Hi all.

My 140 diesel is having a new turbo fitted at 18,000 miles, under warranty.

Bit surprised ! Dealer spot on, no problem (I hope), car back next week.

Just wondered how common a problem this is, please ?

Try searching for PD140 turbo, you'll see it's not at all uncommon.

Cheers Stu.

Off to do the search.

Can see from the other posts that I'm not alone.

Cheers.

You have MY '06 or?

What is symptom when turbo was gone?

Turbo failures seem to plague quite a few marques these days, all the VAG group have models that have them and as I remember, so do Nissan.

Obviously it could be a manufacturing fault within the turbo or an ancilliary like the boost sensor telling the turbo the wrong information etc.

I would though, with your new turbo adhere to the start up and switch off procedure to prolong the life of it.

Basically, when starting up let the car idle or drive steadily (off boost) for a while so that the oil gets chance to circulate around the moving bits of the turbo.

Likewise, when switching off, particularily after a fast drive, idle for a while so that the turbine inside the turbo has chance to stop. As you switch the engine off the oil pump stops and so the turbo will lose its oil supply. If its still spinning, that will cause wear.

As I live in an estate that has a 20 then a 30 zone for about a mile before I hit a NSL etc, I tend to idle for a few moments and then use the slow roads off boost to let the oil circulate. On the way back, I make sure I back off the gas as I get close to my destination.

Steve

Mine had a very loud whistling noise and a lack of power (also an 06)

I don't think they like the long life servicing system so if you want to prolong the life of your turbo I'd consider going back to fixed intervals or doing an interim oil change.

SEAT have ditched the idea of variable on the deisels.

Well said VRStu. 20k is turbo suicide.

I thought doing an interim oil change while on the variable played havoc with the system?

Steve

I thought doing an interim oil change while on the variable played havoc with the system?

Steve

It 'may' confuse the oil quality sensor a little, probably meaning that actually you'll get to the maximum amount of miles per variable service however IMHO a risk worth taking to save your turbo, especially if your car is a 'keeper'.

I am on 10k intervals with my car. My last one was on variable but I did an interim change.

I think some (not all) VAG TDI turbos are being replaced when all they need is their turbo vanes freed up. IIRC the VNT turbos need to be given a bit of stick from time to time to keep the vanes/actuators moving freely.

As I heard it, if a TDI is driven quite gently and below 1,800 rpm all the time the moveable vanes can gum up, then when you do plant your foot it goes into overbooost as the vanes can't move to a more appropriate angle as the revs build up, so to protect itself from damage the engine goes into limp mode and records an error message.

This could be used by an unscrupulous service person as justification for a complete replacement turbo (rather than just freeing up the vanes, which is much cheaper than a new turbo). If the manufacturer (eg Skoda, VW) is paying for a warranty claim then the customer is unlikely to ask any questions.

It 'may' confuse the oil quality sensor a little, probably meaning that actually you'll get to the maximum amount of miles per variable service however IMHO a risk worth taking to save your turbo, especially if your car is a 'keeper'.

I am on 10k intervals with my car. My last one was on variable but I did an interim change.

so it would be ok to do a change at say 9 - 10k and stay on variable? Might consider doing this or get it switched to fixed after the warranty is up in october. Would you just need a new filter and plug as well as the oil?

so it would be ok to do a change at say 9 - 10k and stay on variable? Might consider doing this or get it switched to fixed after the warranty is up in october. Would you just need a new filter and plug as well as the oil?

I have done exactly as you have suggested, filter and plug only £8 from dealers.

Yep that's it, new filter and plug along with about 4.5 litres (I would think) of PD oil.

Going to cost you circa £50 I should imagine.

heres a really dumbass question then as i guess its not in the manual. which side is the plug on and do you need to remove the undertray to get to it ta

Should be very obvious when you remove the undertray.

Should be very obvious when you remove the undertray.

cheers ears

while im asking are their any pics up as to why you can locate axel stands? never come across any on here

Under the mounting for the console bushes.

My turbo, which is original has just under 60K miles under its belt (2005,55 PD140) and the car has just had its 3rd variable service. Considering mine used to be a rental car before I got it, it seems to be ok especially because it must have had a hard life to start with.

cheers ears

while im asking are their any pics up as to why you can locate axel stands? never come across any on here

You can use a trolley jack with a rubber pad to lift on the offside front cill in the position marked with an arrow indentation seen when you open the drivers door. The under tray then needs to be removed, 11 torx headed screws. The sump plug is located at the rear of the sump and requires 30NM of torque when replacing it. To remove the filter cap you will have to remove the engine top plastic cover where the oil filler is, this is fixed by three pull off fixings, two at the front and one on the near side rear and then pulling the assembly forward from a rubber mount left rear. To remove the filter cap you will need a 32mm socket. The filter is a cartridge type and comes witha new 'o' ring for the cap. Replacing the cap will need a torque setting of 25NM firstly, and then a further 5NM. I bought 9 litres of Castrol Edge for £52 inclusive from ebay, and the filter + sump plug was £8 from a dealer. Hope this helps.

I took my Octy 2 in for service. 55,000miles and it also needs a new turbo. 1.5 months before the warranty runs out. I'm very happy Obviously. other than that just an o/s/f wheel bearing and thats it. Reliable as usual.

Mine is an 07 model Scout.

Was just whistley at first but got worse in recent weeks and now sounds like quiet police siren as mentioned in some of the other threads.

Care for it pretty well, always been partciularly careful not to switch it straight off after a run.

This is my 5th turbo-ed motor (3rd diesel one) never had any problems before.

Still, fingers crossed all goes well this week, very impressed by prompt attention from dealer so far.

Can I elect to change to fixed service intervals whilst it's under warranty?

Thanks for all the replies.