 Probably the most common issue we hear about in the Aftermarket world is oil smoke. This is where we get into the issues of 'seals'. Turbos don't have a seal in the way you might commonly think of seals; it's not like Tupperware where you close the lid and you get an air-tight seal. Turbos use a combination of piston rings and other tricks to try to keep oil in the center housing and out of the compressor and turbine housings. Piston rings in turbos are a type of dynamic seal which sits between the rotating shaft and the stationary center housing. They help prevent oil from leaking past but they are not a 100% seal, so oil does get by them. The cause of oil leaking past the piston rings is pressure. [ http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/id/2184/turbo-tech-turbo-troubleshooting.aspx ]
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Turbo "seals" don't really exist - 
