Turbo On the way out - 2011 1.2L TSI

[peaandham]

Hi guys,

Looking for a new turbo for my 2011 Polo, I recently bought it (about 7 weeks ago), the timing chain was stretched, so I had that fixed, then I was having issues maintaining boost pressure. My local euro mechanic replaced the waste gate actuator and it no longer goes into EPC/Limp mode, but on occasions the car will still "putter" a little bit under load. Mechanic reckons that means the turbo itself needs replacing.

A genuine one is $2588 brand new with giving them my old one.

Or I was eyeing off new cheap units from Aliexpress and Ebay.

I will say this car was meant to be something I bought then didn't have to spend a lot on to drive or fix so I'd rather keep it low cost. However I have read that some Golf Turbos will be a direct bolt on, I may consider that, I will not purchase something that requires new piping work on manifolds.

I can get a brand new chinese built one landed for under $800 AUD, and it seems as though it's a common problem for this ERA. So I would only get a Golf turbo if you guys feel that they are more reliable.

Thanks in advanced.
Luke

[Lucas_R]

Not trying to say the mechanic isn't correct, but it would be wise to get a 2nd opinion i would think before spending that sort of money. Turbo's generally either work or they don't, they are a pretty simple mechanical part.

What error codes is the cars ECU giving you? Is the car down on power?

If they have failed or are in the process of failing you will generally know about it as they will smoke quite heavily out the exhaust and/or whine unhappily when under boost.

As for replacements, i would personally try and source a 2nd hand turbo off another Polo TSI (if you cant justify the cost of a new one) over a Chinese copy/replica. Grab the part number off the turbo and get Googleing.

This might be worth a read too: 2013 1.2TSI turbo fault - Skoda Fabia Mk II - BRISKODA

[Transporter]

Hi guys,

Looking for a new turbo for my 2011 Polo, I recently bought it (about 7 weeks ago), the timing chain was stretched, so I had that fixed, then I was having issues maintaining boost pressure. My local euro mechanic replaced the waste gate actuator and it no longer goes into EPC/Limp mode, but on occasions the car will still "putter" a little bit under load. Mechanic reckons that means the turbo itself needs replacing.

A genuine one is $2588 brand new with giving them my old one.

Or I was eyeing off new cheap units from Aliexpress and Ebay.

I will say this car was meant to be something I bought then didn't have to spend a lot on to drive or fix so I'd rather keep it low cost. However I have read that some Golf Turbos will be a direct bolt on, I may consider that, I will not purchase something that requires new piping work on manifolds.

I can get a brand new chinese built one landed for under $800 AUD, and it seems as though it's a common problem for this ERA. So I would only get a Golf turbo if you guys feel that they are more reliable.

Thanks in advanced.
Luke

Did he get any faults from the ECU?

[peaandham]

Thanks for the responses so far guys.

A friend who is a crash repairer has suggested that he's seen some turbos with a crack in the wastegate, and I should probably remove the exhaust manifold and check that our prior because If it is cracked and a simple weld would fix it, happy days.

It did throw a code when the EPS light came on and it was regarding the boost pressure regulation. I bought a OBD II scan tool (just a cheap $30 one) so I assess it again if it's a problem again (enough to throw the light)

He said there a a bit of play in the arm of the wastegate actuator so he said a new unit would be $900 fitted or he had a second hand one from a 60,000k golf which minimal play for $500 so I had that one fitted. Now that it's gotten better but still a concern, I wonder if it is the regulator just having a slight bit of play in it.