Should I gamble with my leaky turbo to get it replaced for free?

Question

tl;dr I need to know if I can continue driving my car in hopes of re-triggering a fault to get a turbo replacement for free, or bring it in now before I grenade my engine.

I have a 2017 Buick Encore with the 1.4L turbo engine. A few months ago I had a P0299 DTC which deals with the turbo and it losing power/possible leaks. There were no obvious leaks so I replaced the waste-gate actuator and turbo feed line, cleared the code, and have been good for a month or so.

Last week after driving the car, it smelled like something was burning and brought it in to a local mechanic. The mechanic said it was the turbo burning oil/coolant and it was on it's way out. I recently found a TSB that includes the 2017 Encore and turbo and that if it has a P0299 code that is active, the GM dealer can diagnose and replace the turbo for free (if it qualifies). The independent mechanic quoted me $2600 to replace the turbo otherwise.

Is it worth driving the car like it is in hopes I can re-trigger the P0299 so I can possibly get it fixed for free via a bulletin, or should I bring it in and just get it fixed? Any input would really help as I could really use that money elsewhere. Thank you!

TSB mentioned: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2024/MC-10250285-0001.pdf

Posted Oct 7, 2025, 2:29 AM UTC

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