Audi 2.5 TDI turbo problems

[carrotchomper]

I am currently selling my 2003 Audi A4 2.5TDi. A chap came to see it today and said that there was some form of problem with the turbo.

Now I've never noticed this up till now, but it does seem to be rather less smooth than it should be. It does still seem to be working as I haven't noticed any loss in power or other symptoms.

I don't think he was trying it on, because he walked away rather than tried to bust the price down, but I am now rather concerned there may be a problem with it. If anything, it seems as if there may not be enough pressure generated- What should it sound like? There is no audible turbo whistle on mine, untoward smoke or anything.

Is this the form of thing that would show up on a diagnostic check? And any ideas how much I might need to bend over for this at an indy?

Cheers.

[Mr V]

Does the engine rev properly all the way to the red line whilst driving? If it does, does it hold back?

[carrotchomper]

Mr V said:

Does the engine rev properly all the way to the red line whilst driving? If it does, does it hold back?

It seems to- TBH if he hadn't said anything I doubt I would be worrying now. The only "symptoms" as such are that it sounds quite rattly over certain revs and there is vibration when backing off the power- But I'm certain these are just characteristics of the huge diesel lump!!!

Engine revs smoothly, and flooring it from stationary does not seem to trouble it. I'm confused! If anything the turbo does not seem to kick in as noticably as it should at 2000-ish rpm. But no real downturn in performance?!?

Leaky pipe causing slight loss of pressure?

[Double R]

I own an Audi A8 2.5 Tdi and I had a loss of power in the engine. The good news is that Audi sorted the issue very quickly and it was not that expensive. Car now back to normal if not better!

get the car inspected asap from an Audi dealer for peace of mind

best!

[carrotchomper]

Thanks for the replies.

I spoke to a mechanic friend at work who had a listen and indicated that the nasty noise was, indeed, bearings in the turbo on the way out. Not wishing to replace said item I have offloaded my car to a dealer "as is" at a somewhat reduced price. Job done!

[ChasW]

Had a similar problem on 1.9Tdi A4 quattro. The noise was just about discernable. Had I always driven with sound system on I would never have picked it up. Took it in to the dealer (3 months of warranty left) and they replaced it without question. I am told that after a long fast run you should leave the engine running for 5 minutes or so to allow the turbo to cool down gradually. This reduces wear, apparently.

[carrotchomper]

I still think 74k is a little early for a turbo to be expiring, but I don't tend to drive at low speed so I suppose it is to be expected! It's quite easy to confuse the noise with standard Audi bag-of-nails diesel rattle though, hence why I did not notice and sell eariler!

[ChasW]

Meant to say that mine was changed at 57000 though I began to notice around 52000