Originally Posted by Maverick
Reply With QuoteThe 'Old' MKV GTI (DSG):
Taking ownership of the MKV GTI involved covering just under 5,000km in @ 1 month driving mainly on the freeway & open highway without touching the paddles or the sports shift. Trips from Sydney to Maitland-Newcastle, Canberra, Jindabyne, Bathurst and Wollongong. The MKV GTI on average would use about 100-150ml of oil per 1,000km – but longer extended interstate trips showed no oil consumption.
The MK6 Demonstrator (Manual):
In November 2009 & in the 30 degree heat of the Aussie Summer, I was lucky to have the pleasure of been given a MK6 GTI demonstrator to drive around Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and South Coast. Keeping an eye on the oil temperature on the new & improved MK6 GTI multi-function display in dashboard. During the hot @ 30 degree day, the oil temperature hovered around 105-108 degrees with the demo manual GTI having @ 1300km on the odometer.
This vehicle was driven around town very sedately with a view to whether a manual would be suitable for my needs as a new MK6 GTI would no longer be a daily driver. I used the oil temperature of 105-108 degrees as a guide when running in new WJ DSG MK6 GTI.
Two great new features of the MK6 GTI over the MKV GTI is that the MFD has an electronic Speedo and electronic oil temperature gauge.
The oil temperature gauge is a good measure for determining the level of friction in the FSI motor. High friction – more heat – higher oil temps. Very high oil temps could result in the oil becoming too fine and not sticking to the bores with the possibility of glazing the bores, leading to high oil consumption down the track.
The new MK6 GTI DSG:
Firstly, it’s important to note that the new MK6 GTI (DSG) was delivered in late May 2010 where ambient temperature averaged around 17 degree Celsius – much cooler than when I had the demo manual GTI where average temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius. This proves to have an effect on oil temperature I’ve found, but more on that later.
Secondly, as all the earlier articles on ‘tips for break-in of motor’ suggest, the MK6 GTI comes with mineral based oil for the first 15,000km before changing to synthetic oil. The mineral oil is far better for trapping those unwanted bits of metal during the bedding in process. The synthetic oil is far too slippery to be used from the outset. The mineral oil imo is easily distinguished from the synthetic in that it seems to look much cleaner than the darker synthetic oil. The dealer states that a mineral oil should be used for the first 15,000km prior to swapping over to synthetic oil for the remaining life of the TSI motor.
With the MK6 GTI being my second GTI in just under 4 years, and being much better acquainted with the DSG shift patterns and free revving FSI turbo motor, I decided to take a different approach in bedding in the new MK6 GTI.
In running-in the motor of the new MK6 GTI, I will endeavour to spend much more time driving the GTI as a manual, using the steering wheel paddles, instead of leaving the vehicle in Auto for the duration of the run-in period as was the case with the MKV GTI.
The new GTI will not be driven in the city for the first 1500km if not more; perhaps as much as 3,000km. I believe, as with the case of the MKV GTI, that this will aid the bedding-in process of mating the motor’s piston rings & bore. Practically all driving will be extra-urban terrain, outside of Sydney to ensure sufficient motor load & compression working the rings out closer to the bore.
In addition, the revs will be kept pegged between 2,000rpm – 4,000rpm and no more. No need for high revs on a new TSI turbo motor – no need for piston ring flutter – even though the piston rings in the MK6 GTI are stronger than the piston rings in the previous MK5 GTI. All this MK6 GTI requires is a bit of load-on/load-off driving, instead than outright revs.
The initial drive in the new GTI consisted of a 120km Royal National Park (RNP) drive using the paddles and keeping the revs between 2,000rpm – 3,500rpm with the occasional burst to 4,000rpm. Speed limits in the RNP is either 80kph or 60kph – well under 100kph. This is a gentle drive to ensure all the parts get to know each other without loading up the motor too excessively & avoiding the stop/start idling that city traffic invokes.
