Trailer of destruction

I’m thinking of buying a used Nissan X-Trail 2.2 diesel 2006 – 2007 to tow my caravan but I have read a lot about failing turbos and a replacement cost of around £2,000. Are you able to say if this is common practice and if so do you know how this can be avoided?

Asked on 24 October 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
Yes. Common. It’s essential to idle the turbo whenever it is red hot, which it will be after driving on the motorway (so idle for 2 minutes before switching off at fuel stops), after long ascents, and after towing. When not towing, if the last 10 minutes of your journey are at low revs on the flat (through a town, for instance) then that will do the job of cooling down the turbo. Stopping and switching off straight after towing a caravan up a long hill will hasten the turbo’s demise.
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