Hi Folks

Had my 05 plate tdi serviced last weekend and as soon as I drove it from the garage I noticed the turbo was making a slight whistle/whine when accelerating.

When I bought the car three years ago, I noticed the turbo was gone on the test drive. It was just like the cops were after us since it sounded like a police siren. The dealer replaced the turbo under warranty and I purchased the car.

The sound it is making now is a simiar police siren noise to when I bought it but nowhere near as loud. I only had a medium service with just the oil and filters changed but it is strange how the noise was there as soon as I drove off.

The garage that serviced the car has said it is normal turbo noise and is surprised whe have not heard it before. It seems to be worse first thing from cold but I have to turn the radio up because it really annoys me. It comes and goes with acceleration. I have taken back to the garage twice now and they say it is normal. I am not convinced. I also asked if they have put the correct oil in and they said yes.

Is my turbo on the way out again or is this normal? It is just strange this has happened straight after the service. The car handles fine and no smoke it coming from it to suggest a turbo problem.

Any help would be appreciated.

TIA

Edited 11 June, 201115 yr by tigermad

No. Not normal at all. Mine sounded just like that before it failed. Mine was clogged with soot. Sounded like a very feint distant police siren for a few days then went into limp mode repeatedly so straight to the dealer. Had to be replaced at a cost of £1500!!

Go back ASAP and get them to look at it. Do you have a warranty?

As a comparison my mate had a Renault Megane diesel and that always sounded like a police siren even when new.

Ive had this problem since buying ours (6months ago), got £700 knocked off the price by seller for a new turbo.

I spoke too then and have since spoken again to a local VW specialist who reckons this is nothing to worry about, some cars make the noise some don't?

After reading several posts on the subject there doesn't seem to be a definative answer to this, some people have run up 1000's of miles with the police siren noise!? some people say replace the turbo straight away?

Setting myself up for a big fall here but, since had the car 'sharked' and still going alright!?

How do you drive it? Like a nun on an economy run? Or like the 'Transporter'?

I usually drive very smoothly and economically (nun) but still quite rapid at times (fun) but not often enough. This still lead to the turbo sooting up. Try doing some more agressive acceleration/higher revs/using all the boost available etc. Should give the variable vanes a work out. It might lead to the turbo finally giving up as worst case scenario, or even loosening it up so it behaves normally at best. If it looks terminal it will start going into limp mode now and then.

I noticed that mine used a fair bit more oil before it was replaced. Not a lot but enough to notice. Check the oil levels every 2 days to see a difference.

As said previously, mine was only a very quiet siren sound. Hardly at all. Others have right screamers that go on and on for many months/years.

At the risk of causing despair, I must say it has always been and still is, one of my basic rules, never, never, ever let a garage change the oil and filter, once a vehicle is out of manufacturers warranty.

Changing the oil and filter is far too important to let a garage do, once out of warranty. Firstly, what oil have they put in? Even if you provide the oil, there is no guarantee it will end up in your engine. Secondly, there have been many cases of mechanics getting distracted and starting the engine with no oil in it, having forgotten that they hadn't refilled the sump. How will the customer ever know? How will the customer associate the subsequent premature failure with a botched oil change?

I hate to say it, but the circumstances surrounding this case sound highly sus to me. But, you will never be able to prove anything in a million years. Garages never admit to anything.

I'd a turbo replaced under warranty a few months ago. It's starting to make a quiet police siren wail again when cold but that's going away once warmed up. The original turbo went from being quiet to a sudden louder siren noise. The new turbo has been silent until recently.Watch this space.

Hi again

Quick update. Went to a vag garage today. They checked the pipes and they are all ok. They strongly suspect the wrong oil has been used. Probably semi instead of fully synthetic. Problem is I don't have £130 for another oil change and don't know how to do it myself. Any pros in beds herts bucks area that can do it a lot less?

Service that may have botched it only cost £120. Doesn't synthetic oil cost a lot. Seems to cheap to me.

Edited 18 June, 201114 yr by tigermad

Can you not ask the garage exactly which oil they used, if they can't tell you straight away and have "to get back to you" then its likely they don't know and will be looking up the right answer.

Skoda are very particular about which oil you should use, I could be wrong but I think the correct one is VW 507.00 and it is important that this is printed on the container somewhere.

It might even be worth going back to them and telling them what you have told us, that a VAG specialist suspects the wrong oil has been used.

£120 sounds about right for an oil and filter service...

Oil filter £10.00

Oil £50.00

Labour £60.00 (1 hour)

If I was you I'd be looking to have the oil swapped over ASAP just in case, £60 and an hour of your weekend is a lot cheaper than a new turbo...

Mobil 1( fully synthetic ) is £55 for 5 litres

Maybe hubby will give it a go. Do we just remove the sump plug drain it and replace the plug or should we flush it with something?

Another quick question if you don't mind. Why would not fully synthetic oil cause a turbo problem. I thought it would be ok in the future if I want to swap from a variable service. At the moment I am having a service every year like the normal way anyway but paying for long life oil.

I would not flush, you have just had fresh oil in and replacing again, you mean you are on fixed and want to change to variable, just one point the sensors know if you have not got fully synthetic in and revert to variable servicing if you put semi in. Members list with vag-com here, will change it to variable for a pint or two

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/74720-list-of-vag-com-diagnostic-system-vcds-owners/

Another quick question if you don't mind. Why would not fully synthetic oil cause a turbo problem. I thought it would be ok in the future if I want to swap from a variable service. At the moment I am having a service every year like the normal way anyway but paying for long life oil.

No. The oil would not cause a turbo problem unless the garage used A) Caster oil, B ) Olive Oil or C) Crude Oil/Very thick viscous stuff. I doubt very much this would be the case. The only way oil can affect a turbo would be if there was no oil OR the oil feed pipe to the turbo was blocked. The VAG spec for the oil has more to do with the wear on the cam lobes that push on the PD injectors. There are very high forces on these parts and this is where the wear would be a problem hence the high spec oil - and it would take considerable miles to see an effect unless you were running some seriously rubbish stuff.

TBH I dont think the oil service has affected your turbo. It might just be coincidence. These things do happen. My car has done 48k miles, has 2x oil and filter changes a year using VAG 507 oil AND still the turbo failed. Not oil related but soot related AND I only use Esso/premium fuel, not cheaper supermarket stuff. Go figure!

Edited 18 June, 201114 yr by Golf-Fiend

multipostiwhatsit?

Edited 18 June, 201114 yr by Golf-Fiend