Ok, my wife's 2000 2.7T is in the shop and we were told the turbo went out. Before I decide on whether to trade it in or pay for the repairs, I need to know what other issues may befall the car (and my pocket) so I can make an informed decision. Unfortunately the warranty we paid $2700 for doesn't cover it. Here are my questions:

1. After it has been repaired, is it known to fail again?
2. Are there other components that fail as a result of the turbo going out?
3. Is it even worth it to fix?

My wife is leaning towards getting rid of the car, which we just bought about two months ago! If I could get some feedback from the experts here I'll know which route to take. I really like the car and would rather fix it and move on than trade it in, but if this is just the beginning of a string of expensive repairs I'd like to know now so I can cut my losses. Thanks in advance for the help!

damn... i ust picked one up... did the turbo seized or was there fin damage that dropped pieces into the engine???

If the turbo is just dead replace it w/ a bigger one! keep in mind that i needs to match the other turbo...

Big Tone,

It is unfortunate that your Turbo died on you. More info is needed about the car's history before one can decide what the next step is.
In general a well maintained car's virgin turbo can last at least 100K. My last two turbos lasted 135k and 145k before rebulit. How many miles is on the car when you bought it? Were maintenance records available? Has the turbo been worked on?

If the turbo rebuilt/replacement was done properly and the car is maintained the way it should be there should not be any problem of it failing again for a while. Turbo going out does not cause any other components to go out other than maybe the catalytic converter being hit by gunk and smoke thrown up by the broken turbo.

Were the turbo making noise? Lots of smoke? Don't trust the shop completely. Tell us more on the symptons and problems.

PM me if you need faster response.

eCarToys (http://www.eCarToys.com)

ORIGINAL: Big Tone

Ok, my wife's 2000 2.7T is in the shop and we were told the turbo went out. Before I decide on whether to trade it in or pay for the repairs, I need to know what other issues may befall the car (and my pocket) so I can make an informed decision. Unfortunately the warranty we paid $2700 for doesn't cover it. Here are my questions:

1. After it has been repaired, is it known to fail again?
2. Are there other components that fail as a result of the turbo going out?
3. Is it even worth it to fix?

My wife is leaning towards getting rid of the car, which we just bought about two months ago! If I could get some feedback from the experts here I'll know which route to take. I really like the car and would rather fix it and move on than trade it in, but if this is just the beginning of a string of expensive repairs I'd like to know now so I can cut my losses. Thanks in advance for the help!

miles?
do you trust your mechanic?
was it any wierd sound?
loss of power?
other problems?
--------------------
if you will replace turbo , do both sides, you wont regrate it, if your mechaninc will do it ask him about warranty on parts and labor.
good luck.

The car has less than 50k miles on it and appeared to be in excellent condition. There weren't any maintenance records available when we bought it. There was no prior warning to it going out. One day when my wife was on her way to work she started getting a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust. I drove it home from where she was and noticed there was a loss of power. The Audi dealer told us the turbo went out and so did the place where we bought the car.

From everything we could tell the car was well-maintained and being it has so few miles on it I didn't think much could have gone wrong with it so I wasn't too concerned about not having the records. The Audi dealer also said the tie rod needed to be replaced, but the place where we bought the car said the turbo is the only problem. At this point I don't know who or what to believe.
ORIGINAL: ecartoys

Big Tone,

It is unfortunate that your Turbo died on you. More info is needed about the car's history before one can decide what the next step is.
In general a well maintained car's virgin turbo can last at least 100K. My last two turbos lasted 135k and 145k before rebulit. How many miles is on the car when you bought it? Were maintenance records available? Has the turbo been worked on?

If the turbo rebuilt/replacement was done properly and the car is maintained the way it should be there should not be any problem of it failing again for a while. Turbo going out does not cause any other components to go out other than maybe the catalytic converter being hit by gunk and smoke thrown up by the broken turbo.

Were the turbo making noise? Lots of smoke? Don't trust the shop completely. Tell us more on the symptons and problems.

PM me if you need faster response.

eCarToys (http://www.eCarToys.com)

ORIGINAL: Big Tone

Ok, my wife's 2000 2.7T is in the shop and we were told the turbo went out. Before I decide on whether to trade it in or pay for the repairs, I need to know what other issues may befall the car (and my pocket) so I can make an informed decision. Unfortunately the warranty we paid $2700 for doesn't cover it. Here are my questions:

1. After it has been repaired, is it known to fail again?
2. Are there other components that fail as a result of the turbo going out?
3. Is it even worth it to fix?

