TURBO: Please report NMS turbo failures here. [not a discussion thread!]

Troubled1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Location
Madera, Pa
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
Just recieved word from VW USA that my B7 Pasaat turbo which failed 2 months ago now won't be available till October!!! She stated that there are over 1500 on backorder! So disgusted with this car. Turbo was " rebuilt" 3 weeks prior to last failure. Anybody else have an idea for a replacement?? 😖😖😖
 

Troubled1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Location
Madera, Pa
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
  • 184,000 miles, about 70% highway miles.
  • Air temp at failure - low 40's F
  • I've used nothing but Pentosin HP3 10w30 507 oil since I bought the car in 2016 with 80,000 miles. Since I didn't know what oil was in when I bought the car, I took it straight home and changed the oil.
  • 65 mile daily commute (round trip)
  • I don't drive it like I stole it, but I don't baby the car either.
  • I do my best to not interrupt regens. I installed a P3cars gauge so I can identify when a regen is happening.
  • DSG Transmission.

I noticed a bit of a "wow" sound during the drive to work on Monday -- wasn't sure if it was tires or the freshly installed winter front flapping a little bit. Heard a light pop when I jumped on the throttle to pull away from an obnoxious tailgater and the glow plug light starting flashing and all boost was gone. Limped it the last 3 miles into the parking lot at work. Had it towed to the garage-- not the dealer, I'm past the extended warranty from the emissions "fix".

However, it gets even better because the replacement turbos are currently back-ordered until sometime in February. Anybody with a line on a reman or a good low-mileage turbo, send me a
 

Troubled1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Location
Madera, Pa
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
Exact same sound and lights here. Also no boost. Took it to dealer, they claim that a nut in the turbo came out and destroyed the vanes in the turbo. This after they "rebuilt" it less than a month prior. Just got word today that it will be until at LEAST October until another is avail. So disgusted!! 😖😖
 

Troubled1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Location
Madera, Pa
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
Anybody else getting the notice that the thread to report failures is no longer active??? I can't get the link to work. 🤷‍♂️
 

DownByTheRiver

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Location
florida
TDI
2012 passat
Asked the parts guy at the dealership about this today, and he said they've pulled the remans for reasons unknown. It's the #1 backordered vw part...supposedly 700 some on order nationwide.
 

Rganey

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2021
Location
Freeburg, Illinois
TDI
2013 Passat SE
Are any of you guys experiencing the traditional turbo death whine (siren sound) before failure or is it just an instant snap?
Mine did whine before the turbo failed. I thought the siren / whine sound was the transmission but apparently it was the turbo about to die.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I spoke to the guy in charge of sourcing turbos at our B-W distributor yesterday. He shed some light on what's happened with these turbos. He told me that all turbo makers outsource castings to foundries all over the world. When the pandemic hit many of those foundries shut down temporarily, and some went out of business. In that process some of them lost the tooling for the turbos they were making castings for. Now that they're open again, some can't find the tooling for certain products. Some are simply gone forever. And for reasons I don't fully understand, he said it can take a year to get new tooling made and in use. He also told me that their oldest, unfilled, stocking order for the CKRA turbo is two years old as of this week. So B-W was having trouble supplying these turbos even before the pandemic.
 

two passat man

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
montana
TDI
2013 passat black on black
Asked the parts guy at the dealership about this today, and he said they've pulled the remans for reasons unknown. It's the #1 backordered vw part...supposedly 700 some on order nationwide.
My Reman from ECS lasted 9,000 miles and shaft seal failure. I ordered OEM from dealership 7/23/21 still back ordered. Mine will probably show up in December when it's 10 degrees out so it's going to be a cold install......LOL
 

TDI-12

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2020
Location
Virginia
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE. I've got lots to learn!
Two weekends ago my 2012 Passat TDI went lame. 76860 miles. I limped it home, then trailered it to the VW dealer.
Dealer called today -- they're going to replace the turbo, the particulate filter, "and a few other things."
They've got five in line ahead of me, the first of them having been waiting since March.
 

two passat man

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
montana
TDI
2013 passat black on black
Two weekends ago my 2012 Passat TDI went lame. 76860 miles. I limped it home, then trailered it to the VW dealer.
Dealer called today -- they're going to replace the turbo, the particulate filter, "and a few other things."
They've got five in line ahead of me, the first of them having been waiting since March.
Good thing is the number of back ordered turbos was down to 1,000 from 1,600 3 weeks ago. Hopefully your wait won't be as long.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
We got exactly two of the many of these we have on order a few weeks ago. One from the dealer, one from Garrett. Since then, nothing.
 

