
Vary your rates of acceleration
Vary your braking habits
Vary your shift points
Vary your driving habits from a stopped position
Vary your downshifting
Again... the key word is vary. It's what everyone here is trying to tell you. I'll add 1 thing to the discussion additionally: your engine is a fine piece of German engineering, and like all diesels, it likes to work. Therefore, by VARYing the workload of said engine, you will make it a great powerplant that will last you a very very long time.
However, I suggest that you not VARY the ways in which you vary my advice and the advice of my colleagues...
SES
Tape the seams on the mirrors, where the two parts, top and bottom, join together, with a strip of blue tape.... if the noise goes away, squeeze some Alex painting caulk in the seams and with a wet finger, create a flush surface between the 2 parts. That should solve your problem.
dieselyeti
Veteran Member
49mpg average? On a new Passat? Are you going by what the display said, or have you done the math to calculate tank average?
VeeDubTDI
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The two are almost always within 2 MPG of each other...
TurboDieselPoint
Veteran Member
IMO, this is one thing I think about when it comes to constantly accelerating and varying speeds in new diesels equipped with DPFs:
Think about it; the most amount of soot, smoke, and particles are being produced when a diesel engine accelerates. That's a known fact. So, if you drive a 900 mile round trip with a driving style that engenders CONSTANT acceleration to vary your speeds, you are putting a much larger load on your BRAND NEW DPF in this sensitive emissions system compared to maintaining a steady RPM at a highway speed.
In fact, maintaining a highway speed is on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to the DPF. By holding a certain speed and load on the engine for an extended time, you are minimizing soot production by not accelerating AND by keeping higher EGTs which can "passively regenerate" the DPF without the use of this "active regeneration" through an extra injection event designed to inject diesel in the exhaust stroke. By not using this extra injection event for regenerating the DPF you are saving fuel, reducing injector wear, reducing turbocharger wear, extending DPF life, and minimizing possible cylinder washing from the extra injection event.
Hope that makes sense to you guys!
Think about it; the most amount of soot, smoke, and particles are being produced when a diesel engine accelerates. That's a known fact. So, if you drive a 900 mile round trip with a driving style that engenders CONSTANT acceleration to vary your speeds, you are putting a much larger load on your BRAND NEW DPF in this sensitive emissions system compared to maintaining a steady RPM at a highway speed.
In fact, maintaining a highway speed is on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to the DPF. By holding a certain speed and load on the engine for an extended time, you are minimizing soot production by not accelerating AND by keeping higher EGTs which can "passively regenerate" the DPF without the use of this "active regeneration" through an extra injection event designed to inject diesel in the exhaust stroke. By not using this extra injection event for regenerating the DPF you are saving fuel, reducing injector wear, reducing turbocharger wear, extending DPF life, and minimizing possible cylinder washing from the extra injection event.
Hope that makes sense to you guys!
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big_ole_truck
Veteran Member
Drive it like you stole it. If it breaks, VW will fix it. If it doesn't, you conditioned the motor the right way. Don't baby the motor but don't abuse it either.
Would you be so kind as to show some VW supporting documentation recommending that? Otherwise, try reading your owners manual, until you start warrantying the motors VW makes.