TURBO: 2012-2014 Passat turbo failures [discussion thread]

Bam

Member
Joined
May 19, 2013
Location
Woodbine, Maryland
TDI
2013 Passat SE 6M
I had a turbo failure last week in my 2013 6 speed passat. I experienced the flashing glow plug and check engine light and pulled the code saying it was the mass air flow sensor (scangauge - code P0101). Cleaned it and put it back together and it drove fine for a few days. Went out one morning and the car wouldn't start. Had it towed to the dealer and they called me to say the boost pressure sensor was bad. They replaced the sensor and got the car started, then began to do the turbo update and it apparently threw a code about the turbo. They called me to say the turbo was covered in oil and they replaced the turbo and DPF under warranty. VOA will not cover the replacement of the boost pressure sensor or towing, saying this was an unrelated issue and that the turbo didn't fail until the software update was done. This doesn't seem like a likely scenario to me. What do you guys think? Where is the boost pressure sensor in relationship to the turbo? If the turbo was throwing oil, couldn't it have caused the sensor problem?
 
Last edited:

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles
I think they misdiagnosed what was originally a turbo failure. I would press them to cover all of your turbo failure related expenses.
 

Justinw303

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Location
Silver Spring, MD
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG w/ Sunroof
Question:

If a turbo fails (and I'm assuming my questions apply only to a catastrophic "can't be driven at all" failure, rather than the "sounds like it's dying, I drove it in and they said it needs replacing" failures), what should I be looking for and asking the mechanic about to determine what else should be replaced, to ensure the job was done correctly and completely? I know that oil in the exhaust means a new DPF, but in what other ways should I determine whether the DPF or any other part of the engine, like the intercooler, would need replacing? Basically, I want to know what questions to ask the mechanic to make sure no shortcuts are taken and I end up with a completely debris-free engine after the replacement? Wouldn't want to keep replacing turbos because some metal or oil was left behind.
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
Excellent question, if mine fails I plan to slip the mechanic a extra $100 bill to take his time and clean out the intake perfectly. Don't drive much on a blown turbo though- it will pump all of your oil out the exhaust in a hurry and waste the lower end
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2007
Location
Kentucky
TDI
2004 Jetta
My 2013 eat the damn Turbo with less the 17k on it. :mad:
The exhaust shaft broke. As a result, they had to perform an engine flush, replace the turbo oil pipes & banjo bolts, replaced the oil filter housing,......AND the OIL PUMP !! :eek:


To top it off,......the dealer kept my car 3 weeks.


I'm in discussion with a friend of mine that's a service manager at an out of state VW dealer and he's going to give me the low down once the repair shows up in the system.

At the moment, I'm on the fence about whether to keep this thing or not. I really like the car, but I'm concerned about the overall engine longevity now that I know shrapnel was sent through the motor.
Besides,........it's a pain in the a$$ for me to have to contend with this, due to my closest dealer being 100 miles away.

They did give me a brand new 2015 Hyundai Sonata while they were making the repairs, BUT,.....that thing was an absolute POS. Those have to be made from the cheapest materials available. :rolleyes:
 

NYTDIBoy

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2003
Location
Rhinebeck, NY
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS; 2013 Passat SE 6SP
I had a turbo failure last week in my 2013 6 speed passat. I experienced the flashing glow plug and check engine light and pulled the code saying it was the mass air flow sensor (scangauge - code P0101). Cleaned it and put it back together and it drove fine for a few days. Went out one morning and the car wouldn't start. Had it towed to the dealer and they called me to say the boost pressure sensor was bad. They replaced the sensor and got the car started, then began to do the turbo update and it apparently threw a code about the turbo. They called me to say the turbo was covered in oil and they replaced the turbo and DPF under warranty. VOA will not cover the replacement of the boost pressure sensor or towing, saying this was an unrelated issue and that the turbo didn't fail until the software update was done. This doesn't seem like a likely scenario to me. What do you guys think? Where is the boost pressure sensor in relationship to the turbo? If the turbo was throwing oil, couldn't it have caused the sensor problem?
After my turbo failed, I left the dealer and didn't get 2.5 miles before the CEL came on. I turned around and brought it back in. They read the codes and said it was the glow plug on #2 that bad. What they didn't tell me at the time was the code was actually for low cylinder pressure and that the glow plug has a cylinder pressure function integrated into it now. Since #2 clinder is a straight shot from the outlet of the charge cooler it seemed obvious to me the high amount of oil it ingested when the turbo blew up (they had to change the charge cooler and the DPF because of oil contamination) was the cause of the sensor malfunction. The dealer did not see it that way and wanted to charge me $150 for a glow plug! I had to call VW customer care to get a resolution. What I really wanted them to do was determine if engine really had low compression on that cylinder or was a fault of the sensor. It turns out there was a TSB for just that situation which the repairing dealer was not following. Basically the TSB told them to change the glow plugs around in the cylinders to see if the bad reading followed the glow plugs or not before replacing the part. So once I took it to the dealer where I bought it, they followed the procedure outlined in the TSB, which reassured me there was no damage to the cylinders from the turbo failure, and then I worked it out with VW customer care to get 2 of the glowplugs changed (both #2 and #3 were bad in my car). I haven't had an issue since and I bought Torque and a bluetooth dongle and mounted a tablet in my car to monitor the EGT's to ensure I don't turn the car off during a regen anymore. I think that has far more potential to damage a car then start up during cold weather.
 

mrp

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Location
Minnesota
TDI
2014 Passat SE
non-failure Wear and Tear?

