V70Cat

I remember that Volvo would recommended idlling the car for a few minutes after driving the car hard.

This would allow the turbo to stop before you shut down the engine and end oil flow.

Should you do this with the BMW 535?

luigi524td

Not for a "few minutes" unless you've been running it really hard. I'd think that after normal driving the amount of time necessary to unbuckle and check the overhead racks should suffice. Then again, I'd take that approach even with a non-turbo car - to sort of let things settle into a calm state.

Back in the 'old turbo' days it was frequently recommended to reduce the possibility that the hot bearings would carbon up the oil and create a poor lubrication state. Today's [esp synthetic] oils are less inclined to cause that. I believe that some turbo cars actually use an auxiliary electric pump to keep oil flow to the turbo bearings for a short time after shut down.

pigapumbu

+1. It never hurts to be prudent especially with turbo cars. This one has two.

cheers

gmcc

I remember when I picked up my old Volvo 740 Turbo the dealer said to let it idle for two to three minutes before shutting down so the oil would flow through and cool the turbo bearings. I put 230k miles on that turbo before I sold the car. I know today they say you don't have to but I don't think it could hurt to left the car idle for a minute or two before you shut it down.

ktlocklear

Yeah....never hurts. I do it in my turbo car...and would if my 5 was turbo. Is there a turbo timer out there for a 535?

studavis

My experience with turbos is across the board. Porsche makes no mention about cooling the turbos down after use in my 997. Ford recommends that my F350 TD be cooled down for 10 minutes at idle after towing a large load, and I always let my 210 cool down to the the middle of the green arc on the cylinder head temp before shutting it down. I can't help but to think it preserves bearings and seals letting turbos cool down.

IceyTys

If you own your car and planning on keeping it for a while, invest in a turbo timer...well worth the cost. They dont put these standard on cars anymore because of liability issues of leaving the engine running, but it will make your turbo last way longer.

My535i

Synthetic oils and turbo water cooling have made a huge impact on this...You can never be too safe though... I do 1-2 minute cool downs after hard running and about 30 sec after "normal" driving. No big deal to wait a few seconds.

968turboS

It depends. Are the turbo's oil and water cooled? If they have both, there is no need to run the car. Idling turbo car's after a hard drive was recommended before the days of water and oil cooling and turbo timers. Back then, they were just oil cooled.
Raj

tbal

+1

Never hurts to let it idle a bit before shutting it down.