Volvo v50 1.6d turbo failure

[Presonususer]

Hi guys, this is my first post on this forum and I feel it only fair to warn any potential respondents that I'm not very mechanically minded, so the use of layman's terms in any replies wherever possible would be very helpful ;o)

The story.... I was driving up quite a steep hill when my engine started making a whirring noise and lost power (about 5 mph with my foot to the floor). I only just managed to get home.

I took the car to my usual mechanic this morning and he told me that my turbo was completely broken. He'd pulled a hose off from the turbo and invited me to feel the substantial play on the part that was immediately accessible through the available opening.

He told me that it would cost thousands to fix/replace, that the cost would make any repair/replacement not at all viable (my car, on an '08 plate is valued @ £2K on autotrader) and that it wasn't something that he would do himself anyway.

He explained that the problem was common for the hdi engine in my car and that even if the turbo was replaced, it could break again quite easily. He also said something about the hoses to the turbo being too narrow and blocking with carbon too easily, which starves the turbo of oil and causes it to wear and pack in, which would happen again if I just replaced it.

So my first question is ~ is what he said completely true?

My second, 4 part question is ~ what would you do at this point, bearing in mind that the rest of the car is in very good nick and has just had new link arms, front shockers and tyres all round, basically, do you think it's worth pursuing a repair, or would it be best to just sell it as spares or repairs, and roughly how much do you think I should ask for it?

I'd be really grateful if I could get some sound advice from members here and I offer my profuse thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to come forward to assist me.

Steve

[Dancake]

It is a fairly common issue with the 1.6hdi engine, brought about by a number of contributing factors. Things such as extended or missed oil changes, using the wrong grade of oil, not keeping the oil level high enough etc. When replacing the turbo on these engines, the sump needs to be removed to clean/replace the oil pick up strainer, and the oil pump needs to be either thoroughly cleaned or replaced. You also need to replace the turbo oil lines and banjo bolts, and tend to the common leaking injector seals. The intercooler, vacuum pump, oil cooler and oil filter also need to be checked for contamination. The carbon build up can be and often is a complete nightmare to remove. There's a fair bit of work involved just to replace a turbo. If you don't follow these procedures, the replacement turbo is pretty much guaranteed to fail in a very short period of time.

In my experience Volvo has a tendency to modify engines from other manufacturers before fitting them to Volvo cars. They make the engines better by correcting any issues that either have arisen or may arise. Not everything gets addressed though, so you will always have a few issues that show themselves over time, normally (though not always) as a result of neglecting to adhere to service regimes. The parts required for the job can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Supply and demand means that because this is a common issue, the cost of parts comes down due to sales volume. The labour is where the bulk of the cost is incurred.

[Presonususer]

Thank you very much for your reply Dancake, much appreciated. It sounds like it's a veritable pain in the wotsit to repair and if not done exactly right, the chances of further problems are very high, which is probably why my mechanic guy isn't too keen on doing the job himself. If it was your car and it was worth £2K, would you have it repaired or get rid of it, i.e. would the broken turbo write the car off for you bearing it's value in mind?

Btw, the car has a full service history, so if the oil has missed changes, the chances are that I've been conned out of oil changes by mechanics not changing it, but charging me for it.

[Dancake]

If it was my car I would do the repair work myself, but I appreciate that not everyone is in a position to be able to do so themselves. Given the value of the car, it would perhaps sway me towards looking for another vehicle. The costs involved in the repair work could only be justified if the car was mechanically, electrically and structurally sound everywhere else. i.e not likely to give any trouble in the near future. (See last paragraph)

There is of course the option of replacing the entire engine with a known good unit. Whilst this could work out cheaper overall, you would need to make sure that the replacement engine came from a well cared for motor and from a reputable source. The labour cost in replacing the engine is unlikely to be more than the cost of the remedial work required on your existing engine. This option isn't without risk as I'm sure you are aware.

Before writing the car off, I would research garages that have a history of performing these turbo repairs. With the job being so well known, some independant garages are bound to have became quite skilled at performing the required tasks associated with turbo replacement on these engines. Who knows, there may be a cost effective solution out there that I am not aware of.

[Presonususer]

Yeah, repairing it yourself would save on the labour costs that I would have to pay for with me not being at all mechanical. Anyway Dan, thanks for at least giving me food for thought.