New Turbo....right decision....need other items?

Turbo actuator is not holding vacuum and with 235K miles, thinking of replacing whole turbo. Read reviews that the PD140 turbo is the way to go....then I saw the Kerma 150HP kit that includes the turbo, gaskets, and tune....yep, price keeps going up.

Am I making the right decision? All other mods/fixes have been OEM/factory. Just concerned about "modding" the car as it is my daily driver.

And no concerns for me personally about doing the work....just thinking longevity of the car.

If you can find an actuator, you can try replacing it, there's instructions on the forum for adjusting it. Replacing the turbo with the PD140 unit is the way to go if you choose to replace it. The PD140 is a Garrett and is much more durable, plus replacement actuators are more readily available for those units.

A tuned BRM with a PD140 shouldn't hurt dependability at all, I'd just ask for the low end torque to be reduced a tad for the DSG if you don't get a DSG tune. I'm running a PD140 hybrid with larger injectors and no tune on the DSG, no issues with driving it like I stole it.

PD140 turbo is a nice upgrade. However, I would want to have the smart actuator on it so the tune can be written to include that feedback loop. That adds to the cost.

Instead, I'd replace the stock turbo with another one, and if you want more power get a tune like RC1+. BRMs are very responsive to tuning, and I can tell you from personal experience that the difference with RC1+ is dramatic. It will also minimize any risk of premature transmission wear. People used to think that DSGs had a torque ceiling, although that doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

The Garret PD140 turbo may be more durable, but you got 235K miles out of the original. Are you going to drive the car another 235K miles? Probably not.

Thanks for the feedback.....and I might drive it another 235K miles.....it's in great shape and well maintained (* pat on back!)

Having the smart actuator is a good idea....going from stock turbo to now PD140 with tune and smart is nearly doubling the cost. Overall plan is to drive this until the redesigned Tundra's get released but keep the Jetta as a daily driver---going to work as I put on 45 miles daily.

If you're working on a budget, I got my PD140 turbo used on eBay from UK for $140 shipped to my door.