Rganey

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2021
Location
Freeburg, Illinois
TDI
2013 Passat SE
The repair on my 2013 Passat with a turbo failure was completed yesterday. The dealer had the car 4 months from early August through November. They did provide me with a loaner car at their expense, $2000 per month. The 3 expensive parts listed on the invoice that they replaced were the CATALYST 561-253-053-A, the JX EXMANTURBO 03L-253-010-JX and the OIL PUMP 03L-115-105-F. The mechanic's notes on the invoice says that the DPF was replaced, so I'm assuming that the catalyst includes the DPF. I asked the service advisor if the replacement turbo was new and re-engineered, meaning improved, to address all the failures of this part. He couldn't give many or any details on the turbo, like where it was manufactured. His opinion is that the turbo failures are the result of the cars sitting so long on the lots during the dieselgate buyback ordeal. The service advisor said that Volkswagen now spends on average from $8,000 to $14,000 (including providing rental cars) per vehicle on these turbo replacements. He described one car where the turbo failed, throwing metal into the engine resulting in a rod blowing through the block , hitting the transmission. That customer will get an engine and transmission replacement at Volkswagen's expense. He did say maybe it's taking so long to get these turbos because they have been re-engineered and improved. As I wrote earlier however , I think his opinion is that these turbo have failed because some of these vehicles sat for years, not being driven during the buyback.
The car runs and drives smoothly with good acceleration. Looking under the hood with the car idling, I don't remember the engine vibrating much as it is now. It's not real bad and possibly I'm imagining things. Admittedly, I'm a little scared of this car, as if I don't trust it. Hopefully it will provide good service now. Auffenberg Volkswagen in Fairview Heights, Illinois is to be commended for providing the loaner car and fixing this vehicle under warranty.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
They turbos were changed (improved, I don't know) sometime in 2015, because that is when I did my first CKRA replacement. So Dieselgate has nothing to do with it. Besides, they extended the warranty on them long before that.

Man, I wish VoA would just give me the loaner car cash instead... I'd just go buy an old TDI instead. Then you'll ALWAYS have a reliable car to drive, LOL!
 

two passat man

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
montana
TDI
2013 passat black on black
ECS tuning did warranty the reman turbo. I got a replacement delivered on 11/16/21 installed finished on thanksgiving day. Dealership notified me today my OEM turbo will show up next week. For you guys that bought a diesel gate car that has a warranty and as long as it has it don't tune the car. I did a Malone stage 2 delete I also have 264,988 so warranty is long gone. Turbo takes about 8 hours to change because I don't have the particulate filter blocking the way. After install drove car 2500 miles round trip to California for work, talk about a stressful drive....LOL I'm still getting 2 codes 1 for Throttle position sensor....I replaced last year and Throttle/Pedal sensor I replaced today. I have a VCDS reader and clear codes but they come back. Am I missing something when I replace the parts?
 

Passat TDI Rookie

New member
Joined
Dec 29, 2021
Location
Iowa City
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
ECS tuning did warranty the reman turbo. I got a replacement delivered on 11/16/21 installed finished on thanksgiving day. Dealership notified me today my OEM turbo will show up next week. For you guys that bought a diesel gate car that has a warranty and as long as it has it don't tune the car. I did a Malone stage 2 delete I also have 264,988 so warranty is long gone. Turbo takes about 8 hours to change because I don't have the particulate filter blocking the way. After install drove car 2500 miles round trip to California for work, talk about a stressful drive....LOL I'm still getting 2 codes 1 for Throttle position sensor....I replaced last year and Throttle/Pedal sensor I replaced today. I have a VCDS reader and clear codes but they come back. Am I missing something when I replace the parts?
I have a similar set up and I am on Turbo #3. Did you upgrade the oil supply or return line with your Malone set up? My last turbo claimed that the reason for the failure was lack of oil at the start.
 

cudabnu

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2004
Location
Moorpark, CA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI, just sold my 2007 Touareg V10 TDI
I just picked up a 2013 Passat with a blown turbo, out of warranty (159K miles, updates done at 52K miles) . I now have it removed, exhaust wheel frozen, intake wheel came out with 1/2 the shaft. Have a new borg warner unit on order, my Local VW shop says they show stock in some of their back east warehouses. Anyone just change the cartridge with good luck? or are they a crap shoot too?
 

tenacious84

Active member
Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Location
MN
TDI
'13 Passat SEL
My 2013 Passat TDI, just blew it's turbo. 157K miles, about 10K miles out of diesel gate warranty.
 

