socfan12

Hi Everyone,

New to Audi and new to the forum. I have an S4 being built and just released for production build. Dealer says car is expected in August. I'm interested in taking it to the track for some driving lessons. Assuming the car does come in late August, would Sep 24th be too soon to take to the track? Do I need to break it in more before I even take lessons? (Thinking of Summit Point MSP in WV - any feedback of that facility also welcomed!)

thanks in advance

helix139

You can absolutely track is almost right away. It will actually assist you when it comes to break in. One thing I can say is no matter what, DO NOT baby it on break in, as that is a good way to get your piston rings not to seat fully and your car might end up burning oil. I (and others on this board) are fond of the Motoman method of getting the car completely warmed up then doing a couple of full throttle runs to redline (and as many full throttle blasts short of redline as you like) with plenty of engine braking for the first thousand miles, and additionally varying RPMs while driving. You're not going to hurt the engine if you do so, but it gives you the best chance to ensure a complete seating of the piston rings, which can only be worn in while the cylinder walls are still rough and have not been worn smooth. I have 9300 miles on my car and have not burned any measurable amount of oil following this technique.

primetime

x2 what helix said... I had my car at the dragstip with 300ish miles on it 2 days after I got it...

Brandonb

+1 on the motoman method.

Just make absolutely sure your engine is good and warmed up before getting on the throttle.

If you have access to a VAG-COM, you can enable the race timer screen which also shows your oil temp. Best way to make sure the engine is up to operating temp, 200F+, before wailing on it.

mellow_sparky

I didn't baby my car during break-in, but I did wait until after the first oil change before doing a track day.

(note that a full day of lapping on a track puts the car through a very differet set of abuses than a drag strip does - repeated accel/decl, constant threshold braking, weight shifts, tires/traction, etc).

DrGP

Glad to see that the Motoman technique that I have been advocating for years now is finally being recognized by many as a better way to do engine break in. I concur with all the others who say go ahead. But by no meas abuse the car for the first 1k miles. Agressive driving WOTs to redline are fine as long as the car has reached normal operating temps and the WOTS to redline are limited . WOT below redline at will.

Carguy19

If you pm me your commission # I would be happy to tell you where your car is at.

Everyone has their own break in procedures that they follow. I would follow the procedures that audi recommends. The reason why is because if something fails on the car, and audi runs a scan on the car and finds out you were beating the snot out of it you're violating the break in procedure. That's a reason to deny a warranty claim. Its gonna be your car, do what you want, but I always followed the manufacturers break in procedure on all of my previous 7 audis and never had any oil consumption problems or issues.

DrGP

I call BS! I know you are just reciting the company policy, BUT, owners who have followed the recommended procedure DO and Continue to have oil consumption issues. There has not been any reported issues of oil consumption with those that have used the Motoman technique. Or engine damage either. Audi sets the limits for excessive oil consumption so high that it will almost NEVER have an oil consumption warranty claim. 1 qt / 1200 miles IS excessive oil consumption whether Audi says so or not. You get one oportunity to break in an engine thenn you live with the consequences. You can choose a technique that MIGHT get complete piston ring seating. OR, you can choose an technique that DEFINITELY will do the job with no risk to the engine. You know what happens when you take a warmed up engine WOT to the redline? NOTHING! The engine runs at that rpm very happily. I don't recommend staying at the redline for long or doing it excessively, but they have already run the engine to the redline at the factory.

socfan12

thx for everybody's replies, very helpful. Googled the Motoman break-in and very interesting. Makes sense to me and will very likely follow.

Glad to hear I can track my bad boy sooner than later! Looking forward to it!

cheers

giovanni0330

I have never had any Audi or oil issues EVER and don't follow any "mock scientific" break in procedures other than what the brand recommends. I think a way bigger thing is being made about the break in procedure than itreally is but that is just my .02 from my exact experience on a lifetime of cars and on my audi's I have never had to add any oil Ever.

I think a big part of this break in comparison/conversation issue is psychological for many drivers.