Turbo Whine

[Stuart J]

My A3 2.0tdi (on a 53 plate making it Sep 03 to Mar 04 in age) has started to make a very brief high pitch whine the moment the power goes on before returning to normal. The car has done 83,000, near perfect miles, in 3 years nearly all on the motorway. My Audi main dealer (who have serviced from new)says it is the turbo and that "it will be OK until it starts making a louder noise" but cannot or will not be more specific other than saying it will cost £1,700 when it goes.

Has anyone any experience of whether this is a reasonable lifespan and a reasonable cost?

What will happen if and when it goes?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

[T-sport]

Have you tried Audi to cover replacement under the 3 year warranty?
The turbo shouldnt have worn out already.When you do a motorway run do you let the engine run on tick over for a minute before turning off as it helps the turbo cool and blow any oil off the fins thus prolonging the turbos life.This procedure is pretty much standard advise on any turbo car and some cars are fitted with turbo timers which do the same thing when engine is switched off.
My A3 has just hit 140000 miles and is still running on original turbo so they are good for it if looked after.
I would tell Audi you are not happy with its lifespan and you think you have a faulty turbo and ask them to sort it out under 3 year parts warranty which i think should cover it.
Let us know how you get on.

[Stannary]

Warranty would be 3 years or 60,000 miles but still give it a go.

I had a radio replaced once, 2 weeks out of warranty, surprised me, i thought i would haveto buy a new one at a few hundred pounds.

[Stuart J]

The ever helpful main dealer service manager (not) has already dismissed the idea of replacing under warranty stating, in essence, that it had done alot of miles and what did I expect. It was the service manager's apparent lack of experience of the problem that made me wonder whether my situation was unusual.

I would love to say that I had religiously allowed the engine to idle for a minute or two to cool the turbo off after every journey - alas I am not that perfect but rather only when I have the time. It has, however, been reguarly serviced at extortionate cost and the oil levels checked every other day.

What can I expect when it does finally go - just a loss of power or something more dramatic (again the service manager was vague in the extreme)?

[T-sport]

If they wont play ball under warranty go for a better turbo like this one and get it fitted by a vw specialist and you should save at least £700 on Audi rip off prices.
http://www.global7b.co.uk/speedways/2003--...24-)-c5347.html

[dannyboy29]

not to hijack this thread, but I'd be interested if anyone can answer Stuart's question re: the symptoms of a failing/dead turbo.

The reason being, a couple of times when I've been out in mine recently, I've noticed that I can barely hear the turbo whistling when I floor it (normally it's quite prominent), and it doesn't feel as quick either. Half an hour later, after I've stopped for shopping/petrol etc, it's fine again. But it's slightly worrying, and definitely not just my imagination!

[Stuart J]

Thanks t-sport - I had already decided that I shall not continue to use the main dealer now the warranty was out.

Still not sure what to expect if/when it does expire - just concerned least it damages something else (primarily me!)