K04 turbo leaking oil?
Discussion
So my car has always had a bit of oil or leaking coming from somewhere in the turbo (K04) but mechanic is not 100% sure where. First he thought it was coming from a the turbo return line but he thinks it's not that anymore. He wants to remove the turbo and replace all the gaskets/seals and put the turbo back in. He said I would need to leave the car there overnight.
Is this a big job? Does it really take more than a day to do this? How much would it cost for labor and the new gaskets/seals. He doesn't think it's serious and the turbo is fine, but just wondering how much this will cost and if it's worth it to do it or just wait until I need to buy a new turbo and do it then?
It's not leaking a lot to the point where I have to refill my engine oil every month, but any leak must not be good and could lead to more damage down the road?
Any advice would be helpful thanks.
Is this a big job? Does it really take more than a day to do this? How much would it cost for labor and the new gaskets/seals. He doesn't think it's serious and the turbo is fine, but just wondering how much this will cost and if it's worth it to do it or just wait until I need to buy a new turbo and do it then?
It's not leaking a lot to the point where I have to refill my engine oil every month, but any leak must not be good and could lead to more damage down the road?
Any advice would be helpful thanks.
Yes, I'm going to ask him for a quote but I have no idea what these kinds of things usually cost (to remove the turbo to replace gaskets/seals and put it back in the car). From what I've read, it's not really a difficult or complicated job, but it is time consuming.
He didn't say the turbo was failing but we did find the oil coming from the turbo area where all the hoses and lines are connected. After he had cleaned that area to have a better look, he saw what looks to be like signs of a sealant paste that was used in the past to try and seal the turbo return line. He thinks that they used a sealant paste instead of replacing the seals/gaskets and thought that was the source but after driving it and going back there, he saw that it wasn't coming from the turbo return line but somewhere else on the turbo. There's oil all over that area and it looks pretty wet but it's not dripping consistently but there are droplets. It's probably happening when I'm driving than when it's just sitting there parked.
He didn't say the turbo was failing but we did find the oil coming from the turbo area where all the hoses and lines are connected. After he had cleaned that area to have a better look, he saw what looks to be like signs of a sealant paste that was used in the past to try and seal the turbo return line. He thinks that they used a sealant paste instead of replacing the seals/gaskets and thought that was the source but after driving it and going back there, he saw that it wasn't coming from the turbo return line but somewhere else on the turbo. There's oil all over that area and it looks pretty wet but it's not dripping consistently but there are droplets. It's probably happening when I'm driving than when it's just sitting there parked.
Edited by cornflakes2 on Monday 9th April 02:10
I'm getting a few different opinions. Some people tell me that I don't need to fix it if it's not serious leak. I keep hearing that some leak is normal and I'd only be spending a lot of money for something that doesn't need to really get fixed.
The other side is that I should do it even if it's a small leak because it could damage the turbo or other parts later down the road? Is that true or is it just scare tactics to get me to do the repair?
The other side is that I should do it even if it's a small leak because it could damage the turbo or other parts later down the road? Is that true or is it just scare tactics to get me to do the repair?
That is actually quite a lot of fresh oil leaking, not a lot as in level but as in it is all over the area.
My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
E-bmw said:
That is actually quite a lot of fresh oil leaking, not a lot as in level but as in it is all over the area.
My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
Thanks for the advice. Yes, it is a lot of fresh oil that is all over the area. He says that it's from the turbo and pointed out where the gaskets/seals are will replace those. I just don't know 100% if he is right or not. I don't know if I can verify that that is indeed the source of the leak. You are right. I am worried that after he does it and I test drive it and still find some fresh oil....then did I just spend all that money for almost nothing and start right back at square one? Do you think I should try a 2nd opinion and a 3rd opinion and go to different places to see if they can all verify the same source? My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
Or do you think I can affix a tiny camera under there and record it while I drive to see if I can catch the leak LIVE in action? I do have a couple small cameras (the famous mobius cameras).
Or if I were to ask them to raise the car up and have someone just gas it a few times in Park mode, would that be able to show where the leak might be coming from? It appears that it might be "spraying" as oppose to dribblets since it's all over the place my guess is the leaking action is a mist or spray/squirt in very small amounts.
First question, are you going to get involved in the process yourself?
If so you need to get underneath with a hand-sprayer with a degreaser in or similar, a good stiff brush & possibly remove heat-shields etc & fastidiously clean the complete area properly free of ALL oil residue.
Then run the car & have a look underneath for early signs of oil, if no sign, take it out for a quick run & check again, if not take it out for a bit more & check again until you can ACTUALLy 100% see exactly where it is coming from.
It is the ONLY way to actually find the cause of the leak.
Some garages don't really care if they fix the fault, just that they get money for work.
If so you need to get underneath with a hand-sprayer with a degreaser in or similar, a good stiff brush & possibly remove heat-shields etc & fastidiously clean the complete area properly free of ALL oil residue.
Then run the car & have a look underneath for early signs of oil, if no sign, take it out for a quick run & check again, if not take it out for a bit more & check again until you can ACTUALLy 100% see exactly where it is coming from.
It is the ONLY way to actually find the cause of the leak.
Some garages don't really care if they fix the fault, just that they get money for work.
yes, you are right. That does make logical sense. TBH it's hard to do that simply because
I don't have a car lift to look underneath with ease (nor do I have a garage or my own parking place).
Doing this work on a public parking spot with busy traffic and people is a challenge.
But I fully agree with you.
I don't have a car lift to look underneath with ease (nor do I have a garage or my own parking place).
Doing this work on a public parking spot with busy traffic and people is a challenge.
But I fully agree with you.
E-bmw said:
That is actually quite a lot of fresh oil leaking, not a lot as in level but as in it is all over the area.
My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
This ^ investigation before spending My advice would be to tell him no but to ACTUALLY find out where it IS coming from rather than just do stuff until it stops.
There are far too many mechanics these days who say "it could be this so I will spend £xxx of your money just in case it fixes it" and it is NOT the correct approach get an actual diagnosis rather than a guess.
E-bmw said:
First question, are you going to get involved in the process yourself?
If so you need to get underneath with a hand-sprayer with a degreaser in or similar, a good stiff brush & possibly remove heat-shields etc & fastidiously clean the complete area properly free of ALL oil residue.
Then run the car & have a look underneath for early signs of oil, if no sign, take it out for a quick run & check again, if not take it out for a bit more & check again until you can ACTUALLy 100% see exactly where it is coming from.
It is the ONLY way to actually find the cause of the leak.
Some garages don't really care if they fix the fault, just that they get money for work.
What he said. A few cans of brake cleaner from eurocarparts are good for degreasingIf so you need to get underneath with a hand-sprayer with a degreaser in or similar, a good stiff brush & possibly remove heat-shields etc & fastidiously clean the complete area properly free of ALL oil residue.
Then run the car & have a look underneath for early signs of oil, if no sign, take it out for a quick run & check again, if not take it out for a bit more & check again until you can ACTUALLy 100% see exactly where it is coming from.
It is the ONLY way to actually find the cause of the leak.
Some garages don't really care if they fix the fault, just that they get money for work.
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