Turbo oil leak!!!!

**smoggyrich** · 06-09-2011,01:42 PM

Hello fellas.

I posted on here on Saturday regarding an oil leak on my 56 reg golf 2.0l tdi 140. I had the AA tow me to my local garage, where i'd had a service carried out at the end of july, The AA engineer suspected that the sump plug had been damaged/ fitted incorrectly during the service.

My local garage called me back today to inform me that the leak was coming from the turbo.

The turbo on my car was replaced with a new one in October last year because it kept triggering my car to go into Limp home mode. The garage that carried out this work was not a VW garage but did specialise in VW's. The old turbo was gummed up and the vanes were sticking.

I'm now in the process of having the car towed from my local garage to the place where the turbo was replaced lats year.

Should this part be under warranty? (less than a year old)

Should the work that the garage carried out be covered under their warranty.

Has anyone had any similar experience as this and what was your outcome?

I'm just trying to find out what all this is going to cost me.

Thanks for any advice.

**vwcabriolet1971** · 06-09-2011,06:21 PM

As turbo fitted in Oct was "new" then under the Sale of Goods Act , the new turbo should last for a "reasonable time" . Less than a year of use is not a reasonable time.
I'm sure if you went to the small claims court, the matter would be quickly resolved in your favour ( all costs including any towing charges ). Hopefully the garage will see sense before this action is needed.

**smoggyrich** · 06-09-2011,07:02 PM

Thank's again for your response mate. I will wait to see what the garage have to say when i give them a phone tomorrow.
Do you think then that all labour cost to sort this out should be covered by them or just the cost of the part?

**vwbloc** · 06-09-2011,07:49 PM

no matter what the turbo should have come with one year warrenty no matter where you bought it from. Plus the instructions on changing a turbo include changing the oil pipe leading to the turbo. It may only be that the nut on the pipe leading to the turbo needs tightening. Also you need to watchout the garage might be pulling a fast one just to make some money out of someone like yourself. If they insist that you fix it then they should have done the job properly first time round and that pipe should not be leaking so therefore they should sort it out for free.

**smoggyrich** · 07-09-2011,08:49 AM

Hello again.

I've had the garage on this morning and they have informed me that the oil feed pipe to the turbo is cracked. I asked him if this pipe was replaced last year and he said to keep the cost down they left the original one in place. I came of the phone and checked the Invoice from the work done last year and it clearly says that the oil feed pipe was changed. So i phoned him back straight away and told him. He ummed and arrred (like most mechanics do) then said oh yes we did change that.

I said well shouldn't this have lasted for more than 11 months he said that they are crap and crack all the time. So i will have to pay up for the full cost of the repair. He just quoted me £140 + VAT. He also said i could try taking it up with the parts supplier but doubts i'll get anywhere.

Where do I stand with this? I have told him to do the work as i need the car back ASAP. Is he trying to fob me off?

**vwcabriolet1971** · 07-09-2011,01:34 PM

According to the Sales of Goods act the seller is responsible for all parts quality issues . The garage should take action against the co. that they bought the pipe from not you.
Stand-up for your rights ! Tell the garage that they have fitted an inferior quality part and they are responsible. Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) parts last many years without problems. If the garage knew that their supplier quality was "crap" why did they fit them ?
In these circumstances I would inform them that I would be making claim against them through the small claims court ( after they had fixed the car and before you paid the bill ) . You may have to pay the bill and claim later.

**smoggyrich** · 07-09-2011,05:35 PM

The guy from the garaged phoned me back this morning to tell that he had completed the work and he said as a bit of good will gesture he would charge me 140 if i payed cash. I told him that i was still not happy about the charge but i would arrange a lift to come down and pick it up.

I phoned back 30mins later to tell him i was on my way but i was armed with a few extracts from 'The sales of goods act' I said to him i wasn't happy and that i'd gathered some legal advice. saying to him that
he was obliged to ensure that the parts he fit are of good quality and last for a reasonable amount of time etc etc.

His reply to me was "well i was about to phone you to tell you that i was going to do the work for 100quid but if you are going to get arsey i'll just take the pipe off"

He then told me that he was doing me favour because the invoice for the work carried out on the Turbo wasn't in my name it was in the Dealers name where i bought the car. He said the warranty on the work was not transferable. When i bought the car last year, from an indipendant, the turbo started playing up after a few weeks of having the car so i took it back to the dealer and he took it to this garage to get the work done.

He said really i should be paying the full price of the repair as the invoice wasn't in my name.

At this point i folded and agreed to pay the 100quid cash. Call me stupid i Know but i felt i was about to shoot myself in the foot.

100 is better than 140 + VAT that he quoted this morning and at least i have the car back with the part fixed.

**vwbloc** · 07-09-2011,06:15 PM

If I was you i would go to that mechanic and ask him if he was born sideways. You yourself did not buy that part nor did you fit it. So the mechanic and the supplier should be deciding who is at fault, not you. And thats ******** what he said about oilfeed pipes cracking. They are in a place where they are well protected, behind the engine lump and covered underneath by the plastic undercover. Even if they do crack "all the time" it should have lasted more than 11 months. So he should get back to his crap supplier who supplied him with crap that "crack all the time".

Get the work done and pay him then chase him through the small claims court. Bet you my car he will get back to his supplier quicker than you can say volkswagen!!! If he costs you £140 extra then make sure it costs him double or tripple that. also name and shame him so that he loses business. But be sweet to him until he gets job done.....

**Crasher** · 07-09-2011,06:17 PM

They only crack if not fitted correctly and left unsupported, in my experience they are only an issue when changing the turbo as they jam and then twist. If it was new a year ago, a genuine part used AND it was fitted correctly, it has a 24 month warranty supported by VAG and that includes labour. If it was a genuine part last year he should have handed the car over to the local VW dealer together with a copy of his invoice from his TPS for the part and VW would have dealt with it FOC.

**vwbloc** · 07-09-2011,06:26 PM

Cool no problem job done. Just make sure you let the car get warmed up a little before you set off and let it cool down when you come to an end of a journey before switching engine off. FOR EVERy JOURNEY FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.