Should turbos be avoided for longevity?

[ChrisLX]

I have been car shopping and it seems most all cars have turbos on them now days should any car be avoided with one if you want longevity? I keep my cars until i hit 300,000 to 400,000 miles as i drive a lot.

For most people the turbos probably don't affect as most people don't keep there cars long enough to have it die but i do. My buddy says that little 1.5L gas engines with a turbo will never last 300k-400k as it's a small motor with added stress from the turbo and naturally aspirated engine is the way to go for longevity and no repair bills.

Is he right or full of it?

 

[MSCH]

given a choice, I'd stay away from a turbocharged gasoline engine, but judging by the state of things and what is offered nowadays, it is going to be harder and harder to stay away from in the future.

that said there is no reason a a turbo wont last a long time, provided the owner of the vehicle keeps the oil clean and allows the engine a short cooldown period before they shut the engine off.

 

[flash7210]

Turbo. Cool down. Time.

When you pull into the parking spot, take a moment to gather your things, check your pockets, or do whatever... then shut the engine off.
This is really really important when you've been driving on the highway for a long time and pull off at a rest stop.

Or, install a turbo timer.

Ultimate Turbo Timer Guide

Turbo timers are a simple, affordable gadget that ensure the optimal life span from your turbocharger. Here are our personal favorites.

www.drifted.com

 

[D60]

There's a million variables but I'd personally consider a turbo a maintenance item like a timing belt but maybe a longer interval.

Most diesel trucks have been running turbos since the late '90s, and so if you set aside the inherent durability of something that can withstand compression ignition and JUST look at the turbo....we can build them to be quite reliable. Sure, they fail, but it's not rampant.

I DO wonder about the latest breed of 1/2 ton trucks pulling down pretty impressive numbers with a turbo 4 gasser. But the 3.5 EcoBoost arguably paved the way a dozen years ago....

 

[Astro14]

Your buddy is wrong.

Wife’s car is nearing 300,000 miles.

Original turbo, engine, and transmission.

 

[IndyIan]

IMO odds are your buddy is right, if you want to get to 300-400k without a major repair. 2.5 NA 4 cyl has enough grunt for midsize car or small SUV to go the distance, or a 2.0L in a compact car. You might still get a head gasket or timing chain issue, but it should be less stressed overall.
Preferably you would go manual trans too, I'd get the last year of a Focus, keep the rust away and drive it.

 

[supton]

Might be FUD but I question the notion of anything going 400k. A car is a collection of systems, any of which can fail.

A turbo should cost less than a trans rebuild, and an automatic is something of a wear item, so… Plus, just where is the limit? when repair cost outweighs vehicle value? few cars are going 200k without some level of repair.

 

[brages]

240k on my 2006 Volvo S40 T5, no turbo issues yet. I don't use a turbo timer or any special cooldown routine.

Failed turbos are not really a problem that pops up often with these on the forums.

 

[Skippy722]

Plenty of naturally aspirated engines bite the dust before 300,000-400,000 miles, and plenty of small turbo engines live long healthy lives.

 

[CKN]

How long have turbos been around in Europe?
50plus years....at least.

How many F150s are sold with turbos? It's an astronomical amount. Some with a heavy work load your car will never see.

Your buddy's fear is silly.

 

[D60]

Turbo. Cool down. Time.

When you pull into the parking spot, take a moment to gather your things, check your pockets, or do whatever... then shut the engine off.
This is really really important when you've been driving on the highway for a long time and pull off at a rest stop.

Or, install a turbo timer.

Ultimate Turbo Timer Guide

Turbo timers are a simple, affordable gadget that ensure the optimal life span from your turbocharger. Here are our personal favorites.

www.drifted.com

Which is what Audi tried to tackle in the Type 44's circa 1986 with their after-run system. An electric water pump kept circulating coolant and the electric rad fan kept running.

In typical Audi/Lucas Electric fashion it was wildly unreliable and failure-prone

 

[MSCH]

I'm a diesel mechanic, turbo's on diesels generally go a long way, but dang near all of them have water cooled bearing housings nowadays... before that it was a different story. Since I am not up on what gas engines use, I dont have a strong well informed opinion on those other than wanting to say simplicity is a virtue,

 

[Wrenchturner44]

IMHO there are other things in most engines today that will fail before the turbo does that will cost just as much to replace, if not more.

