[AUTO] 7 Tips to extend the life of your car

[YaKuZa--BoSs]

Today, almost all of the new cars sold are equipped with turbocharged mechanics. While the advent of turbo mechanics was much faster in diesels and came more than a decade ago, modern gasoline engines use almost entirely a turbocharger system. Turbos are not bad per se: they allow a smaller displacement engine to have a high power level, combining efficiency with improved performance, especially notable at the torque level. But they require specific care.
Why should we properly treat a turbo engine?
I'm not saying that today's cars are less reliable, just that their reliability and longevity can be seriously compromised if we don't treat them the way they should be treated. I have been observing the treatment of these motors for quite some time, and it is not surprising that they break down. In most cases the cause is ignorance, we assume that they can receive the same treatment as the robust engines of yesteryear and before the 100,000 km mark, the turbo may have gone to the turbos' sky.
7 Tips to extend the life of your car.

• When starting, leave the car at least one minute idling

The turbo needs lubrication, we must wait for it to take a minimum temperature, for the oil to bathe its components. This is especially important if the car is cold. If we start without waiting, the system will not be properly lubricated; and friction damage will be caused in areas such as the turbine shaft. In the long term the part will end up breaking and it will be time to put a new turbo.

•  Start without pressing the accelerator

It is a habit that is truly applicable to any type of injection engine. In the case of diesel, it should be especially avoided as we subject some parts of the engine to higher stresses than expected and we will be undermining their long-term durability. By itself it has heavier parts and the compression ratio is higher. The turbo suffers a lot, because it has to work very hard without having been lubricated at all. The same can be said for the other parts of the propeller. To start, always with the clutch depressed - we save the starter work - and without accelerating.

 

 

• Do not accelerate or push the engine cold

The logic is explained in the first point. If as soon as we start we start to change to 4,000 rpm and subject the engine to a lot of load - pressing the accelerator very deeply - we will damage parts of the propeller that could not be fully lubricated, including the turbocharger. In cold weather it is always recommended not to go up to 2,000 rpm and touch the accelerator with tact. If we are going to make an agile ride, we must not only wait for the water temperature to be in its optimal zone, the oil must also heat up, for which we must roll for at least 15 more minutes.

• Always use oil and filters of the highest quality

If the oil is the blood of our engine, the turbo and the fluid that keeps all the mechanics running smoothly, we don't want to use bad quality oil that has been in our garage for a long time, no matter how intact the seal is. Generally the best quality oils are usually synthetic, which also tend to have a greater durability in number of kilometers. As for the filters, they are the ones that prevent impurities and oil residues from entering our tight mechanics, so it goes without saying that they must be of high quality.

Checking the oil level at regular intervals is also recommended, our engine may consume oil and if we run out of lubricating fluid it could cause irreversible damage to the engine. If we see that we are low we will have to fill oil, that is why it is always recommended to carry a can in the car. This care is common for all engines, not just turbo engines.

•  Maintenance strictly, even in advance

I don't want to sound like a maniac, but manufacturers' maintenance intervals are an average based on studies we can't access. It is supposed to be optimal, but it is always advisable to advance the revision intervals a little. My car must pass them every 15,000 km, but I always change the oil every 10,000 km. The idea is to keep the oil always in good condition, as it degrades with use. If we pass more than 5,000 km our motor will start to be in danger, that simple.

Some engines use long-life oil that doesn't need to be changed for 30,000 or even 50,000 km in some cases, but I wouldn't expect that much. Synthetic oils have greater durability, but they do not resist too well over time. With minerals the exact opposite occurs. In any case, it is recommended that if we have not reached the revision mileage in a year, we still change the oil and filters. It may be somewhat expensive, but more expensive can be an internal failure in the long run 

You cannot play with the oil and its shelf life.

If we like to light the car, we usually enter the circuit or we do a lot of city, we would have to advance the maintenance even more. We do not want to play with the juice of the life of our motor.

 

 

 

 

• Do not abuse the recoveries at low laps, or go over laps

Again, it is a common care for all engines, but it especially affects turbo engines. If we demand a lot from the engine from a very low speed - for example 1,200 rpm - its internal parts will suffer, subjected to a lot of load. In the long run the combustion chambers and the cylinders suffer. In turbodiesels we can saturate the EGR valve, requiring a replacement or thorough cleaning, with the associated increase in consumption. The turbos are also not in their comfort zone, they cannot reach the blowing pressure that makes them work properly.

•  Let the turbo idle before turning off the engine

It is highly recommended to let the turbo rest before removing the contact. It is especially vital after sporty driving or at sustained speed on the highway, but also on short or common trips. With a couple of minutes in the most demanding case is enough, being the wait of a minute in the rest of cases. If we turn it off suddenly, the oil that remains inside is charred when the lubrication stops and the turbine is at a very high temperature. Quite a heat stroke. Turbogasols are especially susceptible since the operating temperatures reached by the turbos are much higher than those of the diesel.

Please respect this advice.