helix139

Don't go easy on it during your break in. Follow the motoman/DrGP method and take it full throttle to redline 1-2 times every time you take it out for the first 10,000 miles and let the car engine brake back down. Make sure the car is warm first (oil temp, not just coolant), and in between do plenty of engine braking and full throttle runs short of redline, and be sure to vary your engine speeds by changing gears when cruising.

This will give you the best chance of fully seating the piston rings and reducing oil consumption. I'm at 28k and have never had a noticeable drop in my oil level between changes.

white911

Concur with the let it warm up before you hammer it. Not that it matters; but, I am not in complete agreement on the engine break-in process. I am not a fan of full throttle runs every time you take it out for the first 10,000 miles. In the old days we used to do that because we were always fouling the plugs.

What I have found is that in all cases of our engine failures -- most occured during full throttle operation and the severity of the destruction was magnified by the percent max RPM and the gear. (Note: this is only annecdotal information from the track.)

Since our S4 replaced an A4 we did not expect it to be that conservative on fuel. The good news is that it has a lower Cd than our old A4 and as a result highway cruising is not that far off. With less than 400 miles on the car we took a trip from Maryland around the DC beltway, to Chicago, to and around St Louis, and back via I64. Highway average was generally around 24.7 to 26.9 and city was no worse than 17.9. Overall, 2045 miles, 84.473 gallons. As predicted fuel mileage went up where speed limit was lower. But, on the whole fuel mileage barely changed from the begining of the trip to the end which is consistent with Helix139's position on break-in. Precision in manufacturing has eleminated much of the need for a lengthy break-in.

Osicom

Did you actually mean first 10,000 miles or meant to say 1,000 miles?
Idle RPM is definitely not the way to break it in. I think that's the key. Keep it at varying RPMs.

helix139

I did mean first 1,000. Typo on my part.

If your engine is going to have a catastrophic failure, it will happen whether or not you break it in aggressively. Extent of damage is kind of irrelevant as it will always result in an engine replacement.

The reason for the full throttle break in is so that your piston rings scuff against the very hard alusil walls of the cylinder and fully seat to form a tight seal that does not let significant amounts of oil pass and burn in the head. Peak cylinder pressures (both positive through acceleration and negative through engine braking) assist with this process. These engines do take a while to break in (closer to the full 1000 mi) and you will notice a slight increase in fuel economy post-break in. Nothing to do with fouling of plugs.

Evlengr

Try using the Fuelly App. It is a simple mileage calculator where you enter miles used and gallons filled as well as price.

I have had my S4 for about a month now. 9 fuel ups to be exact. I am averaging 19 mpg but I am a total lead foot and break 80 mph every time I drive.

I cam from a BMW X3 MT that averaged 25 mpg. I knew this would be worse going into the vehicle. And the ROI is worth it.

white911

Understand, Comments were related to the typo'd '10,000 mile' break-in. You definitely make a compelling argument for your recommended break-in process.

(Been using Alusil and Nikasil lined cylinders for years. Most of my failure data is from racing engine repair/replacement. Greater time at full throttle and at or near red line has a tendency to shorten engine life. )

StevehamS4

Vag-com your ADS default setting to "comfort" and switch to dynamic when you want to have some fun. Since I did that I have picked up 3-4 mpg on my commute. Nice thing is when you are just warming the car up and driving in traffic the car is sipping and if you want to be more aggressive click the buttons.

isles1

I believe the 2013s will automatically default back to the last setting used, so no need to Vag-Com a default.

CharlieG

I think the point was to make comfort the default so you don't have to switch back to that the next time you go out. The 13's do seem to remember your last setting and default to it so if you leave it in comfort all the time you'd probably save some on gas ... but what fun would that be