My wife is leaning towards getting rid of the car, which we just bought about two months ago! If I could get some feedback from the experts here I'll know which route to take. I really like the car and would rather fix it and move on than trade it in, but if this is just the beginning of a string of expensive repairs I'd like to know now so I can cut my losses. Thanks in advance for the help!

Miles? Approx. 48k
Do I trust my mechanic? No.
Was there any weird sound? Not that I could tell.
Loss of power? Yes, along with a lot of smoke.
Other problems? One place says the tie rod needs replacing along with something else I can't remember right now (I'll find out andreport back), the other place claims only the turbo needs repairing.
ORIGINAL: Kievskiy

miles?
do you trust your mechanic?
was it any wierd sound?
loss of power?
other problems?
--------------------
if you will replace turbo , do both sides, you wont regrate it, if your mechaninc will do it ask him about warranty on parts and labor.
good luck.

ok, about tie rod.....Jack up the car and check the rubber on both tie rods and try to shake the wheel, you 'll be able to see if the wheel sits tight or not.
turbos....sounds like it really went out on you... i only hope that its not the engine itself only turbo, how is the idling? even when turbo is broken the car should idle ok....what else....try to get as many opinions localy as you can.This is a very low miles car.....stock Audi turbos goes more than 100xxx miles 100%....yours was probably changed before.... i have 2.7t 6speed manual, with 89xxx miles, everything stock , went to audi dealer, they said turbos are stock no record on replacement...if you have Tip your turbos should be better then manual car, something was done to your car before, driving without oil/coolant, etc.

With less than 50K and the turbo goes out in smokes, that tells me something is not treating the turbo right. If it is the original turbo oil starvation had occured. With no maintenance record this is a big no no. If someone had worked on the turbo or turbo area then they may have contaminated the intake port and caused the turbo to wear out prematurely.

From what you were describing with no tell tale noise from the turbo and then poofed up it goes, it sounds like the first scenario - oil starvation that leads to burn out.

Tie rods ends are cheap and easy to fix. You can get the reengineered upgraded full metal Meyle Tie Rods ends from my store for $72.78 a pair shipped. My concern is with what caused the turbo to burn out prematurely. The first scenario is definitely not good as it might lead to more engine problems. It is going to be a tough call but with low miles on the a car like yours I would fix it.

eCarToys (http://www.eCarToys.com)

if you decide to repear the car ,replace both turbos,do not make a mistake doing only one.

don't agree with that mate that's like having a flat tyre change all the tyres, turbos cost money change as and when required and keep good service records on the engine "oil & oil filter changes";)

Isn't there a 7 year/70,000 mile factory warranty on the turbos? I thought I had read that somewhere...

service CD says it is a must to replace both turbos if one has failed.
but I agree if the other tests out fine save the money,but make sure its
tested

ORIGINAL: slee22

Isn't there a 7 year/70,000 mile factory warranty on the turbos? I thought I had read that somewhere...

I am not aware of that. If you could find out where you read that let me know please!

ORIGINAL: Kievskiy

ok, about tie rod.....Jack up the car and check the rubber on both tie rods and try to shake the wheel, you 'll be able to see if the wheel sits tight or not.
turbos....sounds like it really went out on you... i only hope that its not the engine itself only turbo, how is the idling? even when turbo is broken the car should idle ok....what else....try to get as many opinions localy as you can.This is a very low miles car.....stock Audi turbos goes more than 100xxx miles 100%....yours was probably changed before.... i have 2.7t 6speed manual, with 89xxx miles, everything stock , went to audi dealer, they said turbos are stock no record on replacement...if you have Tip your turbos should be better then manual car, something was done to your car before, driving without oil/coolant, etc.

It idles fine.

ORIGINAL: mastvadz71

if you decide to repear the car ,replace both turbos,do not make a mistake doing only one.

We are replacing both. One is gone and the other is on the way out according to Audi. Now the issue we have is getting the dealer where we bought the car to give us a written estimate, because the amount they gave us over the phone for what it would cost for parts is about $1700 more than the written estimate from Audi.

Big Tone,

If you are able to ask them to do the job by providing the turbos yourself we will sell you the K04 upgrades at cost. It should still be cheaper than what the dealer wants for the stock turbos. On the stock turbos we only have the right side in stock so can't help you there.

eCarToys (http://www.eCarToys.com)

when they will change your turbo's ask them that you want to keep the old parts, this way you will be able to see what really happened, and if its not hard , please post some pictures. Good luck.

