Passat 2L TDI Turbo Whine

[Mindonion]

Just in case anyone has had/is having the same problem, I took my car to VW today to get a diagnostic done on the turbo. My turbo makes quite an audible whining noise when in low revs which sounds kinda like a siren in the distance. It's worse when the car's cold and improves but doesn't go away as it gets warm.

VW said it's the turbo impeller making the noise and the only way to resolve it is to replace the turbo charger which happened to be in stock for a not so surprising £1750. Naturally I declined his offer as I need to be able to eat for the next 3 months.

Apparently it should be fine if you're not losing any power and the car isn't drinking oil. I'm relieved that it's not looking like anything serious although I'd have been happier if he'd have said something like "It's this piece of rubber tube that needs replacing mate and it'll be a tenner"

If it eventually dies I'll have to put some faith in my "Warranty Direct" warranty who I'm sure will argue to hell and back that it's "wear and tear". I'll see how it goes

[bimster]

Matter of interest how much did VW charge for the diagnostic check?

[Mindonion]

£42.89. In fairness they also washed and vaccumed my car which I wasn't expecting. It was worth it to hear that my turbo isn't about to blow up but I'd still sooner it didn't make the annoying whining noise in the first place.

[APU]

My BKP 06 plate with 75k does exactly the same. At first i thought i was chased by police most of the time - got used to it after 2 months.

But now it developed a woosh noise when changing gears at 2k-2.5k sounds like a damp valve. I have no idea why it makes that noise. Waste gate not opening properly???

Does anybody experienced this issue?

[martin1810]

Variable vane turbo's don't have waste gates or dump valves. They can dump vacuum by sucking in a bit of air from the air filter. Not generally a noisy thing though.

[steve cal]

My BKP 06 plate with 75k does exactly the same. At first i thought i was chased by police most of the time - got used to it after 2 months.

But now it developed a woosh noise when changing gears at 2k-2.5k sounds like a damp valve. I have no idea why it makes that noise. Waste gate not opening properly???

Does anybody experienced this issue?

Yes mine too at same revs, more when warm me thinks.

[Zeb]

Isn't the whining noise normal on all Diesels?

My car makes a whining noise(Audi A4 B6), and tbh I really love the sound of it!! I wish it was slightly louder..

[eob]

8000 miles now and the turbo whine is getting more pronounced. As Zeb says, pity it's not louder!
No dump sound as such but you can hear the pressure venting when you lift your foot.

All normal and not an issue unless accompanied by drifting white smoke.
As the wear gets worse, the smoke will change from white to grey to black, then you get a bang.

Remember the basics people - Slow and easy warmup and rundown and these engines will give you hundreds of thousands of miles.

[RaBolt]

Hi, I had the same experience on my Touran 2L 140 TDI, It was quite niosy when cold and first started up. This lasted about 8 months and about 20K miles.
How ever, one cold morning I put my foot to the floor to overtake and the car just stopped revving! would not go over 3K and 60MPH. No power. But once stopped and turned off and back on again, it re set a valve and was OK.
Took it in and it happed the day I took it to the garage so without stopping the engine, I let the engineer take it out. Turbo on the way out. needed new injectors, new turbo, new rear spring! 2.5K later, it was like a new car but lost about 10MPGs. 112K on the clock and handed it back as the new passat arived.
Company car so lease company paid.

Let the car fully warm up before you put your foot down.

[Quatrelle]

You'll probably think I drive like an old granny, but I don't floor the throttle or take it over 3000rpm until the temp gauge shows normal.

Of course, whether that will make the engine last any longer is another thing entirely.