Leon FR TDI 170 owners - I have a question ?

[MUFFIN]

I'm interested to know whether the TDI FR will perform better after a few thousand miles if the driver thrashes it from day one, foot to the boards etc. I've heard that thrashed turbo diesel cars are more responsive if they've been hammered?

Is this an old wives tale or absolutely true??

Should this car be run in?

How have you TDI owners driven yours from new?

 

[sophie]

I really want to know that too.
Going to pick up new FR TDi on friday, don't want to hold off the throttle unless I have to

 

[MUFFIN]

I really want to know that too.
Going to pick up new FR TDi on friday, don't want to hold off the throttle unless I have to

What colour and spec are you going for Sophie??

 

[sophie]

Emocion Red, thought about black but got to keep it so clean. Also like it in yellow but didn't want the added attention it gets by jealous peeps.

Only option I've gone for is the bluetooth kit, a must have once you're used to it.

Almost got 18" wheels but heard the ride was a bit too firm.

So fairly standard really.

Love the optional bodykit but couldn't afford it lol

so have you decided what you're going for, or have you already ordered!

 

[ewizzy]

Well, I hammered mine from day one, ran it in on a trackday lol

I just had it rolling roaded at the weekend, and give or take a few horses and lbft and a bit of rolling road inaccuracies mine made 193bhp and 292lbft. Completely standard with 17.5k miles on teh clock !

 

[richi]

Ive had numerous new cars 2 of which being high powered tdi's and ive always drove them sensibly for the first 400-500 miles and then let them have it. On none of these cars have i had any serious engine problems and niether of them used any oil despite other owners of the same cars complaining of excessive oil consumption even though they ran it in very steadily for thousands.. Driving cars with kid gloves on for too long does not allow for engine components to bed in properly. So in my experience take it steady for a couple of hundred (ie no full throttle, stay below 3000rpm, but also dont let the engine labour at too low an engine speed as this can cause more damage than revving a bit too high) and then drive as you want.

Oh a bit more to add dont run an engine in sat at 70-80 on the motorway for several hundred miles, you need be up and down the gears using varying revs and engine loads, so stick to the smaller roads its more fun too.

 

[MUFFIN]

Anyone else?? Come on - there are loads of diesel FR owners on here. Did you rag it or run it in?

 

[L30NKB]

I'm On my 5th Fr tdi 3 old shapes and 2 new ones and all have been driven hard since day1 and i've never encountered any problems at all. All new engines are dyno tested before fitting so they been to max revs before and will happily do it again and again. Cheers

 

[victor_meldrew]

I ALWAYS run mine in for a few hundred miles like Richi before giving it the berries .. years of building my own Mini engines have taught me to do that .. and I fully concur about keeping off the motorway when running it in .. a gearbox needs running in too and the back lanes are FAR more fun ...

... but if you speak to Ross, I NEVER give it the berries , at all, never .. ever
(snigger ...)

 

[mliley01]

Didnt hammer it for the first 500 or so, but didnt drive like an old couple going on a picnic either!! I was told at the dealers that it didnt really need to be run in at all, but the manual said different... so I made my own rules up.
Since the 500 has past its been a different story....

 

[k4ith]

i did it calm for 1st 500miles now on 1100 and begining to give it some, from my prev VW days i always thought the ecu went with the way you drove, so if you caned it the ecu would be in a more sporty type mode, or along those lines.

 

[sssstew]

yep, have a read in the TDI FAQ about running in TDIs. The general concensus is that to drive it quite hard from the start, as long as the oil is up to temp. it will bed in quicker and give better performance and mpg sooner than one thats grannyed.

 

[sophie]

thats what I wanted to hear.
Got to do a 200 mile trip a couple of days after I pick up the car and I don't want to do it at 50 mph!

 

[AndyVTR]

Please remember new brakes and tyres...

 

[mliley01]

thats what I wanted to hear.
Got to do a 200 mile trip a couple of days after I pick up the car and I don't want to do it at 50 mph!

2 days after getting mine I did a round trip to Old Trafford for an England game... didnt boot it, but didnt stick to 50 either. I'm sure the manual says something about going up to 75% of the engines power.... I worked on the principle I was ok to around a ton then....!!!!!

 

[k4ith]

thats what I wanted to hear.
Got to do a 200 mile trip a couple of days after I pick up the car and I don't want to do it at 50 mph!

the day i bought my car i had to travel from Grimsby to Edinburgh which is a good few miles, so i wouldn't worry.

 

[MUFFIN]

Rag it to death then seems to be the way.
I'm jealous - Sophie picks her red derv FR up tomorrow..

Post some pics of it here Sophie when you can.

 

[Zooneycat]

Mine was an ex demonstrator (though i bought it 2 weeks after they got it, didn't pick it up until it was 3 months old), it had 2300 miles on the clock when i picked it up. I've done about 2000 miles in it since, none of it economically! I drive it pretty hard, alsmot everywhere i go. Hubby drives it a bit harder, but he's used to a porsche.

 

[sssstew]

zoony.. yours should be getting nicely run in then, especially with it being ex demo.

 

[Zooneycat]

zoony.. yours should be getting nicely run in then, especially with it being ex demo.

Oh it is, definitely! It had about 600 miles on the clock when i test drove it, and it drives a lot better now. Still makes me smile everyday.