So for the turbos that didn't fail---Any idea how much more wear they have? I went through two winters of many below zero F starts before i got the update that lowered the agressive warm up program.
 

NSTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Location
Nova Scotia
TDI
15 Passat
This winter's turbo failures were much less in numbers than in the past so it makes you think this issue is largely behind us now. The percentage of these turbos that failed must be pretty small.

Mine went at 40,000 KMs, I now have 80,000KMs in total, no issues. The turbos went on really low mileage vehicles, and are still running on some very high mileage vehicles. They went on warm weather only cars, but also seemed to go way more often in cold weather.

VW have always been a big seller of gas and diesels with turbos, hopefully they got this one figured out. They extended the warranty to cover the fault, I guess that is all you can ask. My dealer has always treated me very reasonably, so I will continue to buy a VW.

I used to buy Toyotas, had 3 in a row. The last, a Camry, was a lemon and they treated me like a dummy. I told them, every one makes a lemon once in a while, even Toyota. Its how you treat people when you make a lemon that makes a difference. Toyota agreed to disagree with me. Since that car, I have bought 11 new cars, and never set foot on a Toyota lot again.

Don
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
Sounds like Toyota isn't what they used to be, my Truck blew a head gasket at 120,000 miles at a decade old- they towed it in- dropped a new short block in it and called me 4 days later- only thing I paid for was the headers and other stuff I upgraded.
 

nnydiesel

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Location
Northern NY
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
Norther NY State. Turbo blew the 2nd week of December.
Avg start up temp teens or low 20's in December.
2013 Passat SE TDI 8,000 miles.
Exited the highway and noticed a small turbo whine. About 1 mile later turbo noise was very loud and heavy black smoke with flashing alerts on dash. Took 8 days for the dealer to get the parts but I had a loaner passat. TSB was followed and all is OK so far and we have had average start temps for January at about zero or colder. Lowest was -32.

My dealer mentioned that the warranty for the turbo system and emissions system was extended to 100K miles. Should they provide this in writing to me or is there a memo somewhere I could keep with my files?

Miles on car at failure: 8,000
Build date:
Corrective actions from dealership: Followed TSB
Outside air temps at failure: 10 degrees
Failure warning signs, if any:Not sure if it is related to the failure or cold but I did have to top up coolant. Loss of power and turbo whine. Followed by heavy black smoke from exhaust.
Warning lights on dash/MFI: Once the heavy black smoke appeared, flashing ecm warning lights.
Problems since replacement:
Repair time: 12 days
Any dealer divulged info on other incidents involving other failures:Around 20 other failures.
Did the dealership perform all maintenance and on schedule: Yes.
If not dealership, what oil was used/miles on oil:
Are you the original owner of the car: No. 2nd owner.
Did you baby your car or not:Yes. Previous owner also adult driven.
Do you interrupt DPF regenerations: Unsure.
How long is your daily commute: 16 miles each way.
Transmission (DSG/auto or manual): DSG
Failed turbo part number (if known):
Replacement turbo part number (if known): 03L253056QX EXMAN TURBO
Did you have the Jan 2015 23N5 software update: Yes Completed at the time of repair.

Update: Check engine light on 1/28/15. Fault code for NOX SENSOR B1S1. Replaced sensor P/N: 03L907807AD. Dealership stated that they believe it is from the turbo failure as well and are reporting it to VW.
April 25,2015

2nd turbo failure confirmed. 2 week lead time to get my car back. The dealership is recommending I get out of this car. Has VW offered any assistance to others that are completely fed up and have no confidence in the longevity of the vehicle?
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
Sounds like they just want to get you into a new car, did you have the new software installed? I plan to stick with it, update to Malone and rawtech once the 120k mileage is reached :D
 

NYTDIBoy

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2003
Location
Rhinebeck, NY
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS; 2013 Passat SE 6SP
Sounds like they just want to get you into a new car, did you have the new software installed? I plan to stick with it, update to Malone and rawtech once the 120k mileage is reached :D
Malone and rawtech? Can you explain more?
 

