Just bought my first turbocharged car, any maintenance advice/ general tips?

[Joshmeister]

Picked up a 2006 Mazda 6 MPS yesterday for a good deal. Always wanted one of these and i plan to keep it for quite a while. any maintenance advice/general tips would be greatly appreciated!!! Especially regarding the turbo.

 

[hamzahs]

warm up/cool down.

 

[Toy Machine]

Noice! - used to drive the non-MPS model and was good. The MPS drove away from me without breaking a sweat xD

 

[bythecantloads]

Don't drive it like a rental.

My dad has his 2006 Audi A4 with more than 200,000km on Me the turbo hasn't let him down.

 

[hisokazi]

Nothing out of the ordinary bud. Keep it up to date with your services and you will be fine. See if there where any re called parts on your model and check if it has actually been replaced with the uprated versions of said parts other than that nothing really

Keep it stock its solid like a rock!

Tune it and you balloon it!

But its generally more fun to play with balloons than rocks haha. Just keep cash aside when you decide to tune, cause they become prone to failure.

 

[Joshmeister]

warm up/cool down.

yeah definitely need to get into the swing of this, so used to just switching a car off once its parked

 

[Spectre]

You can do performance mods without touching the ECU.

Downpipe and Air filter change are the cheapest mods for more power.

I've raced a few tuned MpS and they were quick.

 

[Joshmeister]

Nothing out of the ordinary bud. Keep it up to date with your services and you will be fine. See if there where any re called parts on your model and check if it has actually been replaced with the uprated versions of said parts other than that nothing really

Keep it stock its solid like a rock!

Tune it and you balloon it!

But its generally more fun to play with balloons than rocks haha. Just keep cash aside when you decide to tune, cause they become prone to failure.

No plans on tuning at all besides maybe just light exhaust changes for some sound. My wifes kwid is louder than this thing

 

[Joshmeister]

You can do performance mods without touching the ECU.

Downpipe and Air filter change are the cheapest mods for more power.

I've raced a few tuned MpS and they were quick.

dont really wanna mess with tuning as it will be my daily and petrol she is a bish

 

[Spectre]

dont really wanna mess with tuning as it will be my daily and petrol she is a bish

Well it's a double edge sword bud.

Tuning is not only about power, it can also be for efficiency.

The good thing about tuning Maps is that you can switch on the fly. The Dtek plug and play boxes are a good example and it doesn't even remap the ECU

If you're really curious you can check it out on YT.

Having 2 maps on your car, a performance map and a fuel efficiency map.

 

[Joshmeister]

Well it's a double edge sword bud.

Tuning is not only about power, it can also be for efficiency.

The good thing about tuning Maps is that you can switch on the fly. The Dtek plug and play boxes are a good example and it doesn't even remap the ECU

If you're really curious you can check it out on YT.

Having 2 maps on your car, a performance map and a fuel efficiency map.

hmmm this is something i might end up doing, know of any good places that do this in cpt perhaps?

 

[Mogo]

This may sound obvious, but for the love of God PLEASE don't use 93 😭

 

[Confucius]

yeah definitely need to get into the swing of this, so used to just switching a car off once its parked

Almost all newish turbo vehicles have intercoolers. It’s only if you are driving really crazily that you need to idle for a while before switch off.

However, it’s easier to drive a bit slower when are are almost at your destination. That way the intercooler is providing additional cooling as opposed to just idling.

Regarding warming up, thus again is easier to just drive conservatively as the engine / gearbox warm up as opposed to just warming up the engine and not gearbox.

Start slow and end slow, whatever you do in between is up to you.

 

[Spectre]

hmmm this is something i might end up doing, know of any good places that do this in cpt perhaps?

Hmmmm not sure in CPT.

But the popular tuning brands I see here in Durban are :

CPI Tuned.
Revo.
Apr.
RG Motorsport.

