How exactly do they work? Can you turn off the car and get out while it's idling? Or do you have to sit there and let it count down before you shut the car completely off?

you can remove your key and the timer will keep the car running for the amt of time. if you have to sit there and wait, i don't think turbo timer would sell very well ;)

LoL...brilliant deduction

they are a complete waste of money, as long as you don't run the turbo hard and then quickly shut it down, no need for it.

yup turn it off take out key and walk away and will shut down on its own. yeah its a waste of money to increase the life of your turbo, who would want to waste there money on a turbo timer when they can just buy a new turbo. :rolleyes:

if you don't run the car hard, then just shut the damn thing off and don't worry about it, just don't come right out of boost then shut the car off. The real heat is made when you have enough load (Exhaust gasses) going through the turbine to make boost. It is not a critical as everyone thinks. I could think of other things to invest 50-100 bucks in that would be alot more helpful to turbocharger life than a turbo timer.

You don't NEED a turbo timer...you could always sit there and let the car idel for a bit when you pull in to park, then turn it off....that' really all the timer does, let's it sit there and ideal for a bit...except some people don't have the pateniace, time, etc to do it, so they buy a turbo timer to do it for them...if you don't have a turbo timer, or don't have the $$ for one, you can do the SAME thing yourself. Just sit there and let the car idel for a few minutes before you shut the car off and leave. Remember, turbo's have been around long before turbo timers, and many cars with stock turbos come without them. If you don't have the $ for one or are okay with doing it yourself and sitting there a few extra minutes, you can save the extra $$ for something else...if you are impatient and you know you won't do it, then a turbo timer is a better idea than not letting it cool, a decent investment in that case.