This time we have Tom Taylor. He’s an online parts expert. Tom, one of the things we’re seeing in the repair shop is a lot more cars with turbos. And I’m sure you’re seeing some of that, too. As far as parts are concerned.

TOM TAYLOR: Absolutely. More and more new cars; they’re trying to get more power out of smaller engines, so we’ll have turbos and multiple turbos.

PG: And the way they get that power is kind of interesting, because they take exhaust gas coming out of the engine, and they flow that across these impellors inside the turbo, and this set of impellors, on the exhaust side is connected to intake impellors on the other end of a shaft, and THOSE impellors force air into the engine under pressure, and that produces more power.

 Now, as a result of that, maintenance becomes really important.   

TT: Right. Simply changing your oil is crucial. Because between the two impellors you have a bearing that needs to be cooled and lubricated with oil. And the correct weight of oil, not just any oil. It has to be the oil recommended by the manufacturer.

PG: Change it at the right interval, and use the right products.

TT: Absolutely.

PG: Critical. But, even with everything being right, we’re seeing a lot of these come in with performance problems. And we’re seeing air leaks.

TT: Right. The original hoses might start leaking air over time; cracking. These are replacement hoses that are designed by the aftermarket parts manufacturers to be better than the originals…it might look like a radiator hose, but you don’t just want to use a strap or radiator hose. A lot of engineering goes into these; special material to keep out the oil, keep in the air.

This hose here has a fluoroelastomer liner to resist oil. It has special clamps to apply the pressure evenly so you don’t get gaps or spots with too much pressure. And a silicone cover to protect it even further.

PG: Okay, now another advantage to this, it looks like – I’ve seen that hose – but I’ve seen it in an assembly with a plastic canister on it. 

TT: Right. If you buy it from the dealer, you’re buying this whole expensive assembly. The aftermarket assembler have identified the part that fails, and you just need to replace that one part. You get a better part, it costs less, and it’ll last longer.

PG: Okay. Well, that’s one advantage to aftermarket parts in general. They find the problem, they address the problem, and design it into the replacement.   

TT: Right. You’re not replacing a failed part with the exact same part that failed.

PG: Okay. Tom, thank you.

And if you have a question or comment, drop me a line, right here at MotorWeek.