Rganey

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2021
Location
Freeburg, Illinois
TDI
2013 Passat SE
Are you sure that you calculated the warranty mileage correctly?....the mileage counts from the time of the buyback / repair. Luckily mine was covered. These TDI Passats are nice driving cars but I have lost trust in mine after the turbo died and then the DEF tank heater went out. Mine was at the dealership for repairs for months. Hopefully you can get it repaired for a reasonable amount. Take care. Cars are a headache.
 

fredthe

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Location
Bowie, MD
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium DSG, 2015 Golf Sportwagon SEL DSG
So my '13 Passat blew it's turbo last week. It's got ~225k miles on it, outside either the Turbo or Dieselgate Extended Warranty. Dealer is quoting $6,500 for the repair, which includes 19 hours of labor which seems high. They've also told me that the catalytic converter is on backorder with no availability date.

Data, will update when repairs are complete.
  • Miles on car at failure: about 225,000
  • Build date: TBD (once I get my car back)
  • Corrective actions from dealership: Quote for replacing Turbo, DPF, Cat, etc. $6,500. VW not willing to help.
  • Outside air temps at failure: 80 F
  • Failure warning signs, if any: None, occurred when pulling onto highway. Engine was hot but had been sitting parked for about 20 minutes.
  • Warning lights on dash/MFI: Flashing glow plug, limp mode. Confirmed code P0299 and turbo shaft wiggled.
  • Problems since replacement: n/a
  • Repair time:
  • Any dealer divulged info on other incidents involving other failures:
  • Did the dealership perform all maintenance and on schedule: dealer performed some, I did the rest, all on schedule.
  • If not dealership, what oil was used/miles on oil: VW Oil, 0W30, about 2,000
  • Are you the original owner of the car: Yes
  • Did you baby your car or not: Generally not driven hard, but I did accelerate hard right when it failed.
  • Do you interrupt DPF regenerations: Sometimes
  • How long is your daily commute: 40 Miles each way
  • Transmission (DSG/auto or manual): DSG
  • Failed turbo part number (if known):
  • Replacement turbo part number (if known):
    Did you have the Jan 2015 23N5 software update: Yes (and I do notice the reduced turbo on cold start)
 
Last edited:

x1800MODMY360x

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2021
Location
AZ, USA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL
  • Miles on car at failure: 114,480 Miles
  • Build date: 01/13
  • Corrective actions from dealership: TBD
  • Outside air temps at failure: 98F
  • Failure warning signs, if any: None
  • Warning lights on dash/MFI: None
  • Problems since replacement: TBD
  • Repair time: TBD
  • Any dealer divulged info on other incidents involving other failures: TBD
  • Did the dealership perform all maintenance and on schedule: TBD
  • If not dealership, what oil was used/miles on oil: Castrol Edge LL 5w30 4k miles since last change.
  • Are you the original owner of the car: No, 5th Owner.
  • Did you baby your car or not: Yes and No.
  • Do you interrupt DPF regenerations: No and even let EGT cool down before shutdown.
  • How long is your daily commute: 36 Miles / 40Mins
  • Transmission (DSG/auto or manual): DSG
  • Failed turbo part number (if known): TBD
  • Replacement turbo part number (if known): TBD
    Did you have the Jan 2015 23N5 software update: Emissions fix, yes?
 

johnnywalter

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2022
Location
Virginia
TDI
2013 Passat
145,000 miles
Build date 13 May 2013
Corrective action: replace turbo and DPF
outside air temp: varied, has not totally failed
Warning Lights: none
initiated service request upon significant change in oil consumption. diagnosis was the seals were failing. Turbo was still functioning, and no other symptoms present.
zero other problems with the car since ownership (3 yrs).
3rd owner
 

HoMsEy

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2022
Location
Montreal QC
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
Turbo died at 280 000km. The car was a smoke machine at this point. THICK, and I mean THICK white smoke was coming out of the exhaust, burning a butt load of oil. My oil cooler and filter housing also has to be replaced at the same time. Not sure which failed first but wtv. Bought a new turbo from China and installed it. Garage charged me 20 hours of labour, pretty sure I got screwed there, and 6k CAD total for all parts and labour.
 

seahawkdodge

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2020
Location
FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI
Not sure my build date, but while my 2013 Passat was in for a bad head gasket they found the turbo bad at 110,000 miles. The SA said it was leaking exhaust internally.
 

calimustang

Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
oof. yeah deleting will help dramatically to your turbo.
 

VW_Diesel_All_Day

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2023
Location
Virginia
TDI
2013 Passat TDI, 2014 Sportwagen
Helping a friend out, 2012 Passat TDI 226k Miles, he's the third owner and the car was driven 19k miles in 10 months. Vehicle is being deleted/tuned new OEM turbo of the most recent revision.
 
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