This subject comes up at least once a week. I guess that is not suprising since it seems like almost no one reads the archives! Actually, I think we don't hear much from those who have chosen that route for enlightenment...<p>All am about to write is just my opinion, based on owning and competing in awd turbo cars for 11 years now. YMMV.<p>Every engine has minor differences in manufacturing and assembly (casting, alignment, weights, etc.). These minor differences can lead to detonation under certain conditions (heat, altitude, low octane gas), when the stock knock management system parameters are exceeded. <p>If your turbo car knocks, lift your foot from the pedal immediately. If you do not, YOU are ultimately destroying your engine!!! If you aftermarket chip knocks or pings it is defective!!! If you continue to drive it like that, YOU are the defect.<p>Turbos fail occasionally. Well-maintained turbos fair rarely. Use synthetic oil, or the appropriate dino oil changed regularly. A4 turbos break the wastegate rod occasionally (less than 2%) of this board have reported this (Audi fixes this). Only 1, yes 1!, board member claims that he damaged a stock turbo with an aftermarket chip.<p>I have offered before, and offer now to help diagnose any non-rod turbo failures. The one fellow who claims to have damaged his turbo would not tell the board (or me by email) what ACTUALLY happened to his turbo. I don't care how much boost you run, I will keep your identity safe from Audi, I just want to get down to facts on this issue.<p>As someone explained very well earlier: FACT, we are on boost for a small fraction of the total use of these cars. FACT: Turbos generate more heat and pressure. The engine is designed for this. FACT: the KKK 03 turbo is DESIGNED for 1.0 bar of boost.<p>Will you get more engine wear when you chip? YES, how much? Insignificant, UNLESS you don't use an air filter, use the wrong weight or don't change dino oil, turn off the motor immediately after turbo runs, use low octane gas, or race this car on a track often (sheer wear and tear). The only real caveat to this is if there is a defect in the engine, which does happen (it is mass produced after all).<p>Still concerned? Fine, use synthetic, don't get a aftermarket chip, follow the great owners manual, and drive with prudence. This superb car will last for many, many years.

I feel obligated to respond since I am the person who "claims" to have had a damaged turbo replaced while running a Wett chip. I know you didn't identify me by name, but enough people probably read my posts on my turbo problems to know.<br>First, I resent the implication that I am lying about having a turbo replaced with the Wett chip. The fact is, it happened. I can't prove it here any more than you can prove you have 11 years experience with turbo cars, but I don't think you're lying about that. No one on this board can ever "prove" that they even HAVE A4's.<br>The fact that I wouldn't provide you with my name and VIN number so you could "check my story" in the Audi computer doesn't prove anything-- except that I didn't feel particulaly comfortable giving you personal info to go digging through computer databases on me. Who appointed you forum truth-verifier?<br>Second, it is completely irresponsible for you to out of hand conclude that a chip, in all circumstances, results in "insignificant" additional wear. How do you know? In fact, in my case, Wetterauer admitted that the chip they had sent me was probably causing an "overboost" in my car-- that could have lead to my problems. They sent me a new chip, which I was happy with, but the problem I had was already caused. Who's to say that won't happen to anyone else, with any chip company? The "fact" is, you don't have enough information to make that statement.<br>I'm not saying that chips always, or even often, will cause problems. I don't know for sure that chipping had anything to do with my turbo being replaced. But I think people trying to make that decision need information, and your post didn't go very far in providing any of that.<br>One last point. If the engine is designed for more boost and pressure, as you say, then why has Audi reinforced (strengthened) several components of the TT version of the 1.8T to accomodate the extra boost? Spending the time for a redesign (and making two variations of the engine) doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless there was a real need for beefing up before additional boost presure was added.<p>Miles<br>

I generally agree with your comments - it's really hard to know for sure what the effects will be unless your on the inside (i.e. a designer or manufacturer for Audi). Experience is good - but still no guarantee.<p>The engine that was strengthened (according to Automobile mag.) was the 225 HP version of the 1.8T and not the 180 HP. One can perhaps infer that boosting to 180 HP is OK (again, no guarantees).<p>I could, for example, imagine that 2 engines are designed exactly the same, but better quality parts (maybe better metallurgical specs) are used in the higher HP engines.<p>My 2 cents...<p>Tom<br>1.8TQMS Silver/Ecru

What issue of Automobile? It has been a while since I have been to the newstand.<p>-DRF

Miles,<p>I wasn't flaming you. I didn't mention your name because you had the guts to explain that you had a problem. And, I belive that you really didi have a problem, as opposed to the weekly postings from Nuespeed representatives claiming boost failures with WETT and others. As I said above, I am only interested in getting to the facts, such as what specifically was wrong with the turbo?<p>I asked you directly, when I first asked the board about who had turbo failures, exactly what symptoms of turbo failure did you experience. You did not reply. How else am I supposed to describe that? Without a description of the failure there is no evidence that it even failed. Why not tell us? Telling us the symptoms can certainly help us figure out the specific weakpoints in the design.<p>I am not the board "truth teller," but I will always try to get to the bottom of a serious issue. I think that open discussion is a good way to help people make informed decisions.<p>I provide a number of caveats to the insignificat wear statement. I also stated clearly that detonation will destroy an engine. Detonation can and will happen in several "normal" conditions that I describe. You did not say that you had engine damage. You had turbo damage. Turbo damage is another set of problems not specifically related to detonation. Turbo damage due to overboost is very rare (ask turbonetics or Garrett), and typically happens with the old small shaft turbines on overboosted P racing cars. Turbo bearing damage from oil coking with conventional oils is much more common.<p>Our engines have several tiers of overboost protection from the dual knock sensor to the wastegate. The hose clamps on the unreinforced turbo hoses are even designed to pop off under overboost conditions. You ceratainly could have seen a boost spike of epic proportions, but I can't tell without the symptoms.<p>I have written a number of posts and provided links to tt engine specs in the past week. The new medium pressure engine apparently does not have any special changes to it. The high pressure kkk 04 turbo engine does indeed have a number of important features to protect it from high boost. In my opinion, I would not use a kkk 04 turbo on our engine. Why, because I am concerned about overboosting the engine. It was not engineered for the 04 turbo. At a minimum, I would get a better intercooler and add 3-d water injection.<p>I apologise if you felt I was flaming you. I posted only because I was tired of the incessant blathering about turbos by newbies.

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You state, "And, I believe that you really did have a problem, as opposed to the weekly postings from Nuespeed representatives claiming boost failures with WETT and others." <p>You conclude with, "I apologize if you felt I was flaming you. I posted only because I was tired of the incessantblathering about turbos by newbies."<p>It seems to me that your attempt at humility has resulted in the hole that you have dug for yourself to have gotten even deeper. Perhaps you could try posting again, but this time apologize to all who have posted about boost failures and those who are new to the forum who have talked about their turbos. <p>Doug

Doug,<p>Nope, no apologies to neubies who can't bother themselves to check the archives, or even the previous days postings. No apologies to those who make some sort of outrageous statement or intimation about the quality of a brand of chip they don't own, particularly when they are promoting a competitors chip. Sound familiar?<p>I apologised to Miles only, because it appeared I was singling him out. He is not promoting one brand over another without ANY evidence. I respect his decision not to detail his turbo failure, because he did not blame anyone.