ive been looking at rebuild kits and there doesnt seem to be much to them. if i have turbos go out, how easy is it to rebuild them? is it worth the money i would save? how effective is it? is it just like a new turbocharger after a rebuild?

 

How much is a pair of rebuild kits? I have read in some threads that remanufactured K03s can be had for about $300/ea. IMHO, I'd want a professionally rebuilt turbo, especially considering they spin at ~20k rpm and it's a huge amount of work to replace them. Unless you're saving a lot of money by rebuilding them yourself and are real sure of your skills, I'd be looking for new or rebuilt. Again, just my opinion, but I no longer have time, patience, or skills for this work although I used to DIY years ago.

 

^^^20k RPM? More like 120,000 rpms. Well, if you're chipped that is.
A rebuilt k03 will pretty much make it a brand new turbo, however, the k03 is insufficient for the 2.7T motor, ESPECIALLY if you chip it. Sure it could last you another 100k if you drive it in stock form, but buying a set of K04's will: spin slower reducing heat, last longer because they won't get as hot, reduces the chance of cooking oil after you run the engine hard, and they can easilly push more air into the motor giving you more power. Hands down the best way to go is buying a set of K04's. You can still run the engine in stock form with k04's, thats the best thing about them.

 

Auditech79, I'll bow to your wisdom and experience, but I thought going to K04s involved changing fuel injectors and other stuff that could run the total pricetag to $6-8k. It's always been my decision to upgrade if/when my OEM K03s fail, but I though to do it right would include piggies, fuel injector, re-flash of GIAC, maybe freer flowing exhaust. I've always been curious what the minimum requirements are to get benefit from K04s vs what is recommended for reasonable (i.e., still streetable) use. I'm at 140k miles and everything seems fine at this time.

 

No no no, the K04 isn't much different in size, the compressor wheel and housing is a little bigger but thats about it. You could just slap a set of K04s on it (with the respected hardware and piping, about $2,500 total) and run the exact same tuning you are currently running. You could actually gain about 40-50 more horsepower out of it by just increasing the boost with an MBC or electronic MBC bringing the boost to 21-22 psi.
Or you could go with new tuning and injectors and put yourself in the 450+ horsepower range if you felt like it.
The highest number i have seen on a dyno with K04's is 589 horsepower to the wheels. (S4 2.7T 6 speed)

 

well, i bought a set of ko3s that came off an a6 with 85,000 miles when it was upgraded to ko4s. i paid $3o for the ko3s and the rebuild kits are $50 each, so for total of $150 i can have a set of rebuilt ko3s.

knowing this, would you think this is worthwhile?

 

You still need to have them sent out to be balanced, the odds of getting the impeller weight dead on are slim in none.

 

The labor to take the engine and trans out to change the turbos is too heavy duty to take a chance with the turbos. If you plan on having a shop do it, its 30+ hours of labor. If you put in re-built K03's and have to take them out again for a failure, i would imagine you wouldn't be a happy camper.

 

yeah, thats what i was thinking which is why i asked for a second opinion. thanks.

 

Do you have to pull the engine to get the turbos off?