GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Turbo went bad (TSI '08.5)

PJ81

power hungry
Location
Lincoln Park, NJ
i just got a call from my dealership, Crestmont VW, and they told me that my turbo needed to be replaced. i went in because my CEL had been on, and i also noticed that my car had weird power loss issues in 4th gear. the car would accelerate, then bog down for a second around 3500rpms, and then suddenly accelerate hard again.

when they told me it was my turbo, i was just waiting for the bad news because i know they saw my intake and my boost gauge. even though i had my APR stg 1 locked, it wouldn't have been presumptuous on their part to assume i had tuning done to the engine.

instead of telling me it wouldn't be covered, they said that the turbo replacement would be free of charge under warranty, along with a rental car! :happyanim:

they gave me a toyota corolla s to drive around, and as i accelerated out of the dealership, i legit thought the car was broken. i pressed the accelerator, and it just wouldn't go, but then i realized that this is how most normal cars accelerate, and i had just gotten too used to the punch of the GTI. i already miss my GTI. i miss all that crazy unnecessary torque.

in regards to the faulty turbo, what i was confused about was how it went bad so quickly. i only have 26k on my car, while stg 1 and the intake was installed about 2 months ago. i also don't track, or really drive my car too hard other than the occasional spirited driving. my service rep told me that it was a faulty turbo, and that somehow the seal was bad. i wonder if anyone else has had "faulty" turbos that needed replacing.

has anyone else with a TSI engine experienced their turbo going bad on them with so little mileage?

btw, i wanted to share this story mainly because i was so pleased with my dealership for not making my life difficult and for being super accommodating. Crestmont VW gets a :thumbsup: from me.
 
Last edited:

lancGTI

www.oli.org
Location
PA
Car(s)
2006 GTI
Hopefully, someone at the dealership won't read this thread.

Glad to hear they're taking care of you though, as it should be.
 

NewToVW

Automotive Ninja
Location
USA
Good to hear they are fixing it for you. Bad to hear about a TSI turbo dying an early death.
 

btekk

loveVAG
Location
New York
was your car brand new when you got it or used? i feel like if this ever happened to me, i was get bent over by the dealership. they've already screwed my family over with the touareg we got and i've had some issues already with my gti.
 

pitbull592

Go Kart Champion
Location
PA
My best friend got a cel on his way home from the dealer just after buying his 09 gti tsi. He brought it back thinking it was something simple like a gas cap, came to find out it was a bad turbo, and they had to put him in a jetta for two weeks, but they gave him alot of perks for free for the hassle.
-free monster mats
-3 free details
-free interior/exterior protectant
-gave him 0% for 7 years on his financing

so, I guess it was worth it, since I got him the car at cost.
 

PJ81

power hungry
Location
Lincoln Park, NJ
was your car brand new when you got it or used? i feel like if this ever happened to me, i was get bent over by the dealership. they've already screwed my family over with the touareg we got and i've had some issues already with my gti.

i got the car brand new last year (Oct).
i'm bummed that i have to drive a corolla s around for 2 days, but the fact that they didn't say anything about my mods makes up for it.


My best friend got a cel on his way home from the dealer just after buying his 09 gti tsi. He brought it back thinking it was something simple like a gas cap, came to find out it was a bad turbo, and they had to put him in a jetta for two weeks, but they gave him alot of perks for free for the hassle.

hmm, maybe this is somewhat of a common issue?
i haven't really heard too much about it on the forums though.
it's also weird that i've been driving around with a "faulty" turbo for over a year without problems.
maybe the stg 1 pushed the "faulty" seal to its limits?
 

Tempted2Speed

is cooler than you
Location
Sacramento
Car(s)
2007 GTI CW 6MT
Not because I have one but I honestly feel the (most) unproblematic year for the gti was 2007.
 

PJ81

power hungry
Location
Lincoln Park, NJ
Did you ask how much it would cost to upgrade to the K04?

wouldn't it be at least a couple grand? is there even an OEM option for the TSI?
also, from what i hear, going the k04 route with the TSI is a complicated endeavor because there isn't much software support.
 

bluetrep

Ready to race!
Location
North Dallas
dealer earn money from VW, they happy, you happy. if they said NO warranty, you might change to another dealer and they lost business. did you check your oil level every 2 weeks or less?
 

BlueAHR32

Autocross Champion
Location
Illinois
Did you ask how much it would cost to upgrade to the K04?

Theres a lot more that goes into upgrading to a K04, even with a TSI. Good luck finding a dealership that would let you upgrade to a K04 when your K03 goes bad, AND let you keep your warranty.
 

patrick_irwin

Go Kart Champion
Location
Wilmington
this makes me wonder, my cars idle has been acting up for the past 2 day, my gas cap light came on, then went off. then while driving throught town the rpm will jump for no reason. then at stoplights it will fall past 900 rpm then jump to 1200-1300 for no reason and the shift have been acting funny, even though its a 6-speed, i shift about 3500 and the rpm will slam down not like usual. but my car is going in friday so hopeful they fix that shit. oh yeah and my car just stalled out at the stoplight today. i wanted to cry
 

vwinva

Ready to race!
Location
Arlington, VA
this makes me wonder, my cars idle has been acting up for the past 2 day, my gas cap light came on, then went off. then while driving throught town the rpm will jump for no reason. then at stoplights it will fall past 900 rpm then jump to 1200-1300 for no reason and the shift have been acting funny, even though its a 6-speed, i shift about 3500 and the rpm will slam down not like usual. but my car is going in friday so hopeful they fix that shit. oh yeah and my car just stalled out at the stoplight today. i wanted to cry

could be a coilpack
 
Top