Audi Q2 1.6 TDI (2016) Turbocharger

Q2 1.6 TDI Turbocharger Fitment, by Power Output

This listing is built from two catalogue rows. Both are 2016, both are the DDYA engine and both are Garrett. What separates them is the power output each one is listed against.

The part number for each row is in the Affected Part Numbers tab, so if the turbocharger is already off the car you can check it against the label on the housing.

Which Garrett Is on Your Q2?

Start with the power output, because on this car it is the only figure that moves. Your V5C gives it in kilowatts at section P.2: roughly 81 kW is the 109 bhp car and roughly 85 kW is the 114 bhp car.

A 109 bhp Q2 has a single catalogued answer, so the power figure alone tells you which turbocharger you are sending. A 114 bhp Q2 does not. Both Garrett units are listed against that output, under the same engine code and the same year, so nothing on the logbook separates them. The label on the turbocharger does, and the Affected Part Numbers tab shows which row it belongs to.

None of that has to be settled before you order. The rebuild is priced the same for both units, and if you are unsure of the output you can choose “Not sure”: we identify every turbocharger on the bench and confirm the job before work starts. If you drive a different Audi, our Audi turbo repair page sorts the range by model and engine.

What Wears Out on a Q2 1.6 TDI Turbocharger

A TDI turbocharger rarely fails on its own account. Most of what wears it out starts on the car, and a rebuilt unit refitted to the same conditions goes the same way. These are the four areas we assess on every Q2 unit that reaches the bench, and they are the same ones that decide the life of any VW-group 1.6 and 2.0 TDI turbo rebuild.

Oil reaching the bearings

The shaft spins on a thin film of engine oil, not on metal. When that oil is slow to arrive at start-up, carries dirt or has thinned, the bearing surfaces wear, the shaft starts to move in its housing, and the seals at each end stop sealing. Oil in the intercooler pipework is often the earliest clue, before any noise appears.

The vanes that set the boost

The Garrett units in the VW-group TDI listings are variable-nozzle turbochargers: a ring of vanes around the turbine wheel opens and closes to control boost. Soot and oil residue bake onto those vanes and their pivots until the ring stiffens and can no longer reach the position the engine management asks for. Boost falls short of its target and the car drops into limp mode, sometimes while the rotating assembly is still sound. A Q2 used mostly for short runs rarely gets its exhaust fully hot, which leaves more of that residue behind.

Damage from something passing through

A compressor wheel nicked by debris drawn in through the intake, or a turbine wheel struck by something from the engine side, is no longer in balance. An unbalanced wheel wears the bearings fast, so a minor strike becomes a major failure the longer the car stays in use.

The actuator and its supply

Depending on the engine, the vanes are moved by a vacuum actuator worked through a control solenoid or by an electronic actuator. Either can fail while the turbocharger itself is healthy, and the car then drives much as it would with a worn turbo. A wiring plug on the actuator body tells you it is the electronic type, which can be repaired as a job of its own.

If your Q2 carries a particulate filter, its condition belongs on the same list. The filter sits downstream of the turbine, so the state it is in is part of the conditions the turbocharger works under.

How Your Q2 Turbocharger Is Rebuilt

The unit you post in is the unit that comes back, and our turbo specialists carry out every stage in-house.

1. Identified. The label is read and matched to its catalogue row. On a 114 bhp car, this is where the question of which Garrett you have is closed.
2. Stripped and measured. Everything that turns, seals or moves is checked: the shaft and its bearing surfaces, both wheels, the seals, the housings, and the vane ring with its pivots and linkage.
3. Rebuilt. Worn parts are renewed with genuine OE or OEM-grade components, or uprated ones where the original design has a known weak point. The vane ring is freed and set to sweep its full travel.
4. Balanced and bench-tested. The rotating assembly is balanced, the unit is run on the bench, and it is packed ready to refit.

Bench time is typically one to three working days from the day it arrives, and the rebuild carries a lifetime, unlimited-mileage warranty. If a housing turns out to be cracked or damaged beyond what a rebuild can support, we tell you before any work goes ahead.

Sending It In, and What to Fix Before It Goes Back On

1. Select 109 bhp, 114 bhp or “Not sure” above, add the rebuild to your basket and check out.
2. Fill in the Repair Form. It issues the repair reference for your parcel and emails you a copy.
3. Put that reference on a note inside the box and on the outside of the parcel.
4. Seal the open ports, pad the turbocharger so it cannot shift in transit, and send it to Unit 102 Reaver House, 12 East Street, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 1HX, United Kingdom.

While the turbocharger is away, put right whatever wore the old one out. That normally means a new oil feed pipe, fresh oil and a new filter, and clearing any oil or debris out of the intercooler and boost pipes. On refit, fit new oil feed and return lines and fill the feed with oil before the first start, so the rebuilt bearings never turn dry.

Audi Q2 1.6 TDI Turbo Questions