200q20v Blue Smoke Startup

[isham-research.freeserve.co.uk at pop.pol.net.uk]

>     I had to use the 200q20v again today and when I started it up there was
> a noticeable cloud of blue smoke behind the car.  I didn't notice this
> yesterday, but I've noted it before when someone else was driving.  The blue
> smoke disappears after a minute of warming up and all is fine.  Plenty of
> oil pressure according to the gauge.  Plenty of oil in the engine.  When
> driving the car the engine feels fit and full of vigor, though that whole
> turbo lag junk really stinks.  Boost display read 1.7 when I push the car
> hard, once it read 1.8.  Now is this blue smoke most likely seals, rings, or
> turbo issues?  The car has 195k miles, almost all of that is very tame
> highway driving, mum's foot isn't too heavy.

Startup 'puff' is turbo seal, inlet side.  Nothing to worry about for
quite a while.

Puffs while driving, of course, are usually valve seal/stem related.
Again - if it's not extreme don't worry about it.

IMO the only dangerous exposure is equating frequent oil topping up
with oil changing.  They are not equivalent - even if you have to feed
a few litres per 5000km to the engine, you still have to do a complete
change at the prescribed interval.

--
 Phil Payne
 http://www.isham-research.freeserve.co.uk/quattro
 Phone +44 7785 302803   Fax: +44 7785 309674