Big Tone,

Forgot to mention, the K04 Upgraded Turbos I quoted you are from the RS4 so they are direct bolt on.
Good luck.

David
eCarToys (http://www.eCarToys.com)

hereTurbocharger, removing and installing

Observe rules for cleanliness Page 21-8 .

Note:

Turbochargers must be replaced in pairs. Manufacturing tolerances may prevent matched operation.

All hose connections are secured with clips.

Charge air system must be free of leaks.

Replace self-locking nuts.

Replace all seals and gaskets

- Remove engine Page 10-2 .

this is from the repair CD

also you can take the turbos off and rechip. then you will have regular V6 :-(
a bit of a hasle but cheap.

I'm getting the run around from the dealer where I bought the car. We asked for a written estimate for the repairs several times since last Thursday and they haven't sent it yet. Can anyone recommend a German car specialist in the Chicago area with reasonable prices? The Audi dealer in Tinly wants 7k to do the job and I'd rather not pay that much.

Try this place in Carlinville http://www.areadiesel.com/

They came highly recommended by my Turbo guy here in CA. Not sure what they would charge but they know what to do with rebuilding and installing turbos.

Good luck.

Ok, I finally got a written estimate from the dealer (not Audi). The estimate isn't detailed regarding a breaddown of what the parts cost, but the description of what is wrong states "found liftgates in turbos are stuck in closed position". The price for repairs is $3,300. Does that sound correct? Is the price fair or reasonable?

Funny thing just happened, I had my wife fax me the estimate that Audi of Tinley gave us and the parts price for the turbos is $1,980! I called the dealer back (not Audi) and found out they had indeed included labor in the $3300 price and told me the price. Now they say the price for parts only will be around $1800. I told him to fax the revised estimate to me and I'd sign it and fax it back so they can get started. We'll see what game they try to play next.

Liftgates, arent thouths a wastegates opening.
and if they stuck it would mean overboost. but if stock in open position witch is more posible from carbon deposit. for the sake of an argument lets say your wife does not rev the engine high. and you/her put a oxydized fuel in the car, which is possible becouse of the winter and stupid rulles from people above. that coused an acesive build up of a carbon. and tously becouse turbo did not work 100% but lets say 5 % the carbon builded in the part where thee is more trafic thats is turbo and wastegate. then becouse turbo did not work a 100% and when engine actually did rev high the boost coused the wastegate open more that it should thously jaming on the unworked part of the wastegate. now when your wife told that black smoke and other stuff, you whent out and actually flored the car thously opening even more the wastegate.

This is a lot of speculation, and I believe that the "found liftgates in turbos are stuck in closed position". is refering wastegate's liftgates.
the What I would do is go to regular mech and let them take off the peace of exaust that goes after turbo and move it aside and let the use a cleaning solution to take the carbon deposit or anything that jaming unjemed. then put let them check if actually the liftgate is opening and closing with ease.

http://www.auto-innovations.com/site/images/turbo-audi.gif

My own regular mechs are easy to work with. I come only to them, so they take minimum to actually work on my car. like both front schocks to replace costed me 250+tax and I think thats cheap.

You have to show that you are mechanically incline to do somethink, then they will feel that they wont be able to mess with you and will actually do the work.
on the other note, replacing turbo is no big deal, buy a pair of new turbo or rebuild and just go to a shop and actually make them ONLY replace them. It will take no more that 3 hours to finish the work. The turbo is hanging there all you do is unscrew one and screw another in. like 10 nuts.

PS if someone has diferent idea or something please express it. and if I'm wrong just say quato me and type "I desagree, In my opinion ....." or "No, you wrong, the ........" BUT no that "You f***ing mo**n, do a reasearch you fre@king bit**h........"

Yep. That is what I thought when I saw "liftgates". I agree with kakarot on getting the wastegates out and clean them before moving on. The turbos may still be in good running condition for a few K miles.

On the other hand, if they are willing to put in new turbos for $3300 with labor and parts included I would let them do it, keep all the old parts and skip the hassle and unknowns.

According to both the Audi dealer and the dealership where I bought my car the engine has to be removed in order to replace the stock turbos. I received the revised estimate today for $1,860. Much, MUCH better than $7,000!

Thanks to everyone for all the help. You all have helped me maintain my sanity and composure while I dealt with this.

I dont know if I agree about having to remove the engine to replace the stock spinners.

ORIGINAL: ChrisHyde

I dont know if I agree about having to remove the engine to replace the stock spinners.

Being I am only paying for parts and not labor it's not an issue at this point, but I agree.

Also, to clarify I am having the turbos completely replaced.