As I understand it, the adaptation you were initially referring to was about 'learning' the state of you specific engine and changing it to provide 'full' power - hope I've got that right.
Well, my understanding of adaptation is that it compensates more for the changes that occur over the life of the engine to keep it providing optimal performance for as long as possible. You kind of said the same thing yourself in your point about getting better response after 10 000km.
Now, of course, there are lots of other things - temperature, fuel quality, pressure, throttle demand - that the ECU is constantly using to adjust ignition timing and fuelling, so you might call that a form of 'adaptation'.
But, from your description, this doesn't sound like what you are talking about. You seem to be describing some more significant form of effect on performance. This doesn't sound like my understanding of 'adaptation', which - if working properly - I don't believe you should notice on a daily basis.
I give as an example my own experiences with my (now previous) GT THP200, which I had from new. The mpg achieved slowly improved over a few thousand miles but the performance didn't.
From your description, the issue sounds intermittent, which is why I find it hard to understand as 'adaptation', with the unspoken suggestion that it might improve and resolve itself over time.
You mention trying another vehicle that seemed better than yours. Where they the same engine, same age, same mileage?
Now I can't say for sure, but I'm wondering if something like an intermittent sensor fault or a vacuum leak, perhaps exacerbated by temperature or vibration, might be the true cause of your experiences.
Anyone else got any insights to help?
