Re: keeping my car in good shape

[rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)]

     The best things you can do to extend the life of your turbo is to observe
     the previous suggestion to let the turbo warm up/cool down before running
     hard and before shutting down the engine and running a quality synthetic
     engine lubricant and changing it on a regular basis.

I agree that proper "attention" to any turbo is critical to longevity. In
particular, do not "stand on it" until it is properly warmed up -- this is
good advice for any engine; and especially important for a turbo. As an
aside, for informational purposes for those who wonder why: dimensions
change as parts heat up, and correct "tolerances" are not fully met until
the parts have fully heated up and assumed their final "size". In particu-
lar, round pistons are in fact oval in shape at room temperature and do
not become "round" until heated up to operating temperature . . . think
about it . . . let your engine warm up before "standing on it"!

As to cool down, I always make sure I "idle" the engine after "running"
under any load. Usually, I can arrange the last minute or two of driving
the car to be minimal load (essentially idling) to shed heat. Depending
on from whence I came, I can almost "coast" home off the highway, so I
get 30-45 seconds of 60-50-40 mph breeze to cool off the engine/turbo/
etc., as well as the radiator, before "idling the remaining block or so
to my house. I can in fact "idle" my way home, park, and then watch my
temp guage slowly climb for awhile once it looses air flow and has to
rely solely on the electric fan for cooling.

     ps Not driving the car can cause even more damage vs normal operation
     with proper maintenance, besides, not driving a Quattro is simply a NOT
     an alternative!

Yeah, usually there is no choice, it's waiting for parts, or service,
or... (Sorry; honesty forces me to admit that overall, my Quattro has in
fact been in service for more than 60-70% of the time; and is seldom out
of service for more than a month at a time.)

Oil films typically last "a week", so if you don't run your engine regu-
larly (like more than "once a week"), you are wreaking great havoc on many
bearing surfaces by forcing them to run dry for awhile, until the engine
builds up oil pressure and gets everything lubed once again. Not to mention
the rust/corrosion of "dry" metal/metal contact once the oil film has at
last drained/evaporated away . . . (and if you don't fully heat up the 
engine (oil), then you are condensing mucho water and leaving it to form
acid in the oil and not boiling it back out again, not to mention what you
are doing to the exhaust system! I think for every gallon of gas you burn,
you produce a gallon of "waste" water . . . which condenses all over cold
engine parts . . .) So, if you have a car in "winter storage", either don't
run it at all (and make sure everything is well glopped up to prevent rust
and corrosion damage internally), or run it regularly (twice a week?) and
to full temperature for awhile. When I "put away" my Lotus for the winter,
I would "regularly" roll it of the garage, start and run it for awhile,
then roll it back in making sure I was on a different part of the tires to
prevent flat spots. Come spring (or the ubiquitous "January Thaw"), it was
ready and raring to go . . . battery fully charged, tires round, plugs not
fouled, and even still gas in the tank! My motorcycle...well, I'm getting
lazy in my declining years...

					-RDH