Exhaust smoke definitely not steam. Someone opined that it may be related to the turbo/exhaust system. What do you think?

It is common to see white exhaust smoke when first starting a car, especially on cooler days. This is generally steam caused by condensation. As the engine warms up and the condensation dissipates the white exhaust smoke (steam) is no longer seen. If you still see white smoke when the engine is warmed up then you probably have coolant leaking into the combustion chamber. Possible causes are warped head, blown head gasket or cracked block. Do you have unexplained coolant loss?
Good luck.

White smoke is usually steam vapor. You may have a head gasket leak or a cracked head or block that is allowing water to seep into one or more cylinders. If water is in a cylinder it makes it hard for the piston to compress it before the exhaust valves open to expel it into the exhaust system. Water in the exhaust is then heated to steam vapor. Check to see if you have any water in the engine oil.
Water in the oil is often associated with the above situation.

check the oil level. Probably not enough oil in the sump because the oil seals in the turbo have failed and the sump oil is going out the exhaust system

The white smoke you are seeing is steam. From your description, sounds like you have coolent seeping into the combustion chamber, mixing with your fuel/air, and exiting out through your exhaust as steam. 1, blown head gasket. 2. cracked head or block, 3, warped head due to overheating. Most common is #1.

Yes that can be a problem. i had this happen to my 04 Volkswagen Passat. A bunch of steam and blueish smoke came from the exhaust. The problem was that the coolant seal in the turbo was bad and it was leaking. I had to keep putting coolant into the holding tank. Had the seal fixed and that fixed my problem!

white smoke from the exhaust and overheating would almost certainly mean a blown head gasket.
the head gasket has gone between a cylinder and a cooling channel so exhaust gasses can get in to the cooling system resulting in the boiling and water from the cooling system is getting into the cylinder resulting in the white smoke (actually steam) from the exhaust.
the exhaust manifold is a separate issue that can be replaced when the head gasket is repaired.

Depends on what oil you used (wrong oil) , and how long you drive on it.
If it was viscosity mistake . lets say you put 10-30 instead 5-30 , then it won't really hurt.
But if you put trany or some kind of hyddraulic fluid in there , then it's an issue.
If oil was too thin , then it may just go through the seals and rings and collect in cat and exhaust system and it's just afterburn.
It also may ruin something.The only things that prevent oil in the exhaust system is - turbo seals , piston rings and valve steam seals.
If smoke will not stop after a short trip (3-7 miles)
the vehicle has to be checked by a workshop.

your exploding turbo may have taken out more than your exhaust. have someone check for additional damage to other systems, including the computer. it may need reset for the new turbo.

hi there, there are chemicals on the market that will soften up the seals but these take time to work i would suggest changing the turbo, you will also have to remove the oil from the exhaust system this can be done with other chemicals like an upper cylinder cleaner feed directly in to the air intake but only after the turbo has be fixed
Regards JR

Black smoke is usually carbon, blue oil, and white is steam. I would guess your car has a bad O2 sensor and has been running rich for quite a while.