S4 running in

[Foreverfalling]

I’ll be picking my new s4 up in about 10 days.
Seen the running in period suggested in the manual of no more than 2/3rd the reva for the first 1000 miles or so.

Heard different things about running in.

It’s a lease so although I want to look after the car I won’t own it.

What have you guys done?

 

[Terminator x]

I just let mine warm up then ran it as normal from Day One.

TX.

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[Philio]

It's rev limited automatically from a cold start anyway. Dealership told me that no run in is required, but I followed the guidance from the manual.

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[Riko0073]

Kept mine below 3,000 revs for first 500 miles then gradually increased the revs over next 500 miles but never anywhere near the red until over 1,000 and always engine at full temperature.

Enjoy the new motor mate.

 

[Jsmills]

Mines a lease too so needless to say as soon as it’s warm.... pedal to the metal from day 1.

 

[cptjay]

Never bothered with this low revs run in for hundreds of miles with any car I've ever leased or owned... never had any issues.

 

[cuke2u]

Its a lease, drive it like you stole it and have fun....

 

[Pook]

I’ve been driving mine fairly conservatively for first 600 miles but have opened it up a few times put my foot down (smoothly lol) to the line on the odd occasion. Starting to wonder whether I should have avoided this so early ha but it has only been a handful of times and the engine always up to temperature. Fingers crossed

 

[Foreverfalling]

think I’m just going to drive it as normal from day one once up to temperature.

I’ve heard that you get better performance and mpg if you run it in well but then I’ve also heard you get better if you just drive it hard from day 1..

Guess nobody really knows...

 

[Philio]

Oddly my mpg seems to be getting worse over time!

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[zayn81]

if it a lease then no need. as my delivery driver told me. Drive it, enjoy it , don't waste time

 

[motty225]

Use it to it's full potential from the start so long as the temps are correct, people still think it's the 90s, the tollerences have moved on lightyears since then, mine had done 6 miles before it was red lined in the first 6 gears, and has been driven the same ever since

 

[ub7rm]

There is a finite period of time from new for the piston rings to bed in to the cylinder wall. To aid this, the cylinder walls have a very fine cross hatched finish. After a very short period the rings wear this away to a perfectly smooth finish with hopefully a perfectly honed in piston ring. The higher the revs the more pressure pushing the piston rings into the cylinder wall thus improving the bedding in process. I.e. foot to the floor from day one.

HOWEVER, brakes, tyres, gearbox and other components need to be treated with a bit more respect - we all know that brakes take a couple of hundred miles to bed in and brand new tyres need a few miles to scrub off any release agents. So - be careful where you put your foot down.

 

[Boosted_Six]

I think regardless of the ownership term you will want the car to return the best MPG and performance possible. Running it in correctly contributes to this outcome.

 

[cptjay]

Back in 2008, a friend and I both bought the new Civic Type-R within a couple of months of each other.

I drove it fast from the off, using all those 8k glorious revs.
He "ran it in" by driving at low revs for hundreds of miles.

6 months in, he was frequently topping up with oil (like 1L every 3-4 times he filled it with fuel).
Mine never used a drop of oil.

Make of it what you will but plenty of evidence that we have moved on from 1976 where cars had signs in the back saying "please pass, engine being run in"!

 

[Dippy]

I'll back up what @ub7rm and @cptjay have written. There are further details here. As individuals we can't particularly suggest that our "harsh" running in is better, but once we pool our experiences a picture does build up. Although my S5 had done more than 20 miles when I got it, I still followed a piston-ring bedding procedure similar to that suggested by Motoman (in particular the engine braking). I'm glad I did because after 14k miles and 3.5 years my engine has not "used" a drop of oil. I am not kidding - my oil level simply does not perceptibly go down between fills. There are plenty more tales to by read, for example on Audizine.

However going back to @ub7rm 's post (2nd paragraph) - indeed "drive it like you stole it" is not the right approach. Although the B9 S4 has the ZF transmission so should be more tolerant to abuse than the s-tronic, it is still sensible to limit top revs for a while.

 

[Boosted_Six]

If anyone reading is confusing a running in procedure with babying, that would also contribute to sub optimal performance and economy. Firm but fair does the trick...

 

[SRB93]

Launches were done from day one in mine Had to show the fam what it's made of!

 

[cptjay]

If anyone reading is confusing a running in procedure with babying, that would also contribute to sub optimal performance and economy. Firm but fair does the trick...

Seems the most reasonable approach....some more firmer than others of course ;-)

 

[Pook]

I would like to think that if running it in correctly to the letter of the manual was that crucial, the dealership would mention it on handover. No-one has ever said anything to me on the last 2 new cars I've bought. The information in the manual is also found on page 86 - again if it was of vital importance it would be on page 1 in bold writing. I also think that if a harsh run in had caused any problems, they would flag in the 3 years warranty period anyway. Firm but fair I say is the way to play it.

 

[cptjay]

Agree with that... Also, if it was so important - the manufacturer could limit revs for first 1k miles (or whatever), via the ECU.

 

[Evil Derboy]

As above, warm it up and then drive it like you stole it. If you're too gentle and don't very the rev's a lot then as @ub7rm has said you'll end up using a lot of oil. I bought my last car, an M6 used and it needed 1 litre of oil every month! Apparently not varying the rev's enough and following @ub7rm's example is the root cause and notorious on the F series M5/M6 engine.

 

[Foreverfalling]

Awesome - just what I wanted to hear thanks guys!

Non motorway country lane route home- warm it up and then time for some fun!

 

[cuke2u]

Why buy a car only to drive it as fast as a 2cv ;-)

 

[zippster]

Still haven’t tried a launch yet, must read the manual.. drove mine spirited from the off, just had its first service and didn’t drop a drip of oil during that time..

Sounds , feels stronger than ever.. drive , enjoy and don’t nurture if for the next person.. it’s cost you a fortune after all

 

[Chris S 1245]

Nope redlined my S4 from day 1 no running in period as the dealer quoted ‘ There is no run in procedure with this car drive it how you normally would’ however I always wait for the Oil to warm up to 80 degrees before really giving it the beans.

 

[WesT-gefül]

I always wait for the Oil to warm up to 80 degrees before really giving it the beans.

Does the S4 have a oil temp gauge? It is not just coolant?

 

[Philio]

Does the S4 have a oil temp gauge? It is not just coolant?

It has both.

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