Hi all, i am just having fun with the new Q5. I read the manual talks about how the engine needs to be run-in in the first 1,500 km.

Assuming one doesn't do full throttle, no high revving of the engine etc, is it a good idea to:

a). choose the "dynamic" mode in Drive Select, which means (S transmission, hard suspension, sporty engine shifting etc) ?

b). use the manual shift?


If b).manual shift is ok to use, any specification on M1, M2, M3? is there more? will they be auto-shifted and where can I find more info on this?


Thanks in advance for any answers and/or inspirations!

 

Drive it like you own it. For the break in period it's recommended that you don't redline and you don't exceed 3/4 of the top speed. A lot of people will also tell you to stay off the cruise control and try to vary your speed if you are traveling longer distances during the break in period.

a). Use whichever mode you like. Because the break in period should mimic the driving style you will drive most of the time for the lifetime of the vehicle, I would use the mode you think you will drive in the most.

b). Use manual shift as well if you like, just watch the redline. It will eventually auto-upshift for you at redline. It will also automatically go back to 1st once you stop the car.

Most importantly, enjoy!

 

I agree with Tony's instructions. My dealer told me there is no such thing as break period anymore how it's more applicable to older cars, they told me to "go nuts" of course I didn't follow their suggestion.

 

I think that manufacturers state the 1500KM as a way to keep the average person from damaging their engine during break-in. Your average person doesn't have a clue how an engine works, let alone any knowledge of physics or materials properties.

By the time a vehicle reaches 1500KM, each piston will have traveled up/down the cylinder walls something on the order of 10 million times. Given that the primary aspect of achieving a 'good' break-in is seating the ring pack, it's likely that most of the break-in will be accomplished by the first 50-100KM. This is when the ring pack should be seated with high load, and, just as important, high vacuum. This means rapid acceleration, and deceleration without the use of brakes. I'd keep RPM below 5000 for the first maybe 100KM, then gradually increase up to redline over the next several hundred KM.

That said, by far the most important guideline for break-in is engine temperature! It's too late for this now, but you should be running the engine up to full operating temperature + 2 minutes at ~2000RPM for the first few heat cycles. I nearly cry every time I see people fire up their engine and start driving within 2 seconds - there wouldn't even be oil in the head yet! This is especially brutal when you're talking about <0°C temperatures.

Here is what I did:

- First oil fill is Group III (non-synthetic, dino oil).
- Liberal use of assembly lube on all parts.
- Engine pre-oiled.
- Engine cranked for 60 seconds to build full oil pressure before allowing it to fire.
- Fire engine and bring up to operating temperature at 2000RPM.
- Drain oil, change filter; refill with dino oil.
- 3 more heat cycles (bring oil up to temp, allow to cool completely).
- Drain oil, change filter; refill with dino oil.
- Idle to full oil temp.
- 50KM of empty highway runs with moderate acceleration up to ~150KM/hr, and deceleration to 20KM/hr, stopping every few runs to allow for cool down.
- 50KM of loaded (uphill, or heavily-loaded with cargo) highway runs with moderate acceleration, and deceleration to 20KM/hr. Higher (100KM/hr+) speeds will also load the engine more due to the exponentially-increasing air resistance, if you want to get lazy on the hills or cargo.
- Drain oil, change filter, fill with regularly-used synthetic (I highly recommend Group IV or V oils only).
- Drive it as you normally would!

As you can see, not many people are going to do all of that, or probably even any of that. That is why manufacturers try to get you to take it easy for the first while. I almost can't believe that they don't recommend changing the oil frequently during break-in - despite hot-tanking, pressure washing (several times), and using compressed air obsessively to clean every single part and bolt, there were visiblemetallic particles in my oil for the first drain. I used a magnetic oil-drain plug and magnets on the oil filter for break-in.


General engine longevity tips:

- Use good oil and filters!
- Never go WOT or redline until your oil is completely warm - this means for at least a few minutes after your coolant gauge is up to normal operating temperature.
- Make it a point to hit redline regularly; and, use the upper half of the RPM range every day!
- Don't come to a stop in merge lanes, and don't cruise in the left lane on freeways and highways

 

I hear many people say, that for break-in, you should "drive it the car as it normally would be driven throughout its life", and this is not a good idea. Breaking in an engine is a completely different goal than getting to work. A good tip when taking advice from people: can they explain why they think what they do, or are they just repeating something they heard somewhere, or stating something simply because that's how they feel/believe it should be. I think you'll find that it's nearly always the latter two.

 

Wow Cheeba kudos to you and your post above. Very impressive level of knowledge. Too late for me now but this info is great for all the new owners. My fav tip is red lining regularly . Its a good excuse to use the sport§ mode. Cheers.

 

true, this explains the difference between whether you owned the knowledge, or you simply borrowed the knowledge....

I have to admit I simply don't have any clue about this and I am still trying to understand 1/2 the things you just put up.... I will try to digest it and fire back a few questions.

Asking is the beginning of understanding!

Thanks

 

Wow cheeba very interesting info.

I'm new to the manual mode, everytime I use it, I just can't seem to find the right point to change gears for optimal engine performance. I tend to rev too high and then when changing gears, it just doesn't change smoothly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated..

 

rocco_ca, I barely driven a manual truck before so this is new to me too.

If you look closely at the speedometer, there are some red dots (very short lines), i've been trying to use those as indicators to shift up/down.

M1 being the lowest gear, the highest is M6? I personally would use M1/M2 during and before the first red dot, after that, it is more of a personal feeling so I keep M3/M4, this is typically enough for me on city roads... if I need to go above 80 (say merging into highway), I go M5 and eventually M6.

I too been looking for some kind of instructions or guidance on this, but for now, I tend to keep the engine rev no more than 4k or else the engine really begins to roar

Please, experts feel free to chime in!

 

Typically in my 6MT Jetta GLi if I am driving for comfort, I try to keep my shifts within the lower range of the power band (3000rpm). If I want to feel the power I let it out to 5500rpm.

The same principle should apply with the Q except that with the 8sp ZF transmission on the 2.0T the torque is available much lower, and you should probaby shift around 2000-2500rpm for comfortable driving and around 4500rpm for performance.

With the V6 with 6spd tiptronic you can shift around 3000rpm for comfort and 5500rpm for performance.

If you are really conserative you can keep your rev range lower. You will soon get comfortable with what works for you, and you will not even need to look at the tachometer to know when to shift.

Good luck!