Turbo Engines

zitapita

I'm looking for opinions on the pros & cons of owning a car with a turbo engine. I understand they are more expensive to work on. How Much? 10%, 20% more? Do some car manufacturers make a better turbo? What makes it better? I live in a desert climate. Are turbos prone to quicker breakdowns in hot climates? I average 10,000 miles a year and I'm good about maintenance and oil changes. Thanks for your comments.

armtdm

I have a twin turbo, only had it 18 months, purchased with 5,400 miles now 18,000. No problems and the web site for my make does not list many issues with the turbos going bad. etc. Owner's manual and most people suggest letting the turbos wind down before shutting off the engine depending on how hard they were used. I have a digital egg timer I use and just set it at a minute then shut the engine off. Some people have turbo timers which automatically shut down the engine, you can lock and leave the car and it shuts down by itself.

Turbos are very reliable overall, I also have a car with a supercharger. Nothing like the feeling of a turbo kicking in though,. supercharges are smooth and never know they are there. Turbos, love that kick at 2500 RPM. Highly recommned synthetic oil which will should eliminate the largest problem called coking when you shut down and the high RPMs of the turbo cause dino oil to coke or bake.

Anyway, no problem so far in my experience and love the power boost.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, modern turbos are pretty durable. You should get 125K on a turbo with any luck, maybe a little more.

And yes, generally a turbo engine is harder to work on, as there is more plumbing and heat shielding, etc. Also, you probably lose about 10% of overall engine life on a turbo...but with engines being as durable as they are these days, unless you are really a fierce driver, you'd have gotten rid of the car before the wear effects of a turbo cause engine failure or serious problems.

Of course, not all turbo cars are designed equally, and some turbo cars can be annoying to drive, with too much turbo "lag" at low speeds and a rush of power in a narrow rpm band. Also, slamming into the turbo on a FWD car in wet weather can be unnerving if you aren't careful.

blackgtp

I have 144,000 on my Shadow Turbo. The turbo was replaced at 15,000 miles due to a wastegate problem. The turbo now has 129,000 miles on it and no more problems. The engine at 144,000 miles and is in excellent condition internally; It's the rest of the car that needs work. I put the Mopar Performance computer on the car at 75,000 miles. The car is a manual and it had many full throttle red line shifts everyday. The oil and filter were changed with standard oil every 2,500 miles.
I love turbos and currently have a supercharged car also. Watch out for used turbos and keep the oil fresh. You will be fine.

zitapita

Thanks all for the info. I didn't start out wanting a turbo engibe, but the cars I'm considering (Saab & Volvo) use turbos. Both are front wheel drives too. I'm the buy and hold type, so I appreciate the maintenance tips.

armtdm

That is Volvo's and Saabs. Overall these cars require more routine maintenance tehn anything out there. I would never buy another one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!