Hi there.

Please forgive the painful Noob post, but I'm new to Volvos. I'm looking for some basic info regarding turbo longevity, rebuilding costs, etc.

My '87 is consuming a *lot* of oil. I've had a look, and there's plenty of it in the big honkin' tube between the turbo and the intercooler. My mechanic tells me that this is a sign that the turbo is leaking internally, and will be due for a rebuild in time. Until then, I'm adding a quart of oil c. every 2000 km / 1200 miles, so we're seeing a hellacious big leak here. The engine has 247,000 km on it.

Questions, then:
1) assuming the diagnosis is accurate (and I reckon it is, who do you recommend as a good turbo rebuilder?
2) I understand the turbo is a Garret and not a Mitsubishi. Which Garret unit is it?
3) How long before my turbo grenades and makes my life more complex?
4) What in the name of pickled herring, ABBA and the 6.5x55 cartridge have I gotten myself into?

Thanks for the input.

Dan