Are small petrol turbo engines reliable?

I often read your technical questions section and see lots of issues with turbos on diesel engines. Do the same issues arise on cars fitted with petrol engines? I note most manufacturers now seem to be selling small cars with a small engine size and fitted with a turbo. What are the good and bad points regarding petrol turbos?

Asked on 16 November 2016 by verde

Answered by Honest John

Petrol turbos would otherwise run hotter so are water-cooled and there can be problems with the water cooling. Ford 1.0 EcoBoosts have had trouble with this. So far, Peugeot/Citroen's PureTechs seem to be the best, but, like EcoBoosts, are held together by timing belts in oil and those belts will not last forever.

Tags: petrol engines turbo engines

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