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I am curious what's your opinion do turbo's affect the reliability of the car?
I am considering a turbo charged koup next year, a friend has a Mini turbo which was fun to ride in, so I though maybe it would be fun to have a little extra acceleration.
When I became interested in these turbos sports coupes I noticed the Focus SVT seemed to have issues related to the turbo.............just trying to push to much out of small engine. Not a knock on Ford at all, they build some good cars.
What has been your experience with turbo charged cars?
I am curious what's your opinion do turbo's affect the reliability of the car?
I am considering a turbo charged koup next year, a friend has a Mini turbo which was fun to ride in, so I though maybe it would be fun to have a little extra acceleration.
When I became interested in these turbos sports coupes I noticed the Focus SVT seemed to have issues related to the turbo.............just trying to push to much out of small engine. Not a knock on Ford at all, they build some good cars.
What has been your experience with turbo charged cars?
SVT Focus never game with a turbo. The Focus ST has a turbo though. Some people who have turbo powered cars modify them, that's when you are more likley to run in to trouble.
A turbocharger and its related component systems should and frequently do last the usable service life of a vehicle without significant issues. That said, turbos add a layer of mechanical complexity which means in practical terms that it's more likely that something will break. Turbos also produce more heat underhood which can accelerate the wear of plastic and rubber components. None of these are issues I'd give a second thought about if I were buying a new or late-model used turbocharged car; they're something to consider if you're picking up an older-model turbocharged car.
I've driven turbocharged diesels for years. Diesel engines have to built well to withstand the stresses of high compression ratios and compression ignition, so--if designed properly--they can run for hundreds of thousands of miles with a turbocharger without issue. Gasoline engines tend to be more problematic when turbocharged. Quite often turbocharged gasoline engines simply don't have the longevity of their naturally aspirated counterparts because they are just not designed to adequately withstand the stresses of turbocharging. The one turbocharged gasoline engine that I've owned was pretty much worn out, even with rigorous maintenance and conservative driving, at about 130K miles. Most turbocharged diesel engines will last at least twice that long, if not way more.
I've had a few turbo cars. My personal experience:
1. Bought a 2002 VW Passat 1.8T with 30k miles in 2004. Had sludge by 35k miles, needed a new oil pump and oil pan dropped under warranty. That 1.8T ran very hot and didn't require synthetic until later after VW had many issues. Chipped it at 40k miles and traded it in at 60k miles with no other issues.
2. Bought a 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T new with 0 miles in 2012. Sold it at 33K miles in 2014 with zero issues. Regular oil every 3k miles.
3. Bought a 2013 Taurus SHO (twin turbo) with 5500 miles. Now has 12k miles and zero issues. Running synthetic every 5k miles. Plan to tune it to increase boost and other fun stuff in 6 months.
My guess is that modern cars won't have problems for the life of the car (175k+). However, if modifications are done...who knows. A turbo engine engineered to produce 200hp and last 200k miles may not last nearly as long while modified to produce 300hp.
If you have a car with a turbo you need to be religious with your oil changes. Follow the manufacturer recommendations for time span/mileage but run full synthetic.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We have a 2014 Escape 1.6 turbo and love it, no problems in the first 12,000 miles, but we did go for the factory 5 year warranty since we got a deal on it just to be safe. The additional power while keeping good gas mileage makes the turbo well worth it, plus the sound when it kicks in is pretty cool.
OMG yes, they require tender loving care if you want to get anywhere near 100K+ out of them.
Always let the engine warm so the oil get up into the bearings in the turbine berfore taking off.
Always allow the turbo to cool for two to three minutes while idling in parrk before you shut down.
I refuse to sell used tubos. They are a crapshoot. And I won't get invilved in VW turbos or diesels used. Bad things waiting to happen.
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