I just purchased a 2000 Passat and was wondering if I have to purchase premium fuel? The previous owner used premium fuel. Also, I heard that Turbo engines need idling time…is that true for these newer turbo engines? Any other specific things to watch out for when you have a turbo engine?
Well aside from the fact that it is a volks turbo, you do not need to worry about premium of warming the engine. The premium fuel is just a compression ratio issue and a knock problem. Modern cars adjust timing for the knock issue. Does this affect your milage as much as your cost per mile? Thats hard to say. The engine may run well on mid grade. The turbo is going to die and cause issues. It will be a thousand at least to replace. It may die at 80k or 120k. It will die though. The idle time notion comes from the idea that it takes time for oil to get to the turbo. This is not the issue. Oil will not save this turbo. It dies due to poor design. Turbos are hard to make well inexpensively. They need really good balance and superior bearings. Both are expensive and often unevenly watched by quality control. Just my 2c
The owner’s manual will tell you if premium is required or recommended.
More bad advise. This turbo V-Dub definitely needs premium. True, the engine management system will ‘tune-down’ the car for low octane to prevent knocking, but you will suffer very bad performance and the fuel usage will go up. Plus, carbon build-up will foul the engine up and the gas mileage and performance will degrade BIG-TIME. Saving a few dimes will cost you big dollars in the long run.
Just pony up and feed the car what it needs. I also suggest you only use synthetic oil. It holds up much better to the stress of the turbo than dino oil or synthetic blend. The heat and stress tends to sludge up the oil lines and eventually starves the turbo. Synthetic oil prevents that from happening. It can handle the heat and stress much better than dino oil can.
Yes, you need to us premium fuel in this engine, and I think synthetic oil is appropriate for this car as well. The owner’s manual should have information about both.
I believe in allowing a turbo-charged engine to idle a bit before shut-down. It may not be absolutely necessary, but I think it’s a good idea and cheap insurance against early bearing failure.
I will only add that letting it idle for a couple of minutes after a long or fast run is a good idea. It is not really necessary for normal driving, but not a bad idea. it is a good habit to develop.
The owners manual for your car contains all the information you need to answer your questions.
Open it up, and look through it, and you will know the answers to your questions.
BC.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my questions. I am worried about the first post saying that my turbo is definitely dying at 80 or 100K. Is that true? Anything other than premium fuel, synthetic oil and idling (all of which I will definitely do! ) that will ensure that my car won’t break down. I am at 67K right now but it is a ten year old car.
Thanks again for your advice!!
There is no set time of early demise of the turbo. It could breakdown at 80K or last 200K. I’ve seen a lot need rebuilding due to oil seals leaking. In a ten year old car, leaking seals are not uncommon, irregardless of the mileage. The oil seals in turbos are deep within the unit, and rebuilding is the only way to get to them.
Wow, I was not aware of that. It’s kind of worrisome. Thank you.