NYTDIBoy

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2003
Location
Rhinebeck, NY
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS; 2013 Passat SE 6SP
Aftermarket tune & exhaust which is my plan also.
I'm not sure I see how increasing the power (and presumably the boost) would increase the longevity of the turbo. or are you talking about yanking the DPF out and having the tuner remove the regen cycles? If so that may be a route I would consider too. I think the regen cycle is the cause of most of these issues were seeing
 

nnydiesel

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Location
Northern NY
TDI
2013 Passat SE TDI
Yup. Software was done back in January. I'm also losing coolant somewhere but they cannot find the source. Been bad luck so far with this car haha. They may be trying just for their advantage but I will see what VW says.
 

BlownBusa

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Location
Amarillo Texas
TDI
2012 Passat SE+ DSG
I'm not sure I see how increasing the power (and presumably the boost) would increase the longevity of the turbo. or are you talking about yanking the DPF out and having the tuner remove the regen cycles? If so that may be a route I would consider too. I think the regen cycle is the cause of most of these issues were seeing
The tune I'd like will only raise boost by 1psi & yes the dpf takes a walk lol. I believe it's not the regen that's harmful but the interruption of a regen stopping the oil flow in a high temp turbo that's killing them. :eek:
 

jhinsc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Location
Coastal SC
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium
Just read the post from Dfc41889 about his turbo failure. What concerns me is his Passat is a 2014 with a build date in April 2014, later than my build date in March 2014. He did have a Malone tune and wondering if there's any connection. He also noted 2014's turbo warranty was not extended like 2012-2013, and early-build 2014 model years. I confirmed mine was not either via email by VWoA last year. :(
 

astat101

Member
Joined
May 7, 2015
Location
UK
TDI
None at present
Hi,
I am not sure if this will help at all but there is a company that manufacture diesel engine charge air coolers, you should try Vestas aircoil A/S in Denmark (www.vestas-aircoil.com)
They have a charge air cooler cleaning service facility in Denmark.

Maybe they can advise
 

Dfc41889

New member
Joined
May 12, 2015
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL
I don't believe the TDI engine needs cool down. I know this has been discussed before in other forums.

Gassers may need to cool down, but not our diesels.

df

I always perform a turbo cool down to get cooler oil through the turbo before shutting down. Interrupting a regen could be really bad for the turbo. This is likely what is causing most the issues. All the more reason to fully delete.:)
 

jjcsnlynn

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Location
Felton, DE
TDI
02 & 03 Jetta TDI,99 Beetle TDI, 04 Chevy Duramax 2500HD 4x4
What year was turbo failure fixed?

I was about to buy a '13 Passat 6-speed last year when I found out about the Turbo exploding issue. I read about the recall that reduced the boost at cold start up.

I'm still wanting to get a newer Passat but can't find when the whole turbo issue was fixed (without) the recoding of the ECU.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles
None of them are "safe" or "fixed." You're open to get whatever year you want. ;)
 

jjcsnlynn

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Location
Felton, DE
TDI
02 & 03 Jetta TDI,99 Beetle TDI, 04 Chevy Duramax 2500HD 4x4
So the 2015s are still the same turbo design as the 2012? This is why I'm considering converting my wife to a Jetta owner.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
2018 Tesla Model 3: 217,000 miles
The 2015 is completely different and are too new to make any determination one way or the other. Sorry, I should have been more clear about that. :eek:
 

jsimpson

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Location
northwest alabama
TDI
2013 passat SEL DSG
Really? So I should keep this POS in hopes that VW MIGHT fix it? Or better yet, an aftermarket fix? I'm sure that will be free. I put down north of $30k to have 5 turbos fail, have the manufacturer just keep throwing their same crap part at my problem, and now I should just grab my ankles a little while longer until an aftermarket fix comes along? So unless VW comes up with a serious fix, when this thing hits the lemon law limits (2 more turbo failures or two more weeks in the shop), I will request my money back.
Does anyone know if Alabama has a lemon law? Too bad we can't sue the EPA for requiring the stupid exhaust additive which is the root cause of all these turbo failures!
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
remember its not totally VW's fault- I have several friends who drive everything from Ford powerstrokes to Freightliner semi's who all have been eating many turbo's ever since the word DPF became common. Just had a friend blow his second in his Cummins ISX powered dump truck, and Here is a 2015 chevy that ate a turbo then ran full throttle off the leaking oil until it ran the pan dry and locked up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRG_T580Heo
 

gncc600

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Location
Indiana
TDI
2013 VW Passat SE DSG
I disagree because this isn't a new problem. They have failed design a more robust turbo and keep installing the same piece of junk. I'm sure the DPF has caused problems for all the brands. But I would bet the turbo failure rate is much higher with VW than most others. There is most likely a VW employee in an office who ran the numbers and decided it will be cheaper to constantly replace turbos than to redesign it to be more robust. I would gladly have payed a few hundred $$ more to have a much better turbo in my Passat. That being said... no issues what so ever for me :D
 
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