As some of you may know, the turbo on my Fabia vRS went in spectacular style a couple of weeks ago. It sent bits of metal through the intercooler, onto the pistons and pretty much everywhere it could go! They had to chisel bits of metal off the pistons and replace some hydraulic bits (not sure what, I'd have to ask the guy who did it!). The turbo and oil pump have both been replaced with new.

So, I've got it back now and it's not running very well. The guy from the garage has his own theory about what the problem is but I'm looking for a second opinion as I am not totally convinced by him!

The car is taking a couple of attempts to start and once it has started it's a bit juddery when standing still. Also, for example, if I'm driving at 30mph in 3rd gear and lift off the accelerator a little, it feels like it's going to stall. I don't put this down to poor gear choice on my part, as I know how it drove before its turbo tantrum! Its definitely not as forgiving as it used to be with gear choice. Maybe I just need to get used to it being different, but I also think it may be linked to the other 2 problems I've described above.

With the amount of money I've spent (don't ask!), I'd really expect the car to be running nicely now so it's very disappointing.

Any theories on what might be up with it please?

Could be scored piston liners so compression is down. I'd expect this they had to chisel bits off the pistons!

Hi,

Is the car still boosting ok? if you plant the foot and let off does it want to cut out?

It could be fuel or boost psi?

Hard to tell.:(

if the mechanic had to chisel bit's of metal (bit's of impeller or whatever) off the pistons then i guess it could be a whole matter of thing's, strangely though yer turbo really must've fallen completely to bit's to end up in the cylinder bore's?

i'd have thought it'd be a case of replacing the turbo, changing the oil and filter and ensuring the turbo is set up correctly driving away.

Edited 8 October, 201114 yr by Patriot1

Could be scored piston liners so compression is down. I'd expect this they had to chisel bits off the pistons!

Is it possible to check for this and what would the solution be if this was the problem?

Is the car still boosting ok? if you plant the foot and let off does it want to cut out?

It could be fuel or boost psi?

By 'boosting' do you mean does it pull away okay when I put my foot down? If so then, yes, it pulls away okay. It seems more settled at higher speeds. It's more at lower speeds it seems stuttery when I take my foot off the gas.

Sorry for being totally ignorant, but what is fuel/boost psi please? And how would I check if it was a problem?

if the mechanic had to chisel bit's of metal (bit's of impeller or whatever) off the pistons then i guess it could be a whole matter of thing's, strangely though yer turbo really must've fallen completely to bit's to end up in the cylinder bore's?

i'd have thought it'd be a case of replacing the turbo, changing the oil and filter and ensuring the turbo is set up correctly driving away.

Yes, the turbo really had gone AWOL. The little metal fan thing had totally fallen apart. Some of the bits of it were still in the turbo housing, the other bits were shredded through the engine bay! The guy who was working on it said "Sometimes when a turbo goes, you're lucky. Other times, you're you!" :'(

According to the paperwork they've given me, the oil and filter have been done and the turbo is brand new so I just don't know what to think. Unfortunately it's not the usual garage where I take my car so I'm suspicious of them!

i've worked on rally cars and changed many turbo's that have gone when they have been red hot and they've alway's run right when replaced for the next run..

i'd be dubious as it sounds funny to me but hey i ain't seen it

Basically, the bits of metal have scored the bores on the block and have shagged the piston rings and block. This means that oil leaks past the rings and burns under driving conditions.The only way to fix it is a rebuild/new block or a re-hone.

To check, a compression check would be my best answer but does it use a lot of oil?

Where are you located?

if they had to chisel bit's off the pistons then i'd have expected them to check the bores for any scoring tbh, i presume he's had the cylinder head off if this is the case and if so has he checked the valves for seating, having a pressure test would help but you'd expect that to be their first port of call..

Get a compression test done by another garage. If bits of impeller hit the pistons then there will probably be head/valve/piston/bore damage. If that is the case then a secondhand engine starts to look like a good idea....

also get it read for faults, any engine management light on? could be something simple like forgot to reattached something,

What is the mechanics theory?

Ive driven the car....

It only happens under 2k and light throttle conditions. put foot down or over 2k its fine.

Egr? Maybe turbo hit it on the way through?

Egr? Maybe turbo hit it on the way through?

Possible.. its a BLT engine too so could have nerfed that somehow

i'd be dubious as it sounds funny to me but hey i ain't seen it

I'm dubious too! I don't really trust the guy that did it, cos the first time he returned the car to me, the "new" turbo wasn't working at all! And when I took it back to him he said "Yeah, I wasn't totally sure about it myself...". Great...

To check, a compression check would be my best answer but does it use a lot of oil?

Where are you located?

I don't really know yet if it uses a lot of oil as I've not done many miles in it since I got it back. It certainly never used to.

I'm near Bury, Lancashire.

also get it read for faults, any engine management light on? could be something simple like forgot to reattached something,

The engine management light has come back on again which is almost certainly because of a heater plug fault which no-one has been able to get to the bottom of - it's being going on for over a year. The plugs and the relay have been replaced so all that leaves is the wiring. I am going to get it read this week though, just to make sure there aren't any new faults.

What is the mechanics theory?

He reckons I need new injectors. But it has been suggested to me that if it was the injectors, the problem wouldn't go away at higher speeds. Anyone else got a view on this?

I will take it to my friendly mechanic (not the one mentioned above!) and get him to do compressions checks and read for faults.

If the head's been off then it's entirely possible that the cam hasn't been timed up perfectly, get the timing checked by an independent VW specialist.

If the head's been off then it's entirely possible that the cam hasn't been timed up perfectly, get the timing checked by an independent VW specialist.

I agree, a collegue at work had the cambelt changed on his vRS, it ran rough at low revs like yours. Turns out when the new cambelt was put on it was installed one tooth out so the timing was wrong.

Ian

Ooh, that's interesting. The cambelt was done at the same time as the other work as it was due anyway. I'll add that to the list of things to check. Thanks.

I'm thinking cambelt timing looking at the video Colin sent me.

Ive driven the car....

It only happens under 2k and light throttle conditions. put foot down or over 2k its fine.

Cam timing and setup of the vanes on the new turbo then?

I'm thinking cambelt timing looking at the video Colin sent me.

But cambelt timing wouldnt make it intermittant/throttle related?

could really do with vcds to check sensor readings...

I'd be inclined to say timing belt.... but I'm no expert...

Whats fuel economy like?

I'd be inclined to say timing belt.... but I'm no expert...

Whats fuel economy like?

I took it for a spin earlier and I noticed the mpg seemed lower than usual. But I decided to monitor it for a bit longer before coming to a conclusion cos I've done fewer than 100 miles since I got it back.

another member had a similar issue with the car after having the timing belt done on hers... juddery low down lack of performance and **** poor mpg... it was the timing belt in the end

another member had a similar issue with the car after having the timing belt done on hers... juddery low down lack of performance and **** poor mpg... it was the timing belt in the end

If that's all it is, I'll be a very happy little person! I will report back soon!