Thought it might be useful to see if there is some correlation between turbo failures and servicing regime.

Please only answer if you have had a turbo faulire on your Octavia during either 2008 or 2009.

Thanks!

I had one on my 170 pd a3 in 2008. I'd done 57000 miles. It's serviced every 19k.

It was the variable vanes part of the turbo that had stopped working.

I've posted as it's the same engine as the vRS PD.

Thought it might be useful to see if there is some correlation between turbo failures and servicing regime.

Please only answer if you have had a turbo faulire on your Octavia during either 2008 or 2009.

Thanks!

Whilst i have not had a turbo go on me (Yet) This thread will answer a question that has always intrigued me!

I look forward to the result.

Just under 100K miles, 2.0PD 140 TDi. 2005 (55 Reg).

Still original Turbo

Variable servicing (approx 18K miles between services)

I hope you dont mind, but I have added 2 options to the poll for those of us who have not had failures.

Please only answer if you have had a turbo faulire on your Octavia during either 2008 or 2009.

You are going to end up with a 100% polled failure rate that way!

So is this for diesels only because they seem to be the ones which suffer from this problem? Usually due to soot iirc.

You are going to end up with a 100% polled failure rate that way!

Yes, that was the original point.....to find out if there had been more turbo failures with variable servicing than with fixed

(of course the addition of the other two options by Mannyo is a good idea, for then we can weight the results a little by finding out what proportion of people run fixed and what proportion run variable)

So is this for diesels only because they seem to be the ones which suffer from this problem? Usually due to soot iirc.

Yes diesels only please

I selected "I have had a turbo failure and I am on variable service regime"

The turbo on my 1.9 PD105 gave up the goat after 125k, the last 5k being on a fixed interval.

I selected "I have had a turbo failure and I am on variable service regime"

The turbo on my 1.9 PD105 gave up the goat after 125k, the last 5k being on a fixed interval.

I dont think thats too bad for any turbo.

Thanks for the poll susi, i think it will confirm my suspicions about variable servicing!

I would be willing to bet i'll be on turbo no 3 by the time I reach 125k

I had my turbo changed under warranty at 38.000 km. The turbo started making a very loud whistle noise (the police/ambulance syren symptom )

I have another friend that changed it at 16.000km for the same reason (VRS TDI) and another one that changed it at 45.000 km (2.0 TDI 140) for white smoke.

All 3 cars ware delivered in January 2008.

Mine went at 14k. :( Hats off to Horton Skoda at Lincoln for sorting it under warranty though.

I'll bump this every few days for a couple of weeks. I know some people with valuable voting informtaion (!) only log onto the forum every now and then......

A gentle bump to try and get some more results.

Contribute to the community, place your vote!

Unlike the general election, your vote is worth it!

Sorry hadnt seen the post before?

My turbo on my old 2L PD TDi gave up at approx 40,000

My link

Turbo was well grinded together.

75k on mine (variable services) and it still runs like day 1. Uses no oil/water and no smoke/noises/fault codes.

I had my turbo changed under warranty at 38.000 km. The turbo started making a very loud whistle noise (the police/ambulance syren symptom )

I have another friend that changed it at 16.000km for the same reason (VRS TDI) and another one that changed it at 45.000 km (2.0 TDI 140) for white smoke.

All 3 cars ware delivered in January 2008.

Did you have the airfilter changed during your 38k, or was never replaced at all?

It was replaced every 15.000 km (~12.000 eaven as i've done the 3'rd service at 40.000 km).

All the oil changes (except the 40.000 one when i used MOTUL) ware made with Castrol Edge 5w30 507.00 so i can't blame the oil either . The oil filter was OEM also every time.

Edited 18 January, 201016 yr by sorin83

Interesting one to watch this.

Bump :p

Many thanks to everyone who bothered to vote.

Perhaps now is the time to publish the stats:

Percentage of those on "Fixed" that have had a turbo failure is 13.8%

Percentage of those on "Variable" that have had a turbo failure is 20.3%

I don't know how statsically relevant that is, but it seems clear that more people on variable suffer a failed turbo.

I will be changing to fixed servicing next month. I do about 20k Km a year, so was perhaps a borderline case. My thinking is that when on a borderline, try and fall on the safer side.

Happy Octavia Driving Everybody!

I got my 2.0PD 140 Octy estate DSG with 100,000 miles on a variable FSSH.

My mechanic has swapped it to a fixed and have mine serviced every 10,000 instead. There has been a police sirens sound which I guessed was something to do with the Turbo??

I'm now up to 128,000 withe same Turbo & Gearbox ( ingers crossed!) Car runs like a dream & has never missed a beat so no complaints from me!

Many thanks to everyone who bothered to vote.

Percentage of those on "Fixed" that have had a turbo failure is 13.8%

Percentage of those on "Variable" that have had a turbo failure is 20.3%

I don't know how statsically relevant that is, but it seems clear that more people on variable suffer a failed turbo.

I'm not at all sure that is "clear". If one doesn't do the mileage the VAG recomendation is to switch to fixed. If one doesn't do the mileage one is less likely to wear out a part. Or does that not follow?

Twice as many people reported running on variable than fixed and that very likely reflects that variable servicing is the default servicing regime for Skodas.

Possibly more people stay on variable because it suits their driving style (as recommended by VAG). Possibly just inertia.

Those people do (amoungst other things) relatively high mileage, constant speeds, high speeds. etc..

Could it not also be said - those who use their cars more, and perhaps harder, stay on variable because it suits, and it is the driving style (mileage) that kills the turbo NOT the servicing regime that follows the driving style.

This survey would really need to weight the mileage of those suffering a turbo failure as well as their servicing.

Just MHO

Incidently, I note there are just 16 failures but over 1300 views. That would suggest 98% of those viewing didn't have a failure

Edited 20 March, 201016 yr by FriendlyFire

I'm not at all sure that is "clear".

Maybe you're reading more into my "clear" statement than I actually wrote. Here it is again:

I don't know how statsically relevant that is, but it seems clear that more people on variable suffer a failed turbo.

If one doesn't do the mileage the VAG recomendation is to switch to fixed. If one doesn't do the mileage one is less likely to wear out a part. Or does that not follow?

Your logic is clear, but that doesn't make your point correct, just another point of view. At the same time, one could argue that there are many low mileage drivers who have blindly stuck with the "default" variable regime - they're not doing high mileage but still suffering a disproportionate amount of turbo failures. Or does that not follow?

But you were half way to this alternative logic with this:

Twice as many people reported running on variable than fixed and that very likely reflects that variable servicing is the default servicing regime for Skodas.

Could it not also be said - those who use their cars more, and perhaps harder, stay on variable because it suits, and it is the driving style (mileage) that kills the turbo NOT the servicing regime that follows the driving style.

That's interesting and I don't know the answer. But I have heard that dirty oil kills turbos, one of the reasons I started the poll Perhaps an expert on here knows whether a well-lubricated turbo will die sooner with some driving styles. One to watch perhaps

This survey would really need to weight the mileage of those suffering a turbo failure as well as their servicing.

Just MHO

Yup, for a truly accurate survey a whole raft of other factors should be taken into account to boost the confidence level of the results. Unfortunately I can't work out how to do that on this forum, can you?

Incidently, I note there are just 16 failures but over 1300 views. That would suggest 98% of those viewing didn't have a failure

No it doesn't. On this point I can categorically and respectfully state that you're wrong. Many people use different computers to view this forum (home, work, mobile, etc) and they can also view it as being signed in or not. Throw in a few who viewed and chose not to vote, and your calculation doesn't hold water.