Keeping an eye on oil temperature with the cooler 17 degree air temperature was 96 degrees. The MK6 GTI just likes to sit around 96 degrees on this drive, which is fine by me as I don’t want to be heating things up just yet with too much friction in a new TSI motor.
The oil temps were lower than the DEMO manual MK6 GTI of around 105-108 degree Celsius when driven in the hot summer. Remember, the oil temp display is a good inadvertent measure of the level of friction in a new motor.
The first leg of the second run in the GTI the following day involved another RNP drive from Sydney to North Wollongong, then onto the Old Pacific Highway to Bulli and onto the Freeway to Albion Park at the base of Kangaroo Valley’s Macquarie Pass.
The RNP leg had the oil sitting comfortably at 96 degrees with occasional spikes uphill to 98 degrees. On the freeway at a higher speed of @ 100-110kph the friction levels & load on the motor increased taking oil temps to 98-100 degree Celsius with the ambient temperature still at a coolish 17 degrees Celsius.
With 220km on the odometer on the new GTI, and spending 80 %+ of the time using the steering wheel shift paddles, the new MK6 GTI was ready for its first real break-in test: Up the steep incline of the Macquarie Pass, which involves rising @ 800 metres from sea level in @ 15km drive to the township of Robertson and the Robertson Pie Shop. I was hoping the oil temperature would stay around 105-110 degrees Celsius indicating that this drive would not be too taxing on the tight new motor – last thing I was to do is glaze the bores that result in higher oil consumption over the longer term. Remember the oil temp in the DEMO GTI in summer temps was averaging 105-108 degrees for standard town driving.
Up the ‘Pass’, I could see the oil temperature climbing from 96 degrees swiftly to reach a high of 111 degrees Celsius. Driving style & throttle inputs was very sedate, following the Volkswagen Service Manual for running in a motor – really no more than 1/3 throttle & coasting up to each hairpin corner to allow the motor to unload & cool prior to the next hill climb.
As the MK6 GTI climbed up through Kangaroo Valley, the ambient air temperature dropped from 16.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees near & at the top of the climb. This coupled with several plateaus up the pass, helped pegged the oil temperature at 111 degrees. Any higher than 110 was having me uncomfortable – although I’m told that guys at track days have oil temps up to 130 degree Celsius plus – 111 degrees is still far from the dangerous territory which was reassuring.
Once up the top of the Macquarie Pass, I coasted through the township of Robertson with DSG in Auto mode to allow the TSI motor temps to normalise back to 96 degrees. It took about 3-5km for oil temps to return to 96 degrees. Stopping the motor to allow it to cool was not an option, as I believe that cooling the motor after a period of load should be gradual, rather than abrupt.
The break in period continued onto Moss Vale, Bowral, Mittagong and onto Hume Highway with 110km speed limit. On the Hume highway, the oil temp hovers between 98-100 degrees. Taking the exit onto Picton Road to double back to Wollongong (90km South of Sydney) with a 100km speed limit and plenty of 80km learner drivers forcing me to oscillate between 70-100kph power up spurts in 4th and 5th gear still using the DSG in manual mode with no more than 100 degree oil temps (98-100kph). The final leg home was on the undulating freeway between North Wollongong and Sydney with oil temps of no more than 100 degrees.
Coasting into the South Coast of Sydney and into suburban home – oil temp dropped down to 95 degrees for city driving, which provided a nice steady cool down period prior to putting the GTI away for the weekend.
The first RNP trip of 120km showed 8.2 l/100km.
The second round loop Wollongong – Moss Vale – Sydney drive showed 7.5 litres/100km with average speed of 75kph for the 275km drive.
The new MK6 GTI will have to undergo several of these extra urban drives to ensure a proper break in period prior to being driven around the city.
Important to note that the Break-In process is as per the Volkswagen Owner’s Manual.
Hopefully the choice of roadway and ambient air temp will assist with ensuring that this new MK6 GTI, like the old MKV GTI, uses little or no oil down the track.
As for the oil temperature display on the centre dashboard MFD – great option to indicate how much the motor has been stressed, esp. during the all important break-in period.
Cheers.
WJ
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