Drivbiwire said:
New Rules for the 2009+ CRI TDI's and those that apply for the life of the car
-When the engine is cold (below the first 3 white marks at the base of the temp gage) rev the engine to at least 2,500 rpms.
-When the engine is warmed up (above the first three white marks) Rev the engine to no less than 3,000 rpms.
The reason for this is to keep the turbo on boost, clear the VNT guide vanes and apply firm pressure to the rings for optimal sealing against blow-by gasses. The rings need the boost to seal since its a turbo charged engine, babying the engine is detrimental and will lead to issues with compression if done so for very long.
First 1,000 miles
Keep rpms below 3,800. Avoid steady rpms. Frequent firm application of power is strongly recomended up to 3,800 rpm. Avoid the use of cruise control so that you naturally fluctuate the power with your foot.
1,000-10,000 miles
Use the full 5,100 rpm power range. Avoid steady rpms. Avoid the use of cruise control. Frequent application of full throttle is recomended to help seat the rings. City driving is ideal for breaking in a TDI due to frequent stops and acceleration. Once you get to 10,000 miles change the oil and perform your first service per the manual
10,000-20,000 miles
Use of the cruise control is ok at this point since most of the initial break in has occured. Continue to use occasional full throttle accelerations to continue to seat the rings. You will notice the engine become slightly louder during this phase due to less friction from the engine breaking in (normal for a diesel to become louder under lighter loads). If your going on a long drive and you are using the cruise, every so often step on the peddle to accelerate up about 20 mph then coast back down to your preset speed.
20,000-60,000
This is when the rest of the break in occurs. The engine from the factory will check out with about 435psi of compression pressure out of the crate. It will take at least 60,000 miles to reach the peak pressure of 510psi. For the most part once you get to 10,000 miles your compression will be around 470psi meaning that most of the break in has occured.
60,000-the life of the motor
The engines I have seen so far using a 5w40 oil are maintaining 550 psi of compression pressure with over 200,000 miles on the odometer. The owners have followed the advice above and do not have any oil consumption issues. This also means that with the higher pressure the engine is more efficient returning optimal fuel economy and reduced smoke output.
And those rules STILL APPLY to the 2009 TDI!
Facts surrounding TDI engines prior to leaving the factory:
New engines are assembled mounted in a dyno rig and started. The Engine is run by a computer and put thru a complete pre-programmed break in cycle. This include idle for 3 minutes while systems checks are done. Then the motor load is increased (without raising rpms) to verify the idle characteristics. Then rpms are gradually increased with specific changes of load to promote fluctuations in cylinder pressures. RPM's eventually reach the maximum to insure the motor produces rated power and torque within limits, then the motor is idled and shut down total time about 25 minutes. Engines that pass move on for purging and crating, engines that fail get sold off as factory defects to the aftermarket at reduced prices.
The break-in runs are predicated/based on actual wear measurements taken in real time using engines with RNT type testing. They measure the wear rates and conditions required to achieve very specific wear characteristics that provide an ideal break in during the first run. The pre-programmed dyno run controls the engine exactly as needed to seat and wear in the components so that you have a motor ready to be run out of the box (crate in this case).
When removed from the test cell, every motor is drained of oil, oil filter replaced, coolant, engine is completely flushed (required for shipping and HAZMAT reasons), Filled with an unique oil that meets a specific VW "TL" specification (synthetic oil + VW certified additive package + preservative additives/corrosion inhibiters) which is also called a "Break-In" oil and then shipped for final installation.
Despite the initial cell run, the engine still requires thousands of miles to fully seat. Piston rings cannot conform to cylinders, pistons can't oval out to match ideal bore shapes, cams and lifters still have surfaces not fully smoothed out etc. What you get with a new car is an engine that is already run in to provide the optimum conditions for maximum durability, reliability and life.
No VW engine should EVER be run above 75% of maximum rpm in the first 1,000 miles...EVER! Load is a new engines friend, running up a mountain in 5th gear while varying rpms = The best thing you can do to a new engine. Driving around screaming the engine in 1st gear and low load = the worst thing you can do to a new TDI.
NEVER drain a VW oil early in a new motor! The engine is already run-in (to achieve the min compression spec of around 435psi) and has already been purged of the initial fill after a very detailed break-in run. The break-in oils are thinner than your typical lubricant BUT contain all the specific additives required to promote engine break in.
The previous TL break-in oils were similar to VW506.01 oils in regards to viscosity. The newer will be produced by Fuchs and will have a LOWSaps additive package but will be rated for extended drains (unlike previous TL oils that were rated for 5,000 miles or 7500km).
Follow the manual and don't think for a second that some high school flunky pulled these recomendations of of thin air!
DB
Heat (high boost), lots of fuel ( to wash the cylinders down as much as you can with diesel), and upper RPM will establish the ring package early. 
