Turbo Failure Report

Back in June, my 2013 Passat started to hesitate on acceleration when the engine was cold. After three days of this, I dropped it off at the dealer. Turns out it was the turbo. Here is the report the mechanic made.

"Removed oil pan, balance shafts, oil ump, main bearings and rod bearings and found no wear. Removed turbo intake side and found damage to intercooler and pressure sensor. Removed turbo exhaust waste gate side and found damage to waste gate assembly. Replaced intercooler assembly and pressure sensor, replaced rod and main journal bolts, replaced one time use intermediate gear and idle gear for balance shafts and resealed oil pan. Replaced turbo and installed the new revised oil supply line. Replaced oil and coolant. Test drove and verified no faults or noise."

So just picked it up at the dealer and drove 50 miles home. Ran just fine; nice and quiet and hit 50 mpg on the way home, I'll see how it holds up but have been very pleased by the way I was treated by the VW dealer. There was no charge to me for any of this work.

Wow. From what I understand, 2012-14 Passat has smaller turbos and prone to failure..... due to the size of it. 2015 has improved turbo. Am I correct?


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I would LOVE for the technician to show you the "waste gate assembly"... LOL.

BTW, that is a whole bunch of baloney. They have issues with turbos. They know they have issues with turbos. They have a warranty extension on the turbos. You can check for a bad one inside of 10 minutes.

The problem seemed to be that the issue at first seemed to be a bad injector due to the rhythmic missing and so that was checked first. Then, for whatever reason, the tech thought it was a bad bearing. Anyway, we will see how the repair holds up. The service manager called me several times to let me know that VW would cover the entire repair. I wonder if the "new revised oil line" is something that VW is using to help with the problem. BTW, this car has always been well maintained with oil changes done on or before schedule.

Glad to hear that you have her well maintained. Thats the big key. Keep us all posted.


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oilhammer said:

I would LOVE for the technician to show you the "waste gate assembly"... LOL.
BTW, that is a whole bunch of baloney. They have issues with turbos. They know they have issues with turbos. They have a warranty extension on the turbos. You can check for a bad one inside of 10 minutes.

Click to expand...

What would one check to see if their turbo is bad or on its way out?

Not 100% sure but I've heard shaft play is very easy to tell soon as you have access to either end of the turbo.

Also whining sounds is usually a first indicator.

roni024 said:

What would one check to see if their turbo is bad or on its way out?

Click to expand...

Well first, your car has no wastegate assembly. Second, all you need to do is remove the air inlet tube between the air cleaner and turbo and you can see the broken shaft.

Third, I am not sure I'd tear into the bowels of the engine, as usually with these the engine is fine the turbo is just physically broken.... I've driven 20+ of them right into the shop with a bad turbo, every one was fine and is either still on the road today or was crushed due to Dieselgate.

The turbo goes from fine to broke quickly.... in seconds usually, but it starts with a howl or whine.

Good to know. Thanks.

The lack of a howl or whine was what made my failure kind of unique, I guess. Car ran fine one day, no unusual noises and it went into the garage. Next morning, started right up, no noise but as soon as I pressed the accelerator at the stop sign at the end of my road, it started a rhythmic miss, just like one of the injectors failed. After a few seconds, it went away. On the third day of this, I took it to the dealer and dropped it off. The dealer is almost 50 miles away and it drove there just fine. No warning lights were ever on, nothing.

BTW way, the dealer told me Wednesday that a recall has been issued to replace the DEF heater and he would notify me as soon as parts are available.

Was the DEF heater replacement a recall, or a warranty extension?

Warranty. I had mine done within few days of my 2015 passat purchase. Not cool.


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FYI def heaters are different between Gen2 and Gen3 cars. Gen2 i believe got an extension before dieselgate broke.

You're 2015 was prob under the original warranty (plus dieselgate warranty extension)

Quick update: Car continues to run well since the turbo replacement. I have indeed seen about 2-4 mpg better since the repair but I wonder if this is the result of cleaning the DPF which was also done.

Does anyone know anything about the "new revised oil supply line" that was used during my turbo replacement. Sounds like something was modified by VW to increase the oil supply to the bearings?

I do not know anything about the new oil line, but makes perfect sense as it seems to be a oil starvation issue all along. most turbos blow close to a required oil change, meaning the oil is sooty and thick