The “one minute rule” helps prevent many car engine breakdowns, but almost no one knows about it.

If you drive a car with a turbocharged gasoline or diesel engine, this very simple tip will help you avoid costly breakdowns in your vehicle’s engine.

The democratization of the turbo was at one time the most common solution among current manufacturers to improve performance and increase the efficiency of low displacement engines, also responding to the urgency of reducing polluting emissions. However, one of the main questions regarding this type of solution concerns its very specific characteristics, notably a tendency towards increased oil consumption and the natural wear of components, with more intense combustion.

Technically, a turbo works with exhaust gases whose mission is to turn a turbine. This turbine, in turn, activates another turbine which sucks in fresh atmospheric air, passes it through an intercooler and injects it into the engine intake, denser and with more oxygen molecules, which gives it allows you to generate more power.

This action of the turbo, by treating the exhaust gases, increases the temperature of the first turbine. It is then up to the engine oil to cool it. However, some of this oil evaporates, so drivers should carefully monitor the oil level in the engine.

It is therefore advisable to regularly check the oil level in the engine and to ensure that all turbo elements are functioning properly. Also after a long journey, do not immediately turn off the engine. Let it idle for about 60 seconds. This is why we call this practice the “one minute rule”.

The explanation is simple: when you drive a vehicle equipped with a turbo engine, the turbochargers heat up due to the heat generated by air compression and exhaust. After a long drive, if the engine is turned off immediately, oil circulation stops, leaving residual oil in the turbo. This oil can cook due to residual heat from the turbo, forming deposits which can, in the long term, damage the turbocharger. By letting the engine run for a few minutes, you allow the oil to circulate and cool the turbo, preventing the formation of deposits and extending its life.