(2)Turbo rebuilding - K26

[Avi Meron]

Ben,
It is a guy who has been doing it for many years; he has done two for me at
a very good price.  Jerome is the son and he also does it.  The father and
son used to have their own shop but now they are together with an import
repair business.
I don't know what else to say, do you have any other questions?

Let me know,
Take care,
Avi

-----Original Message-----
From: Swann, Benjamin R. (BSWANN) [mailto:BSWANN at arinc.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 7:32 AM
To: 'avim at pacbell.net'
Cc: 'Doyt W. Echelberger'; Swann, Benjamin R. (BSWANN)
Subject: RE: (2)Turbo rebuilding - K26

Avi,

Who is your guy?  That you refer to below.

I am looking at getting a K26 out of an '86 rebuilt.  What I understand so
far is that I probably don't want to undertake this myself.

TIA,

Ben

-----Original Message-----
From: Doyt W. Echelberger [mailto:Doyt at buckeye-express.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 10:09 AM
To: Swann, Benjamin R. (BSWANN)
Subject: Re:(2)Turbo rebuilding - K26


Hello Ben.................more stuff from my files. This guy has been
around the block. You might send an email to Avi and ask him who "his guy"
is. He doesn't say.  Doyt

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 21:44:31 -0700
From: Avi Meron <avim at pacbell.net>
Subject: RE: Good turbo rebuilder?
To: superba <superba at pacbell.net>
Cc: Quattro <quattro at audifans.com>

Jim,
It is too bad you had such a bad experience with rebuilders; you certainly
wouldn't have it, if you dealt with my guy. Not everybody is a crook and it
is not a good way to transfer your bad experience into the whole field.
I do agree that it is a bitch to remove the turbo, but that is true with
anything that is exh. related. Keep in mind that your argument about using
hired work versus "do it yourself " is an argument that will hold true for
almost everything, even an oil; change!
Don't you think that we are mostly a list of do it yourself types?
Anyway, it is too bad you had a bad experience; there are better people out
there.
Take care and good luck next time,
Avi
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-quattro at audifans.com [mailto:owner-quattro at audifans.com]On
Behalf Of superba
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 10:00 AM
To: quattro at audifans.com
Subject: Good turbo rebuilder?
Hi All,
I tried to answer Elliott offline, but the email was bounced, so please
indulge me while I give him my .015 from my btdt.
I went through some of these tribulations with a turbo a few years ago. I
replaced it for lack of boost, and 2 changes later, there was still no
boost; it was the cat converter plugged up.
IMHO the best course of action is to get a rebuilt one and turn yours in as
a core, IF YOU WANT TO DO IT YOURSELF(see last paragraph).
Rebuilders love to get your turbo in their shop and soak you for every item
they can. If you want your specific turbo rebuilt for some reason, get a
worst case price before you agree to anything. And, never, never agree to
"free" testing by a rebuilder, for once they have your turbo in their shop,
you're screwed by definition. Get all the agreements up front including
worst case price. Buying cartridges and/or cassettes and rebuilding it
yourself has problems of things like adequately cleaning the housing
interior, establishing clearances, etc. Remember that metal flows, however
slightly, under the high temperatures experienced in a turbo impeller.
IF YOU DO IT YOURSELF, I recommend that you buy a rebuilt, tested, warranted
one and turn yours in as a core. But, keep in mind that the sellers, and
rebuilders, of rebuilt turbos will demand that you replace the oil inlet and
outlet hoses or their warranty is void, each cost over $100 new when I last
priced them. Work out something with the rebuilder like having them clean
your hoses to their satisfaction. If you don't, your warranty, however
fragile, will be voided before you turn the engine over.
No matter what you do, unless it's an absolute emergency, shop around a lot
and then some more, for the more you learn the more protected you'll be.
There might be someone on the list with a known good working turbo for your
car.
It took me about 10 or more hours spread over 2 days each of the 2 times I
did it using a floor jack, jack stands, and a crawler. One lister, QShip?,
wrote that he could replace a turbo in 2 hours or so by removing the bumper,
grill, radiator.
If you do the installation yourself, go to a legit Audi parts place and get
new nuts, gaskets, and other findings before you start. It's a pita to have
to stop work, clean up, and toodle off to get a nut or gasket; in my case I
had to ride my bicycle about 2 miles. And, I was a sight for sore eyes
doing it.
Keep in mind that if you go to a good wrench and have them do the job, you
transfer all the hassle of hoses, warranties, etc. to the wrench. And the
wrench probably has more experience dealing with turbo suppliers than you
do, anyway. At the end of the day in my btdt, I would have been ahead by
hiring a workshop to do the job for about $1,100. I expended over $1,000 of
psychic energy alone not to mention the other stuff.
HTH.
Cheers!
Jim Jordan
81 5KT > 309K miles
 > ------------------------------
 >
 > Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:08:08 -0400
 > From: EEP <e-potter at abraxis.com>
 > Subject: Good turbo rebuilder?
 >
 > Does anyone know where I can send an oil-cooled turbo to be rebuilt?
 > I've got one with lots of oil where it shouldn't be. Someplace in the
 > southeast US would be nice.
 >
 > Thanks,
 > - --
 > Elliott
 >
 > ------------------------------