High Petrol Consumption during initial start up - GTI MK6

[D0101S]

Please excuse my ignorance, but I was wondering if it is normal to see such high petrol consumption during the initial start up and some short distance driving in the GTI MK6?

I live very close to work (approx. 5 mins drive) and know that I shouldn't be driving the GTI, but Melbourne weather is so unpredictable and I will take any reason to drive the car
Anyways, I have noticed when I drive to work I am getting really high fuel consumptions of 19L/100KM and above (this is the average indicator). I am nowhere near thrashing the car as I try to keep it in low revs due to the short distance driving.
I don't know if I am imagining things, but when I do drive the car to and fro work, it seems the petrol needle is dropping dramatically - in relation to the short distance, seems like I lose about a quarter to half a tab on the petrol display.

I haven't had any tunes or anything to suggest the high petrol consumption. I also only use BP Ultimate 98.


Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[brad]

normal

cold engine, cold lubricants.

You're effectively driving with the choke pulled out (you probably haven't a clue what I'm talking about).

You aren't doing your engine any favours by doing lots of 5 minute trips. It comes under the heading of severe service & that means more frequent servicing is required as well.

you are also producing more pollution, etc.

If you can, walk. Buy a big umbrella & a raincoat for the weather. Your car will love you for it, less cars on the road, less pollution, you'll be fitter & lots less wear on your vehicle.

[AdamD]

The car will invariably be using a lot of fuel when the engine is cold - it'll run quite rich for the first few minutes whilst it comes up to temperature. Seeing such high consumption figures is normal given the conditions.

By doing such short trips, you won't be doing your engine any favours - just so you're aware. Significant engine wear occurs from cold, because the oil isn't up to temperature and isn't lubricating the internals properly. The engine really only becomes efficient (and the oil properly effective at lubricating) once it's been running for at least a quarter hour or so, and the oil's at or above 80 degrees. If many of the car's miles are done at cold temps, the engine will show much more wear over time than a car at similar mileage that's driven under more normal conditions.

Make sure you have the car serviced regularly (in fact, many-short-trips is so extreme I'd be having the oil replaced every 6 months, without question).

(Somewhat surprisingly, a performance tune can actually improve fuel consumption.)

[D0101S]

I had a feeling I would get scolded on this topic :\

Thanks for clearing that up guys and yep, I am planning on buying a bicycle to ride to work in the next few weeks. I've had the golf for about 2 months now and really don't want to drive it to work as I've been told with my previous car that it really wasn't doing it any favours and that was a 08' Civic.

So just to clear things up, I shouldn't really pay attention to the fuel consumption on the MFD until about 15 minutes into a drive as the initial results are somewhat skewed?

[Tom87]

A little bit alarmist...the car will handle that type of driving just fine for as long as you'll own it, but the guys are right, it isn't great for it.

Extremely high fuel use is normal in that sort of driving. My MkV probably chews double its usual amount of fuel and oil usage if I'm doing short under 15 minute runs and the back end gets sooty very quickly.

Use this as an excuse to get a kick ass coat for winter and a kick ass commuter bike. Euro or yank, don't bother with the cheap **** as you need to put the fun between your legs and you don't have fun riding the i20 of cycles. Bad Boy Commuter - RECREATION & URBAN - BIKES - 2014

PS: shopping at 99bikes or other discounters is not encouraged...brand snobbery exists hahaha

[AnDyStYLe]

Or you could take a different route to work (detour) and get it to operating temp before you reach your workplace?

Cheers,

Andy

[D0101S]

Or you could take a different route to work (detour) and get it to operating temp before you reach your workplace?

Cheers,

Andy

I have thought about that option but I hear even 15 minutes is too short of a drive? If this is not the case, then it's definitely an option worth considering, well at least until the fun in driving the new car dies off (which I hope it doesn't).



Thanks Tom, had a look at the bikes and they have some pretty sweet designs. Going to be hard leaving home when the car is still in the driveway

[Diesel_vert]

The way I see it, you've spent a not insubstantial amount of money purchasing a hot hatchback that offers tremendous performance, but is rendered null by your quest to minimise fuel consumption - which is admittedly high, but owing to your driving conditions, cannot be helped.

It would also appear that your annual mileage is less than 5 000 km - given that, is the cost of fuel such a concern?

If fuel consumption were at the forefront of your mind, it would've been more pragmatic to purchase a Toyota Corolla with its basic but tried and tested 1.8 engine, using regular unleaded, which could be used to bash around in for urban duties without much care.

What purpose does a Mk6 Golf GTI serve by just sitting at home? Surely the whole point of such a purchase was to indulge yourself? Otherwise, you would have bought the aforementioned Toyota.

While it's not inconceivable that the internals of your particular engine at 100 000 km would not look as good as an engine that has done 100 000 highway kilometres, you have to ask yourself - is this even relevant for someone in your situation? Would you expect the engine to be worn out at less than 100 000 km? Do you envisage keeping the car for 20 years? To these, I would say no.

A DIY engine oil + filter change every 6 months will be more than sufficient. Apart from that, service is as per the manufacturer's normal schedule of every 12 months.

Depending on the route, I wouldn't cycle to work in this country.

Driving a car may cost you in consumables, but don't forget that owning a car has its own costs - servicing, registration, insurance, depreciation, etc.

I say, use it or lose it (sell it) - else, all you are doing is paying for the privilege to own the car, but not drive the car.

Same goes with petroleum - it won't be long before it becomes cost prohibitive to be used as fuel. Use it while it's still available and cheap.

[D0101S]

I completely agree with your response.

My concern wasn't the cost of petrol, because as you mentioned that with the amount of driving I do on a weekday/yearly basis, it really wouldn't really impact me much. Although since owning the vehicle, I am finding that I'm filling up once a week - definitely taking it for long joy rides on the weekend
My main concern was whether there was an underlying issue with the vehicle/engine to be consuming so much petrol. I did mention that my previous car was a Civic and before that it was a Peugeot 308, so it was good to finally purchase a car that I would classify as "performance".

Definitely made some valid points about use it or lose it. I guess when purchasing a new car there is a certain stigma about trying to preserve it and keep it in the condition that it was originally purchased in.
Reminds me of the Home Alone quote where he talks about his new rollerblades and he didn't want to damage them so he kept them in the box, and then when the time came round to using them, he outgrew them.

I was considering doing my own oil changes as I have never done one before and don't even own half of the equipment to perform one, but I guess this is a good time to start learning.

I am still considering on cycling to work from a health point of view and just to get out and get some oxygen into the lungs. And with the route to work, I actually don't even pass any traffic lights.

Thanks for your comments as I think it does put things into perspective a bit more

[Tom87]

I have both.... The hot hatch in the garage and sitting next to it is a very puurdy fun bike.... (except i bought a MTB).

Best of both worlds.