A bad O2 sensor can out the car into limp mode which limits boost. If youre chipped this limit would def feel much slower than normal.

I got my VDO gauge and APR pod for about $140 from www.ecstuning.com and theres an install DIY on APRs website www.goapr.com I'm no DIY guru and install only took me a couple hours.

 

Fix the O2 sensor and then see where you're at.

 

If its an O2 sensor, do we know its that?
Yes, hit a hill in tiptronic, so say you start out at 20mph going up the hill, do it in third gear and yes floor it. Wide open throttle. With windows down you should be able to hear the turbo, and feel it for sure.

 

hmmm. The last few days, the turbo has been working great. But now I'm noticing a brief whiff of oil when I start the car. I'm not seeing a white cloud out the exhaust pipe - but I get a brief whiff inside the car.

I've had the car for 9 days - so maybe its just a case of 'new car jitters' (well - 'new-to-me car jitters').

The oil is full, and a bit darker than I expected, but not black. (Previous owner tells me that he only used mobile 1 oil - which I know nothing about).
The oil temp seems to be hanging at 200.

I've never owned or driven a turbo before - so I don't really know what to expect.
Any special maintenance that I should know about?

I occassionally get a mild whiff while driving too. (It's cold - 20-35 degrees f. Windows up, heat on) but there seems to be no rhymn or reason to when I get a whiff. Hell - maybe I'm just being overly sensitive.

 

You shouldn't be smelling gas/exhaust in the car.

 

a big tip for the first time turbo owner is to stay out off boost 5-10 mins before you get to your destination as much as possible so your turbo has sufficient time to cool down that will help extend the life of your turbo.

 

Yeah, warm up is key. I let the car idle for about a minute. I'll start the car then scrape windows, load bags, fiddle with seat warmers, whatever. Also you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute depending on how spirited your drive was. Many people will tell you longer warm up/cool down times, but I disagree. Thats because our cars are oil AND coolant cooled, and the coolant will continue to circulate due to convection after the car is stopped, the hot coolant in the turbo rises, cools and falls, heats in the engine/turbo, rises, cools... etc.
Many people get turbo timers though, and it allows you to lock the car, and have it shut off automatically after a set amount of time.
I smell kind of an oily, gassy smell when I first start the car, but not usually in the car. The car can run a little gas heavy on cold starts, as all cars do. Seafoam your car sometime, thats a good way to find potential leaks. This could also be from a bad O2 sensor, which helps to determine the correct air/fuel ratios.

 

You don't need to do any of that. When you take off, just take it easy for a minute or two, and just take it easy for the last minute or two of driving. It does not take long for oil pressure to get stabilized, and it takes even less time for the circulating oil and coolant to cool a turbo down. If your turbo is not in such great shape, I might recommend making those times a bit higher, but 5 minutes? Nah.

Running rich when the car is first started is normal. Your car doesn't even use the O2 sensor until it's warmed up a bit. But you shouldn't smell fumes in the car.

 

How does fresh air get into the car? (short of opening a window or the roof).
Maybe I'm smelling something from outside of the car near the fresh air vents?

(Still considering that i might be over sensitive. didn't notice anything today - but those were really short commutes - every trip was less than 2 miles).

Thanks!

 

Your climate control fan is located under the passenger side rain tray. This is also where your turbo, cat and down pipe are located. If you have a leak there, you'll probably suck some up. You can also check out your cabin air filter, which is right above the fan. If that's nasty, it'll smell nasty in the car.