ex-quattro PETE

My bad. I didn't realize that digital one included this level of detail.

metta

For some reason that strikes me as a funny thing to say.

Thank for all the input. My takeaway is that I need to drive like a Grandma for the first 1,000 miles . . . somewhere between Grandma Andretti and Aunt Bea.

metta

I didn't even know there was a digital version. Thanks, spijun!

Hockeymonkey

OK so just a slightly different opinion I would google engine break-in and you will get a lot of info. Even on this board there has been a lot of speculation that during the engine breakin period if you baby the engine then the rings do not set properly and you will eventually get an oil burning engine. I can tell you that I was super careful with my A4 and absolutely followed the Audi guidelines. My car burned a lot of oil.
Then for my Q5 I followed these guidelines Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power
I was very Leary about doing this but some mechanics I talked to swore by this. I followed this procedure - warm the engine, get on open stretch rev very high in sport mode and then let the engine pull a vacuum as the revs go back down.
Worked for my car and my Q5 has never burned oil (unlike many of those 2.0t engines).
Just an alternate viewpoint.

ex-quattro PETE

You don't necessarily have to rev very high. The point of the procedure you linked to is to put significant load on the engine, and this is done by applying full throttle, but can be done even at lower revs. But you'd need to be in manual mode to do this. Otherwise the trans will downshift and you'll end up with high revs.

That's if it even makes any difference. Some people claim that these engines are already broken in before they get in your hands. I did kind of follow this procedure with my bike though.

When I bought my A4, it already had 400 miles on it, which means various potential buyers drove the snot out of it during test drives. Anyway, it did not consume any oil. Maybe I should thank them.

RIAUDI

We Recently picked up an Q5 TDI using EU delivery.( Aug 18 2014)
As is the norm with EU delivery you receive factory trained personel
to familiarize you with all the functions and features of the vehicle.
The question came up about break in,not only at the time of delivery,but
also during the factory tour. Both times it was the same answer.
There is no break-in period needed for these engines, even though
the first time they are fired up is at the end of the assembly line. Consequently I drove my wife's Q5 TDI through the town of Ingolstadt onto the Autobahn. Within 10 minutes time I was going 110 mph in the high speed lane. During the course of our 14 day trip through Europe we averaged 34 mpg. We had a high of 38.5 during a 200+ mile trip from Chamonix France to Brescia Italy. Top speed hit during the trip was 122 mph
My wife was actually cruising at 95 mph for quote a long time. It truly is
a great vehicle. We picked it up at the Dealer in New London Conn on Saturday 1 month and 1 day from the time we dropped it off in Munich.
Next year a 2016 TDI A6 EU Delivery is in my future!!!!!

metta

Very cool! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Redd

Everyone says cars don't need a break-in period these days. Except, the logic of the break-in period was partly because the pistons slap around in the cylinders, and at different speeds they slap around in different places. How the engine takes that "set" will affect how it works forever after. And unless Audi is using some weird new technique like laser-polishing the cylinder walls (no joke!) even then, I'd use a gentler foot during the first 200-500 miles, if at all possible.

Brake pads also "take a set" and polish into the rotors when they are new, that can take 200-500 miles to happen depending on how little you use the brakes.

So, no break-in? Probably isn't "necessary" but then again, neither is an Audi, or an SQ5. I'd be gentle on it for a couple of weeks whether that's "necessary" or not.

Just one man's opinion.

MP4.2+6.0

Which should show the answer varies with the person, competence, personal preference, time of day, training and who knows what else--and why I would trust none except exactly what the only authorized source says: the Audi provided owner's manual.

Specifically, we likewise picked up our Q5 Hybrid at Ingolstadt in July 2013. Our delivery guy was direct to follow the manual, and he basically requoted parts of it. Same answer BTW for Euro delivery in 1985 with an Audi 5000 with a 5 speed stick. Having rebuilt various old Audi motors and disassembled modern ones up to the 4.2, I continue to see why when you get into the piston ring tightness and basic set into the cylinders, and a variety of other things. As mentioned elsewhere, tranny and brake wear in/set, and tires especially if just mounted, matter some too. Will the car blow up though any time soon without any break in? Very unlikely, but it might matter if you run it out to full life of 150-300K+ miles on the motor lower end, and typically less on the tranny. Could it end up with an oil burning issue w/in warranty, break in or not? Unlikely statistically, but again I would (and do) put my money on following break in regime spec'ed in the given manual.

To your speed experiences, we achieved similar speeds including in the break in. The basic key was not to get into the pedal so much that the engine ran toward redline. It can still achieve very high speeds--beyond the real capacity of the platform which I would say was showing the high center of gravity quasi brick that it kind of is by about 115--and not run past ⅔ of redline with still quite good pick up. After the break in period was over, we ran it out to 130 as it bumped the governor, though beyond about that 115 or so point, even the slightest of sweepers or side buffeting started to get interesting. The difference from a hunkered down sleek sedan or coupe vs. an SUV is clearly showing by then. On the 1985's by contrast on break in, the manual said no more than 75 mph for the first 6 or 900 miles as I recall. In Germany, that was painful back then, and the Autobahnen much less congested than they are today.

BTW, I asked a dfferent question on the tour: so, where are the Bieren machines. In 1985 they were right on the side of the line, literally just like soda machines. If you noticed, in the modern era the employee cafeterias are separated. They weren't years ago when the gen 1 Euro delivery program was vey low budget. Sure enough, after some hemming and hawing on the current tour, it was confirmed the machines are still there (written into union contracts I think too). But I got lots of assurances the workers look after each other. My delivery was before lunch...

Bob Petruska

[QUOTE=MP4.2+6.0;24613822]Which should show the answer varies with the person, competence, personal preference, time of day, training and who knows what else--and why I would trust none except exactly what the only authorized source says: the Audi provided owner's manual.

then every Audi is abused at the end of the the production line.

Just jump to 4:20 in the video