<br>Hello A4 People,<p>My A4 just broke its wastegate rod last week and the turbo is due to be replaced this week. I am running a 1.0 bar Wett chip and my question is if I should swap back to the O.E. chip before I have the dealer replace the turbo. Does anyone have any information on this matter?<p>Thanks,<br>Armand

Im wondering about this myself and how did you notice?

Armand,<br> I just went through this about 3 weeks ago. The wastegate rod on my '97 A4 1.8Tqms (also Wett 1.0 bar chip) broke. I swapped the stock chip back in as the mechanic would be test driving the car to check out the performance loss. I knew that once they replaced the turbo and took it for a spin, they'd notice the Wett chip immediately. Unless you know that your dealer is OK with engine mods, I wouldn't risk it.<p>Andy Hedin

Next week, I'm having the heat shield and turbo oil line modification authorized through the dealer ( for turbo failures only ). Be sure they did this for you. My dealer is chip friendly, so I'm leaving the non-stock chip and my new non-stock turbo in place. There are also turbo upgrades ( K24/26 etc. ) that use an external wastegate, eliminating the possibility of rod failure.

Although engine idle was still smooth, I had noticed slugishness at take off even when the engine was at operating temperature. I took it to the dealer for its 37500 mile oilchange and that was when my wastgate problem was confirmed by a technician. The technician explained it to me this way: The wastgate was constantly stuck in the open position and boost pressure was being bled off. I hope this helps.<p>

Idle was normal, no check engine light.<p>Puttering around town conservatively, the car felt pretty normal.<p>Under passing situations or hard acceleration, the car felt like a total slug. It was downright dangerous trying to drive the car in rush-hour traffic on the PA Turnpike or the Blue Route. <p>Felt like I had a three-banger under the hood.<p>Andy Hedin

I have the .8 bar Neuspeed chip and the dealer either didn't notice it or didn't really care. Did you know that the Customer service Reps make commission on the amount of repair? At least at the dealer I go to do...He was happy to get a new turbo for me and I don't think he really gave a damn about my chip. If it brakes again, he'll just make more money!<p>However, to be on the safe side, I took off my RamAir filter, clear corners and side markers before taking it in. The more mods the more suspicious...IMHO...<p>1.8 with the "T" again!!!<br>

Is this broken rod a common problem??<br>If so, how would I switch to a stock chip with a TAP chip?<p>Chris K<br>98.5 1.8TQAS TAP STAGE II

I'm not really sure how common the problem is. From what I've heard, the problem seems to be more prevalent on the 1997's, I'm not really sure about the 1998.5 engines. There have been about 5 or so people (that I can think of) who post on A4.ORG that have had the problem, at least during the past year or so. Probably not enough for Audi to consider a recall.<p>Not really sure about the TAP chip, but unless they use a socket you're out of luck. As far as I know, Wetterauer is the only one currently using the "socketed" chips. A big plus in my book and one of the things that convinced me to purchase the Wett chip. In case you don't know what "socketed" means, here's a brief explanation. When the stock chip is de-soldered from the motherboard, a "socket" is soldered in it's place. The Wett chip is then inserted into this socket via a press-fit. The stock chip is returned along with the upgraded ECU allowing a simple 15 minute swap back to the "stock" performance.<p>Hope this helps.<p>Andy Hedin<br>'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.o Bar Chip, ABT Filter, Tint, European Headlights, blah, blah, blah