Turbo advice needed please

[Reddazforever]

hoping someone on here can help my dad.

 

He has a mk3 ‘14 plate Octavia 1.4 Elegance which has done just 15.8k miles. Had the car in for a service with his local Skoda dealer today and the little engine symbol and the EPC symbol keep popping up.  Skoda said his turbo needs replacing and have quoted him £1460 incl parts and labour which my dad’s obviously not happy about.  He’s queried why he should pay anything given the low mileage and they’ve come back and offered to pay 45% which still leaves him with a bill of £800. My dad’s adamant there’s no diff in how the car drives and is picking up nicely so looking for thoughts / suggestions on how to take this forward. 

 

Is there a sensor on the turbo and could it be faulty?

 

Is there a cheaper way of replacing the turbo? 

 

Has anyone else managed to get a 5 yr old turbo replaced for free when out of warranty?  And did you have to escalate via Skoda UK customer services?

 

Would really appreciate some help with this

 

thanks in advance

[Ads230]

What did the dealer / garage diagnose as the fault, and did they provide the fault code?

 

I was just trying to find a previous post I wrote which covered off a known fault with the turbo actuator (if I find, I'll link it) - but see info below.

 

INFO: (quick search for you) - Also called wastegate actuator, is in charge of regulating the boost output from the turbocharger. Electronic turbo actuators are used nowadays to increase the power provided by turbos, while also keeping the boost levels under control. One thing to take into account is that the electronic turbo actuator is controlled by the engine ECU; thus, a fine-tuned turbo actuator will not only provide more power to your vehicle but will also help you improve the fuel economy and reduce the emissions. Being this such a crucial part, it is of vital importance to keep an eye on any issue it might have at the earliest signs. If you feel a sudden loss of pressure (permanent or intermittent) or if your vehicle goes into limp mode or if you see unusual smoke while accelerating, those symptoms could point to a turbo actuator failure. You should contact your local garage or mechanic, so that they can diagnose the fault.)

 

To cut a long story short, my actuator got stuck one day - took it to a local VAG specialist garage. They diagnosed it VCDS scan; manually turned actuator on all the way then off (to 'unstick it'). Worked a treat. Cost £30 to get sorted...

 

My advice would be to take it to a specialist VW / Skoda specialist (including tuning shops), as they won't try and burn you for a complete new turbo if all they need to replace is the actuator. 

[Reddazforever]

17 minutes ago, Ads230 said:

What did the dealer / garage diagnose as the fault, and did they provide the fault code?

 

I was just trying to find a previous post I wrote which covered off a known fault with the turbo actuator (if I find, I'll link it) - but see info below.

 

INFO: (quick search for you) - Also called wastegate actuator, is in charge of regulating the boost output from the turbocharger. Electronic turbo actuators are used nowadays to increase the power provided by turbos, while also keeping the boost levels under control. One thing to take into account is that the electronic turbo actuator is controlled by the engine ECU; thus, a fine-tuned turbo actuator will not only provide more power to your vehicle but will also help you improve the fuel economy and reduce the emissions. Being this such a crucial part, it is of vital importance to keep an eye on any issue it might have at the earliest signs. If you feel a sudden loss of pressure (permanent or intermittent) or if your vehicle goes into limp mode or if you see unusual smoke while accelerating, those symptoms could point to a turbo actuator failure. You should contact your local garage or mechanic, so that they can diagnose the fault.)

 

To cut a long story short, my actuator got stuck one day - took it to a local VAG specialist garage. They diagnosed it VCDS scan; manually turned actuator on all the way then off (to 'unstick it'). Worked a treat. Cost £30 to get sorted...

 

My advice would be to take it to a specialist VW / Skoda specialist (including tuning shops), as they won't try and burn you for a complete new turbo if all they need to replace is the actuator. 

Thanks.  A couple of people on one of the Octavia vrs forums have stated issue is likely the actuator but when you try to replace it breaks the turbo almost every time - hence the cost. 

 

My my dads over in Rotherham so any suggestions on good VW /Skoda specialists who win’t Try and rip him off?

[Ads230]

I don't know the Rotherham area I'm afraid mate - best bet is advice from other Briskodians. 

18 minutes ago, Reddazforever said:

the Octavia vrs forums have stated issue is likely the actuator but when you try to replace it breaks the turbo almost every time - hence the cost. 

 

Ah - I wasn't sure if it was a modular system or not... sounds like it isn't. If the actuator was broken on mine and I had to replace the whole turbo, I'd upgrade to the IS30 turbo out of the Golf R - but not really the done thing on 1.4 Elegances (aside from obvious issues of fitment / suitability etc).

 

I'll have to bow out to the others on here - wish you and your dad best of luck fixing it.