I know Apr and Revo are global companies so it would just be a case of finding a authorized dealer in CPT.

CPI and RGM are local tuners, so you might have to check their websites for branches in your area.

You can check them of FB, they often post alot on media the vehicles they tuned and the Dyno figures. For owkes with new vehicles unfer warrenty, the plug and play box is the best solution as it doesn't void warranty and gives you more power without remapping the ECU.

 

[Pynoxim]

1. Downpipe + Remap = Great! All other mods beyond that will give you negligible gains for your money.
2. You can drive it immediately after you start it up, it will warm up quicker if you drive it rather than letting it idle, it's also better for the engine and if you don't trust me then read your users manual.
3. The last 1km of your journey should be your cool-down, no need to idle for long periods of time before switching it off.
4. Enjoy it, keep your hand on it and be conservative on those AWD launches lol.

 

[Sorabella]

Picked up a 2006 Mazda 6 MPS yesterday for a good deal. Always wanted one of these and i plan to keep it for quite a while. any maintenance advice/general tips would be greatly appreciated!!! Especially regarding the turbo.

Congrats on the new wheels I've had quite a few mates with the MPs up here in JHB,
the most important thing is heating the oil up before you give it the beans, also change the oil often, i do the oil on my Alfa every 7500km

The mates up here with their MPSs haven't had too many issues with the cars, I know two big turbo Mps's with the stock block and they handle the power quite well.
PS best advice i can give would be to find and Join the MPS Club, even if you don't partake in it, but they can give you the best advice for issue and future mods.
im not sure if you have a interest in Modding the car, and if so to what extent, but if you going to Mod the car i would recommend staying away from the "jack of all trades tuners " eg RGM CPI Collab etc, rather find a tuner that knows the MPs and works mainly on those cars,

 

[ovisser1]

warm up/cool down.

What's the time period ?

Normally I let mine idle for a minute or 2 before leaving, but parking is less.
Everywhere I normally park requires a very slow entrance, so the last 300m is basically coasting the car.

I've gotten mixed reviews from people also saying its not about the temp, but the oil pressure that has to settle.

 

[Byakugan]

My advice is to buy a petrol station since its an mps.

 

[Sorabella]

What's the time period ?

Normally I let mine idle for a minute or 2 before leaving, but parking is less.
Everywhere I normally park requires a very slow entrance, so the last 300m is basically coasting the car.

I've gotten mixed reviews from people also saying its not about the temp, but the oil pressure that has to settle.

i dont let mine Cool down, unless its been a very very hard drive, but the heating up is important, because when the Oil is cold its thick so heating the oil up allows it to get thinner and get in everywhere to coat it all nicely as protection

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

What's the time period ?

Normally I let mine idle for a minute or 2 before leaving, but parking is less.
Everywhere I normally park requires a very slow entrance, so the last 300m is basically coasting the car.

I've gotten mixed reviews from people also saying its not about the temp, but the oil pressure that has to settle.

IMO its not the temp or pressure of the oil, its to allow the turbo to spool down as the turbo gets oil from the engine.

 

[ovisser1]

IMO its not the temp or pressure of the oil, its to allow the turbo to spool down as the turbo gets oil from the engine.

That still kind of ties in about being more about the oil than temp of the turbo ?
This is the kind of topic that will have every mechanic and backyard mechanic alike fighting different stories.

 

[MHBGT]

yeah definitely need to get into the swing of this, so used to just switching a car off once its parked

For the last 5min of your drive you can just cruise (less than 25% throttle), this serves as a better cooldown than idling IMO. Most modern cars will still recirculate water through the turbo passively after switching off (not sure about the MPS). But nothing wrong with parking and waiting a minute.

Warm ups are arguably more crucial as you can cause a bit of damage if you put your foot down before everything has a chance to heat up and expand. Idle for at least 30 seconds (longer warmups in colder weather) and then just cruise for about 5min before putting your foot flat.

