Advice on Turbo replacement

Darnun72

OK So here goes: Turbo blows on my A3, so I buy a recon one and get my local garage to fit it.
Few days later, I am getting the siren whistling sound again so it goes back in and they find that some debris from somewhere has hit one of the propellers in the new turbo and killed it again.
I asked if he had checked all the air intake pipes and he says yes but there must be very small debris left somewhere that must have been stuck and is insisting taking all the pipes off to check each one. Obviously I have been stung another £100 for the replacement turbo (as other reasons killing the turbo isn't covered on turbos warranty) and he will charge me for the fitting on the new turbo again plus the pipes etc.
What I am trying to ascertain is, have I got reason to effectively argue the toss with the mechanic with legal confidence that he should have checked all the pipes before fitting it, so he can do it for free and pay for the second turbo. In my eyes, taking the pipes off again to recheck them all is suggesting it wasn't done properly in the first place.

Do I have grounds to say this was their responsibility and they need to fix it all at no cost to me???

arcon5

Doubt it.
If you took it to them for diagnostics and repair then you may have a case if they diagnosed the turbo as the problem and not the symptom of objects in the intake tracts.
But the mechanic was only instructed to fit a recon unit you supplied.

So I guess much of it comes down to what conversations you had with the garage first time round?

When was the air filter last replaced and have you checked its current condition?

Darnun72

Well it went to them after the Turbo had blown, not as a run up to what was wrong as such.
They took that dead turbo off and noticed a 7mm Head bolt as missing and said that was the cause.
I think they did a rudimentary clean of the pipes then fitted the new turbo. Doesn't common sense say, that when replacing a blown turbo, you would ensure that the piping is clean of any debris from the previous turbo.
Especially when they knew the bolt coming off was most likely the cause of the first turbo going AND the mechanic told me he could feel the oil in the pipes was full of little bits of aluminium and swarf (although small particles, he could feel them)
After phoning a number of garages this morning, they all say that a full and thorough clean and air blasting of the pipes should be done, and that knowing the issue was down to a bolt, an even more thorough job done. This is basic stuff that should be done when fitting a new turbo.
Offering to take the pipes off again and do it better suggest that wasn't done in the first place.

laidbackgjr

I also think you'll struggle - how do you prove the debris was left behind by the mechanic and not left in the refurb turbo you supplied?

If both the turbo & work were done by the garage I would think you'd have a case, but given the split liability it maybe difficult to prove who was at fault the supplier of the refurb turbo or the fitter or you or just one of those things!

Darnun72

Surely it's their responsibility to ensure the system is safe and clean when the new turbo is fitted. The fact the new turbo went on and it wasn't clean is what has caused the 2nd turbo dying....How can it be fair for me to take the new extra costs for them to fix this when I believe it should have been done properly already??

Darnun72

Well the guy at the garage admitted to me that it was debris in the system that caused it NOT the turbo. He is basically saying that the first clean was thorough enough and he reckons the bolt must've been stuck hence why it didn't come out on first clean.
I drive it for a few days and the PSI of the air dislodged it and it caused the 2nd failure. Doesn't make sense he needs to take off the piping to clean and look again does it.??
I wouldn't mind but he admitted it was the bolt caused the first issue so surely he should have taken all the pipes off and done the search THEN not now after this has happened?

colino

Pretty crap garage if they really fitted a customer supplied replacement turbo without doing the extensive additional work that most manufacturers insist upon (even turbo reconditioners) to give a warranty.
Then again, if you want to keep on bolting £100 turbos to your car, it will be a weekly event.

Darnun72

Yeah you're right Colino. Don't forget the labour time he's adding again too.
I am in a bind on what to do. The way he's talking, it's as though a full thorough clean won't guarantee nothing is still left in there. This can't be the case for all turbo replacements though. If they are willing to pay for it and accept liability then I ain't gonna stress but right now I am panicking as the first turbo wiped me out financially. :-(
Gonna quote the 1982 rights act at him and see what happens I think :-)

mad_rich

Unfortunately, when the customer provides parts for the mechanic to fit, this is one of the risks.

If the garage is to supply and fit, then the whole job is their problem. As it is, you could easily end up with you, the garage (and possibly the supplier) feeling out of pocket. Particularly where warranties are concerned.

Better than going all 'my rights' on him might be to come to an agreement where you split the cost of the labour. Or

AdrianC

mad_rich wrote: »

Unfortunately, when the customer provides parts for the mechanic to fit, this is one of the risks.

Indeed.

You have said "here is my car, here is a turbo, please fit the turbo to the car". He has done so,

If you'd said to him "Here is my car, the turbo has failed, please fix it", you'd have much more comeback.

Can I ask why you supplied the turbo? You thought you'd save some money...? This really is one of those "penny-wise-pound-foolish" actions. £100 would be a reasonable price for an untested, unwarranted used turbo, with all the risks associated. There is no way it's a recon for that price.

forgotmyname

This is why i say never supply parts to a garage for them to fit. If fitting yourself or at mates rates then fair enough.

But you probably paid more for a proper reconditioned turbo than the garage would have paid anyway. You would have been better of haggling the supply and fit price down.

As above also, who supplies a recon turbo for just £100?

Sounds like it was a used one and sadly its cost you more than you though.

Dont supply garages with parts whether new, refurbished or used.

If they supply and it fails its their problem, in this case its your problem unless you can prove they caused the turbo to fail.