Whining noise coming from turbo charger?

[keenu]

Hi all,

I have recently purchased an Audi A3 2.0 TDI (2006) for my wife and got a major service done at the Audi dealer.

After the service they noticed that there was a Whining noise coming from turbo charger and said a possible new turbo may be required.

They also stated that both the Intercooler o'ring seals were leaking.

My question is would fixing the intercooler seals fix the problem with whining noise from the Turbo? Considering that a new turbo cost £1000+ I don't really want to pay that sort amount if i can avoid it considering that also found other issues with the car that I need to fix.

Has anyone else had this issue? What other options do I have? I am new to Audi TDI's.

Cheers.

 

[_G_]

turbos can be reconditioned from around £200-450 depending on the nature of the repair. A turbo repair can make your turbo like new or as good as a new one. The turbo is a seperate issue and the o-rings on the intercooler would do diddly squat to silence the whine.

 

[SAiLO]

Fixing leaking seals won't solve the turbo problem if there is one.
Did you purchase privately? If not get the dealership that sold the car to you to rectify the issue.
If you purchased privately then you could get a refurbished turbo from one of the companies who do it professionally (Turbo Dynamics, Turbo Technics) and it will cost you much less than what Audi are quoting you.

Good luck.

 

[keenu]

Thanks, I purchased through a dealer albeit a not well known one. The fact they said possibly a new turbo may be required makes me want to get a second opinion. I am taking my car to an Audi specialist at the weekend and will ask them to check it.

 

[SAiLO]

Go back to the dealer who sold you the car and demand for it to be fixed. Show them paperwork from audi and explain that if the turbo fails repairs will be much more costly.

 

[keenu]

Will do. The car is under warranty but not sure if the Turbo is actually covered. Will see what they say. Thanks

 

[JRock247]

I have a similar issue with my 2006 A3.

Purchased it around 9 months ago and after a few months, I noticed a whine/hiss from the turbo. I thought it sounded strange, I have had many diesels in the past and never sounded like this, almost like dump valve noise when the boost starts to kick in.

The car was serviced by Audi Fiveoaks a month ago and they flagged the turbo as needing to be replaced. I thought I would get a 2nd opinion from my garage and he agreed, it did sound like it was failing but no idea how long it could last.

When I purchased the car, it came with 1 years warranty. So I contacted the Warranty company and explained the turbo situation I have, she basically said, ''if it aint broke we won't fix it''. She said, although it is failing, it has not failed, so they will not replace failing parts, only failed parts!

So I am possibly going to buy a new turbo for piece of mind and as I want to get the car mapped, I don't want a weak/failing turbo possibly causing allot of damage when it does fail. I am still not 100% sure the turbo is failing as others have said it sounds OK, normal for a turbo on this car!?

Could the hiss/whine noise possibly be a loose hose or a damaged hose/pipe? Might get it booked in to inspect turbo and pipes, etc.

 

[SAiLO]

Hiss noise is not unusual, but also might be caused by boost leak (boost pipes, EGR pipe).
If you get police siren sound turbo might be on a way out? Scan with VCDS to see if there are any overboost codes saved in ECU.

 

[JRock247]

NO police siren noise yet, just a hiss/whine on boost.

I have scanned with VCDS, no faults found.

Will get then pipes and EGR checked for any issues.

 

[keenu]

I am taking mine to an Audi specialist on Saturday and will ask them to check the Turbo whining sound.

Should I get the turbo replaced soon if they confirm it is the turbo? If the turbo does fail eventually what would the consequences be? Would kind of repair bill we talking about?

My wife does 80 miles round trip per day so do not what her stranded somewhere!

 

[JRock247]

From what I can gather, it is very difficult to estimate how long the turbo will last if it is faulty, could be 1 week could be 10 years!?

If it is faulty, I would advise replacing ASAP. If the turbo goes, you could be looking at £1000+ for repairs.

I was told the noise is most likely caused by the bearings inside the turbo becoming dry, so possibly at some point the car has been low on oil and driven for a while. I am no expert, just passing on information I have been given.

If I find out the turbo is faulty, I am getting mine replaced ASAP!