turbo timers waste of money or useful thing
what do you think
thanks
pit

 

useful if your in a hurry, even more useful when its snowing an cold

 

why when it is snowing and cold?

 

Yeah - I've heard of them - but haven't a clue what they do?...

 

Depends

You could save some money by just sitting in your car for a while.

But beware as they may invalidate your insurance.

Effectiveness also depends on how often do you thrash the nuts off the car as letting the turbo cool may take longer than the usual few minutes.

Roo

 

dont know why in the snowing and cold (it wont start the car for you)
it can be usefull if you are a bit forgetfull and just turn the engine off and dont let it idle after a run, afterall, thats all it does. If you remember everytime and let it idle, you dont need it, apart from that, it's just another thing to add to the 'my cars got....' list. some are a bit more advanced and show boost pressures and can automatically decide how much run on it has after the key is taken out. Having one can help a theif, but if the alarm is fitted properly, there shouldnt be a problem.

Adam

 

Why not save the money and buy something more useful.
If you drive your car sensibly off boost for the last 2-4 miles of your journey the turbine will have slowed down and oil temperatures in the turbo will be reasonable and therefore there is no advantage leaving the car sitting at idle for whatever period, using fuel.

 

sorry, allows you start the car, set the timer, take keys out and go back inside and have a cupper while your car warms up without worrying about it being stolen

 

if the car is wired properly then its connected to your handbrake light, take the handbrake off and the car stops. Problems have arised where people who cant fit them have had probelms with the alarm

 

I'll sell you mine for £20 if you want! Never gonna get round to fitting it..

 

And again check your insurance company before you fit as if you car gets nicked and found busted but with a timer that aint declared your stuffed....

 

Your insurance company is unlikely to appreciate the need for a turbo timer, or the convenience of a remote start device for that matter, for the same reason.
“Cat 1” security systems are tested as a complete product and then given an evaluation number by Thatcham based on the products proposed usage.
In their view, adding any other product at a later date, which interacts directly with the approved security system or by-passes any of its circuits, can be looked upon as a modification to the system that was tested and as it can introduce security weak points to the system, could void the approval on that particular installation.
To be fair, you wouldn’t expect a Category 1 product to still gain you the same recognition by your insurance company if the secure, passively arming immobilisation circuits approved by Thatcham were by-passed and this is exactly what these products have to do in order to allow the engine to run.
Adding additional products such as turbo timers and remote start devices are seen by Thatcham (the UK insurance industry’s test centre) to compromise security in the same way, as these systems usually have to by-pass the existing security system's immobilisation circuits to allow the engine to run. In theory a turbo timer need not cause a problem provided that it is not connected to or by-passes the existing immobilisation wiring, however the immobiliser would kick in 30 seconds after the ignition was turned off (a Thatcham requirement), limiting the turbo timer to 30 seconds.

There are also a couple of other points for you to consider:
Due to the UK insurance industrys requirements (and EU legislation) a turbo timer or remote start unit is unlikely to have been designed with the UK market in mind and so is unlikely to have been tested to EU 95/54 (- electrical legislation) and will not bear an “e” mark to show that the product has been tested and is fit for the automotive environment.
In addition, leaving a vehicle unattended in a public place with the engine running is also an offence in the UK, contravening the Construction and Use regulations.

If you don’t mention the mods to your insurance company, or the broker does not understand the implications of the modifications, then they will still be happy to take your money, but few vehicles with the standard system are stolen without the keys, so if an enlightened insurance inspector were to detect the modification it could invalidate a policy and save them paying out.

SS

 

I have one they are excellent if you just need to nip to a shop or cash point and it doubles as an afr monitor.....