Perturboed

I have just bought a Mondeo with a 2.5 litre turbocharged engine. This is the first time that I have owned a car with a turbocharged engine. I have occasionally read in your column in the Saturday Telegraph comments on how such an engine should be treated at the end of a run, i.e., that the engine should be left running for a while to let the turbo 'simmer' before shutting down. Most of my weekly running consists of a 25-mile daily round trip commute to work and variable mileage in the weekend, supermarket, garden centre, etc. I only do the occasional bit of motorway driving. My daily commute consists of a mix of residential and town roads with some faster country roads where 60 mph can be maintained for two or three miles at a time. Can you please gives me some 'rules of thumb' as to when I should let the engine idle before shutting down and when I can reasonable turn it off immediately on arrival?

Asked on 27 February 2010 by S.R., Woking

Answered by Honest John
The engine is a Volvo 2.5T, same as in the Focus ST, and I think it has a watercooled turbo. But still best to “simmer” the turbo by idling the engine for a couple of minutes after stopping (eg for fuel) on a motorway, or after a long ascent or after towing. If the last few miles of your journey are at low revs, then that does the same job so no need to stop and simmer.
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