This is an excellent answer I saw on another forum. I'd like to attribute the author, but I forget who it was or the forum it was on. His advice seems to be working great for my 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen!
Properprocedure for breaking in the VW TDI motor
Rules that apply for thelife of the car:
When the engine is cold (belowthe first 3 white marks at the base of the temp gage) rev the engine to at least 2,500 rpms.
When the engine is warmed up(above the first three white marks) rev the engine to no less than 3,000 rpms.
The reason for this is to kee pthe turbo on boost, clear the VNT guide vanes and apply firm pressure to the rings for optimal sealing against blow-by gasses. The rings need the boost toseal since it’s a turbo charged engine, babying the engine is detrimental and will lead to issues with compression if done so for very long.
As far as the Automatic transmission TDI's, theTransmission ECU is already programmed with a "Warm Up" program toacilitate a faster warm up with increase rpm shift points, in other words it’sall taken care of so just drive it and forget about it. I doubt that you would ever see a jammed VNT on any automatic transmission provided that it’s not allowed to idle excessively. When using a 5w40 synthetic oil the "Over revving" or "Over loading" when the engine is cold is virtually eliminated. The ECU knows what is going on and the transmission ECU as well monitors the engine systems so let it do it's thing. Your engine has oil injection, so splash lubrication is not a concern with cold oil. Oil will be injected under each piston and into each cylinder with a continuous spray of oil when the engine is hot or cold. With the auto tranny the ECU detects load and determines where to shift. The ECU also keeps the engine loaded and this lends itself to keeping the turbo on boost. With the engine on boost the heat that is generated cleans the VNT of soot.
Thus, the basic recommendation for proper break-in of a TDI with Automatic Transmission: Drive aggressively - use firm acceleration and the ECU logic will adapt and shift accordingly. Don't worry so much and enjoy the car. If you have to, put a cover over the rpm gage and just drive it. Since the auto will adapt to the way you press the go-pedal, just make your application of power firm. Don't think about it - enjoy the power of the engine/tranny combo! Just don’t “baby” it !!
First 1,000 miles
Keep rpms below 3,800. Avoid steady rpms. Frequent firm application of power is strongly recommended up to 3,800 rpm. Avoid the use of cruise control so that you naturally fluctuate the power with your foot.
1,000-5,000 miles
Use the full 5,100 rpm power range. Avoid steady rpms. Avoid the use of cruise control. Frequent application of full throttle is recommended to help seat the rings. City driving is ideal for breaking in a TDI due to frequent stops and acceleration. Once you get to 5,000 miles change the oil and perform your first service per the manual.
5,000-10,000 miles
Use of the cruise control is ok at this point since most of the initial break in has occurred. Continue to use occasional full throttle accelerations to continue to seat the rings. You will notice the engine become slightly louder during this phase due to less friction
from the engine breaking in (normal for a diesel to become louder under lighter loads). If you’re going on a long drive and you are using the cruise, every so often step on the peddle to accelerate up about 20 mph then coast back down to your preset speed.
10,000-60,000
This is when the rest of the break in occurs. The engine from the factory will check out with about 475psi of compression pressure out of the crate. It will take at least 60,000 miles to reach the peak pressure of 550psi. For the most part once you get to 10,000 miles your compression will be around 510psi meaning that most of the break in has occurred.
60,000-the life of the motor
The engines I have seen so far using a 5w40 oil are maintaining 550 psi of compression pressure with over 200,000 miles on the odometer. The owners have followed the advice above and do not have any oil consumption issues. This also means that with the higher pressure the engine is more efficient returning optimal fuel economy and reduced smoke output.
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