billow of smoke?

[wai]

Thats a harsh log distance diagnosis.

That's why I said to check the tail pipe and monitor oil consumption.

If you are using oil and there is not a patch of oil on the floor, then it has to be passing through the engine. If you are getting oil smoke almost all the time, it is generally rings that have gone. If it is only when you accelerate, it is generally valve guides. In any event, you monitor things, and then realise that manufacturers consider 1 litre/1000 km "normal".

Steam dissapates very quickly, but oil smoke hangs around.

[JonW]

Some interesting responses to my initial query, and Id like to thank everyone for posting.

From what I can gather, rightly or wrongly for these engines this kind of thing is normal. I will keep driving and see what happens. Its very close to brand new still and under warranty after all.

[martinijosh]

While bedding in rings isn't that big a deal on modern cars, you could probably just assume its a little bit of blow by. Give it a few thousand km to settle itself and worry about it then, keep a close eye on oil level and don't wait for a warning light.

[danielv10]

It's oil making its way into the inlet manifold/ports and points to worn valve stems, or the clearance between the stem and guide at its maximum serviceable limit. I don't know if the VW engines have valve stem seals, as it may be those that have failed.

The way to see if it is a major problem is to see if the exhaust pipe outlet is oily. If it isn't then it is a case of monitoring oil consumption. You will find that manufacturers will say that 1 litre/1000 km is acceptable.

The exhaust isn't oily thankfully. Just sooty after a couple of drives though. Mine falls at around ~300ml/1000km (car done approx. 13000km). The mechanics and service team at VW dealer reassured me that oil consumption is normal on the GTI, to just top it up when required, and that it wouldn't affect the rest of the engine. But I'm sceptical...