I just drive any new car normally from the outset, although I appreciate that not everyone’s ‘normal‘ will be the same, so I‘d suggest just taking a few sensible precautions;
- for the first few hundred miles (600 miles / 1,000 kms) avoid labouring / lugging the engine or red lining it, vary the engine revs frequently / change gear frequently so the engine isn’t running at the same rpm for prolonged periods.
- always let the engine oil get up to optimum operating temperature before driving enthusiastically - not just when the car’s new but always.
- bed the brakes in and avoid hard braking for the first 200-300 miles unless it’s necessary in an emergency situation.
- bear in mind that the tyres may still have some of the mold release agent on the tread from the tyre manufacturing process making the tread slippery, therefore traction may be compromised for the first 100 miles or so until any residual release agent has been scrubbed off the tread.
- check fluid levels regularly as a new engine may use some oil during the first few thousand miles. Also, with the mk7 / mk7.5 Golf it wasn’t uncommon for there to be air locks in the cooling system. If there are any then they should be purged over time, which will resulting in a drop in coolant level in the cooling system expansion tank.
Alternatively, if it’s a lease car, ignore all the above and just drive it like you stole it!
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