I need to drive a brand new A4 1.8T (12 miles)from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. I have heard that during the break in time you should vary the speed and avoid driving at a constant speed. How much should you vary your speed and how often? For such a long drive this is difficuld to remember at times. Any other things I should do or avoid. Thanks.

1. Don't use cruise control; even though it varies engine speed (up and down hills, when you accelerate with it, etc.) it's not something to use on a new car. This may come off as a "no duh," but important to mention.<p>2. Don't go over 65 or 70MPH. That's gonna be tough, especially on I-5 for 400 miles, but this is a new car. Look at it this way -- the trip will get you that much closer to the 1000 or 1500 mile break-in point.<p>3. Don't go over 4000RPM.<p>4. Don't jam on or "baby" your brakes. The A4 brake pads are prone to squeaking, and anything that will aid in this is to be avoided. By "baby," I mean very lightly using them. That actually is what caused mine to start squeaking (underuse).<p>-josh<br>98.5 2.8qms

Why should it matter not going over 65-70? My service manager said the only important thing (and I see that way also) is to vary the engine speed. If you don't get the engine speed over 4000, your OK. SO, even 80-85 will be OK as long as you vary the engine speed. Say driver 65 70, then 85 and change it up. Keep in mind, when your are starting from a stop, you'll probably be shifting in the 3-4000 range anyway. 65 MPH is below the 3000rpm mark in 5th gear, so I don't see a problem with driving over that. Just try to stay below 4000.<br>

Well, I'm not a service manager, but it seems to me that it's not just the engine you're breaking in. There's also wheel bearings, CV joints, differentials, etc, which DO care what the road speed is. If it were me, I would follow whatever the manual says, and I think the manual says not to go over a certain speed -- is it 65-70?

This is one of those classic pieces of advice, but I'm unconvinced there's anything behind it. If you notice, the manual makes no mention of it<p>I'm also not sure there's much logic behind it--the pattern of wear is the same at different speeds, it's just a matter of the degree of wear.<p>On the other hand, avoiding high engine speeds makes sense. A new engine has more friction than one that's broken in, and so high speeds will produce more heat than is desirable, possibly harming the engine.<p>Of course, varying engine speed won't hurt the car, so feel free. Using a green magic marker around the edge of your CDs, or using extra-thick speaker wires to improve sound quality (as some people do) won't hurt either, but I doubt these things actually make a difference.<p>If I'm wrong about this, somebody please set me straight (as I'm sure you will. . .)<br>

I agree with Vic -- I've heard 55-60 is the highest you should go, but 65-70 is reasonable in this day and time. It is a matter of breaking in the whole car...<p>-josh

The manual on my 99 2.8 says to not exceed 75% of the engine maximum speed during the first 600 miles. For the 2.8, that is 4500rpm, which is <br>97 mph in 5th gear. They don't say anything about not exceeding a specific mph.<p>I now have 3500 on the car and, during the breakin, I basically just tried to keep it under 4500 rpm. I did exceed that a couple of times going up to 6000 once a couple of days after I bought the car. That doesn't seem to have caused any problems. The car still runs like a top and hasn't used more than a tablespoon of oil so far, if that much, and the oil is still transparent although starting to look a bit dark. <p>2800 of the 3500 miles I've put on the car were done in the last 10 days during my Christmas vacation. While the car was broken in when I left, I still varied the engine speed periodically while cruising at highway speed by downshifting from 5th to 4th. At 80mph, that would vary the rpms between 2500 and 3500, or<br>something like that. I also sped up and slowed<br>down periodically.<p>Again, I didn't exactly baby the car during the break-in, but didn't abuse it either. Everything<br>seems to be working perfectly.<br>

Not walking under a ladder is a superstition too, but it's just as easy to do it as not, and there is some basis to its caution. So you vary the speed for the first 1K miles, what the hell, why not?<br>

Well, that and I also like to base my actions on sound evidence.<p>I guess it comes down to one's approach to a decision--you see a ladder and say "Why not walk around it?" but I see a ladder and say "Why not walk under it?"<p>No, this isn't a big deal, and I always accepted it. But, when I saw that it wasn't mentioned in the manual, I wondered if I'd been duped all these years.

From it's normal position up against the wall, a ladder has a higher probability of it's top end sliding down ...........

!

Well, the manual also recommends very long oil change intervals, doesn't mean it's prudent. I've heard keep it below 55mph for the first 500 miles, no redlining, and vary engine speed. Change the oil oil at 500 miles. From 500-1000 miles you can go over 55 but no redlining and continue to vary engine speed. After that, have at it but change the oil at 2k. You'll likely not see the benefits of this until well after 100k. It's only 1000 miles of pampering and it can drastically lengthen engine life. Kind of a moot point if you don't keep your cars long (which a lot of people don't.)

<br>I think I'd be inclined to believe the manual over any conjecture/superstition you might read here or on other forums. After all, the car is under warranty and it wouldn't be prudent for Audi to tell you to do something that could ultimately cost them money. If after breaking the car in the way they recommend and there are no squeaks, rattles, vibrations, smoking exhausts, etc, its unlikely that any future problem you have was the result of the way the car was broken in. I didn't baby my 2.8Q when I broke it in and its still as silky smooth as the day I drove it off the lot. Doesn't appear to be consuming any oil, either, and after 3500 miles, the oil still looks pretty clean. <p>As for the "very long" recommended oil change interval, a British friend of mine, a racing enthusiast, commented when I mentioned that I changed the oil in my car every 3,000 miles, "what, you have bad oil here in the states?" 30 years ago, a 3000 mile interval might have been prudent, but a lot has changed over the years in engine design and manufacturing techniques, not to mention lubrication technology. I suspect the recommended 3000 mile interval does more to line Grease Monkey's pocket than to protect our engines. <p>