Almost all newish turbo vehicles have intercoolers. It’s only if you are driving really crazily that you need to idle for a while before switch off.

However, it’s easier to drive a bit slower when are are almost at your destination. That way the intercooler is providing additional cooling as opposed to just idling.

Regarding warming up, thus again is easier to just drive conservatively as the engine / gearbox warm up as opposed to just warming up the engine and not gearbox.

Start slow and end slow, whatever you do in between is up to you.

Great advice! Sorry did not read the entire thread before posting.
One correction though, the intercooler is after the turbo, and cools charged intake air before entering the engine. This does not really make a difference to the temperature of the turbo itself or the turbo coolant/oil. IIRC The main concerns in the past was a hot turbo cooking the oil and water in it, damaging seals etc if there is no circulation to get rid of the heat.

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

That still kind of ties in about being more about the oil than temp of the turbo ?
This is the kind of topic that will have every mechanic and backyard mechanic alike fighting different stories.

How long should you let a turbo car idle before turning it off?


Drive your car gently for the last minute or two of the drive, or let the car idle afterwards for at least 60 seconds. By letting it run. the oil will continue to circulate and cool down the turbo. One of the main reasons your turbo will die is because of oil “coking”

 

[Nivea]

Pics please boetie , i like those cars

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

@Oj0 where your good advice go?

 

[Havoc]

Almost all newish turbo vehicles have intercoolers. It’s only if you are driving really crazily that you need to idle for a while before switch off.

However, it’s easier to drive a bit slower when are are almost at your destination. That way the intercooler is providing additional cooling as opposed to just idling.

Regarding warming up, thus again is easier to just drive conservatively as the engine / gearbox warm up as opposed to just warming up the engine and not gearbox.

Start slow and end slow, whatever you do in between is up to you.

Perfect advice, been doing this for +- 5 years on my modified turbo charge car, NO ISSUES (touch wood)
Drive slow = low rpms / stay out of boost

 

[MHBGT]

That still kind of ties in about being more about the oil than temp of the turbo ?
This is the kind of topic that will have every mechanic and backyard mechanic alike fighting different stories.

Yip, every one will a variation of this, but there are some generally accepted facts. All the advice in this thread has been good. Except the tuning part, I;ve seen enough Mazda/Ford horror stories after tuning
I also change my oil more often than the service schedule. Before covid it was every 6 months/10k km. Since WFH, its back to an annual oil change, but mileage is about 10k instead of the scheduled 20k km (Ford Fiesta ST).

How long should you let a turbo car idle before turning it off?


Drive your car gently for the last minute or two of the drive, or let the car idle afterwards for at least 60 seconds. By letting it run. the oil will continue to circulate and cool down the turbo. One of the main reasons your turbo will die is because of oil “coking”

Agree with this. Water cooled turbos have less of a cooldown requirement than those with just an oil feed from the engine.

 

[Confucius]

One correction though, the intercooler is after the turbo

Correct. It was too late a night. Didn’t think that one through properly. 😀

 

[Confucius]

Perfect advice, been doing this for +- 5 years on my modified turbo charge car, NO ISSUES (touch wood)
Drive slow = low rpms / stay out of boost

All this turbo talk makes me miss my KO4 Golf 5. It was a lot more exciting to drive than my current Supercharged V6. ☹️

 

[Joshmeister]

1. Downpipe + Remap = Great! All other mods beyond that will give you negligible gains for your money.
2. You can drive it immediately after you start it up, it will warm up quicker if you drive it rather than letting it idle, it's also better for the engine and if you don't trust me then read your users manual.
3. The last 1km of your journey should be your cool-down, no need to idle for long periods of time before switching it off.
4. Enjoy it, keep your hand on it and be conservative on those AWD launches lol.

Engine mountings are already starting to go because of the launches by previous owner, So that's one of the first things I need to sort out. Until then, il have to be a bit reserved on the pedal