Timing chain tensioner guides are one example.

Turbo or non-turbo, a big key to engine longevity as most BITOG members already know, is that you have to keep the oil clean and maintenance items in check. If you do that, then most engines today can go many miles. Turbo charged engines have head gaskets with different designs to be able to take the increased pressures in the cylinders. They also have extra cooling such as oil coolers, and active by pass thermostat systems. If the engine was designed from the start to have a turbo applied, chances are there extra design and engineering considerations to account for it.

 

[coolformula]

I personally avoid turbos and CVT combos. YMMV

 

[Zee09]

Turbo. Cool down. Time.

When you pull into the parking spot, take a moment to gather your things, check your pockets, or do whatever... then shut the engine off.
This is really really important when you've been driving on the highway for a long time and pull off at a rest stop.

Or, install a turbo timer.

Ultimate Turbo Timer Guide

Turbo timers are a simple, affordable gadget that ensure the optimal life span from your turbocharger. Here are our personal favorites.

www.drifted.com

I don't think idling is required for most new cars.
My VW cools itself down automatically as soon as you shut it off.

 

[IndyIan]

Your buddy is wrong.

Wife’s car is nearing 300,000 miles.

Original turbo, engine, and transmission.

Yeah, but that engine is from a different time period, and how to keep it alive indefinitely was a design criteria back then, and its relatively understressed. I don't think too many of the little whiz bangers in GM's new small SUV's are going to go 300k miles without some major repair....
Are there any small turbo engines in any common recent cars that have a good reputation for doing big miles without problems? Maybe GM's 2.0 after 2015? I dunno, I can think of a lot of turbo engines that weren't so good.

 

[JavierH19]

It depends on the turbo. Mitsubishi single stage turbos are incredibly reliable and that's what Honda uses on their engines and you don't hear about issues with them and for good reason. But those junk American or German non single stage turbos will have a much higher chance of failing you during the long term ownership.

 

[UG_Passat]

Turbo. Cool down. Time.

When you pull into the parking spot, take a moment to gather your things, check your pockets, or do whatever... then shut the engine off.
This is really really important when you've been driving on the highway for a long time and pull off at a rest stop.

Or, install a turbo timer.

Ultimate Turbo Timer Guide

Turbo timers are a simple, affordable gadget that ensure the optimal life span from your turbocharger. Here are our personal favorites.

www.drifted.com

Turbo timers are ancient technology for old turbos that are only cooled by the oil it lubricated (the bearings).

Modern turbos are also watercooled and when you shut off the car, there is an auxiliary coolant circuit and electric water pump to circulate the coolant while the engine is off. Also the radiator fans will continue to run for a short time also, to help dissipate the coolant heat.

 

[UG_Passat]

It depends on the turbo. Mitsubishi single stage turbos are incredibly reliable and that's what Honda uses on their engines and you don't hear about issues with them and for good reason. But those junk American or German non single stage turbos will have a much higher chance of failing you during the long term ownership.

Good thing VW switched from German Borg Warner to Japanese IHI turbos.

But the japanese IHI turbos are not immune from defects. Early MK7 GTI IS20 turbos had issues with the shaft breaking, within the warranty period. The MK6 IHI turbos had a later habit of developing wastegate leaks due to the actuator arm vibrating loose... your options were to replace the turbo with an equivalent Borg Warner K03 turbo, or a new IHI turbo with a stainless steel clip that secures the arm better for less chance of vibrating loose

 

[Hall]

Did we time warp back to the 80s ? Your buddy is probably wrong.... and just repeating something he heard.

Turbo. Cool down. Time.

When you pull into the parking spot, take a moment to gather your things, check your pockets, or do whatever... then shut the engine off.
This is really really important when you've been driving on the highway for a long time and pull off at a rest stop.

Again, this isn't the 80s. The automakers have this under control. I doubt my wife's Fusion with a 1.5L turbocharged engine is any type of revolutionary tech but when it's shut off, something continues running for up to 30 seconds and I'm 99% positive it's related to the turbo.