Long-term reliability of turbo cars/trucks?

You made a typo I see

F250 6.7L

No. Modern turbocharged engines are very reliable.

It's not a question of IF but WHEN the turbos fail and need to be rebuilt or replaced. In addition to turbos there are other associated parts, coolers, wastegates, etc that also can fail vs a N.A. engine. While they offer greater efficiency and power, there is also more $$$ and maintenance.

I certainly wouldn't over the 5.0.

It's a more complicated system and more moving parts, thus more to go wrong. Now I am sure there are people out there with 75k on their truck and say they "have no problems". However, I bet that number gets dramatically less when the mileage gets over 100k or more.

Ford sure hasn't improved reliability in their turbo diesels over the years.

A lot of this new technology in search of 1-2 mpg has not increased reliability. Direct Injection is another great new technology, ask people who have to get their heads removed to have the valves cleaned under 100k miles for a few grand. Honda's VCM technology in their V6 is a continuing disaster. It's a bummer to have to get new rings in a car that is barely paid for.

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I'm interested in the F-150 3.5L ecoboost.

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I'd go with the 5.0L V8. There are some issues with the ecoboost...many of them complained about on this forum.

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t seem's like a lot of car manufacturers are moving towards smaller displacement engines with turbos now.

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They have to meet CAFE regs. Consumers are not demanding more complicated, less reliable, more expensive engines for marginally better fuel economy. Regulatory pressure is driving these changes.

Get the V8 if you want an F150.

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Seems like just more stuff to break or go wrong.

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Seems like you already know why you should get the V8 instead of the turbo V6.

I bought my 3.5 ecoboost on recs from a few buddies. I was debating Ford vs Tundra and I made the decision to buy a Ford solely on the engine. My 2013 F150 now has 128k miles with zero problems. I change the oil every 5k. So my situation may be an anomaly but I would not hesitate to buy another.

Would not be afraid at all. BUT 2 things to remember- 1. heat is a killer so synthetic oil should be required.
2. Oil coking (carbon) is a turbo killer and a pyrometer or a turbo timer or just some quiet idle time to cool things off can really help.

The point of cooling was driven home on a Case IH 8920 I used to drive. Pulling a 30k lb honey wagon and it was summer- Like 7 bars lit up on the pyrometer. I let it sit for 5 minutes while refueling it and down to 2 bars. If I had shut it down, the oil would have cooked/coked in the turbo. Same deal with powerstrokes or Cummins or John Deeres or Case IH turbos- let the thing cool before shutting it down or use some damn good oil, or both

I got the 2015 with a 3.5 L reg engine.
I like it and I got 136,496 the engine runs like a champ.
To go fast put it in sport mode and around town just put it in normal driving.
I avg 22 mpg to 24 mpg.
Towed a 3,000 lb trailer 12 ft high from hotlanta to BR avg mileage 21 mpg.
Just replaced the Michelin tires at 120,000 miles. I had enough tread and I was really surprised when they pulled them off they still had some life.
Replaced front brakes at 100,000 miles.
Rear brakes are still have a lot of life.

It has been a great truck but I am going to try the 2.7 L eco boost for 2 years and see how she does.

If I would keep the truck longer than 2 yrs I would think hard about buying anything with a turbo.

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Long-term reliability of turbo cars/trucks? by lsu xman

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I've had experience with a turbo charged 200 hp Volvo marine engine - put over 9,000 hours on one in a 28 ft Jefferson crab boat - changed filters regulary and had to clean injectors twice over a 6 year period.