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turbo issue on free passat?

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1.8K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  xerces  
K
#1 ·
I was gifited a car by a friendly stranger. The car is a 2001 WV Passat with a 1.8T engine. They advised of several things that ceased to work-- like the passenger auto-door lock, etc. They mentioned however that at the last service (just before handing us the keys) the dealership said the turbo needed to be replaced.

I later asked for more information and they advised that the dealer said the car would run better with the turbo replaced because it was "bad", but added that the engine would probably last "for sometime" without replacing the turbo.

The only other thing they mentioned was to use syntehtic oil due to the possibility of sludging. I understand this and have read up about how this particlular engine/year had issues with sludging.

I started driving the car daily to/from work and there are times that it seems the turbo works properly. I sometimes hear a faint whistle and it feels like it has power at that time. There are other times that it feels like it has less power also.

There are no check engine lights or other errors.

Any thoughts on if the turbo truly needs replaced or if only a particular part does? Is the turbo working at all? The car drives and seems to have power, but I've never driven a Passat previously, so I'm not sure if it should have more power or not.

I'm mechanical and understand technical things well. I rebuilt a rotary engine several years ago so understand the mechanical theories, however have never owned a turbo car.

Thanks

Kent
 
M
#3 ·
Do you know which dealership declared the turbocharger in need of replacement? if so, perhaps you could chat them up and get information that led them to said conclusion. If you plan on keeping the car for a while and are inclined to work on it, consider buying the VCDS software (often referred to as VAG-COM). It is exceedingly helpful in diagnosing codes and acquiring data while running. Also, get a Bently manual - the paper ("dead tree") version, not the CD-ROM version. You'll need it.

Never run this car with any oil other than a full synthetic that meets VW specification 502.00. Never!

How many miles on this thing?

Post photos!
 
K
#4 ·
~120K miles.

So if the car had gone into limp mode, wouldn't it throw the CEL on?

Also, there is a noticeable power difference from when I would say things "seem to be working-- that is, wow this has some power" compared to "Feels like there should be more power. On the other hand, its a sedan not a sports car... I've also noticed that some trips to work and back average 26-27MPG... other trips (exact same mileage, time of day, traffic, etc) I don't see over 19... Its a seemingly large margin for no environmental changes?

We've only got one WV dealer in town, I'll see if they had taken the car there.

What components of the intake/exhaust system commonly fail that would make a dealer just say "its the turbo?"

Thanks!
 
J
#12 ·
I just had mine rebuilt. The standard price for a rebuild was 350, however Mine was shot to the point that the impellers had hit the covers. It cost me 610 dollars. They basically sold me a new center section and reused my covers. The company that did mine is Work Turbochargers and they did a wonderful job, however they might be a bit far for someone living in South Dakota. I looked at doing it myself however mine had alot of damage and I was worried about keeping the internal parts in balance if I did it myself.
 
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