The Front Fell Off
 

Well, I think I figured out why I was spooling so slowly and having issues tuning my boost controller.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400346561

Got fed up with CL yesterday and decided to switch back to OL. Well, after verifying that 0% DC was still wastegate, I turned it to 100% and couldn't build more than 8psi. WTF? Long story short, after verifying wastegate function and checking for boost leaks I went to pull the filter off to check for shaft play/see how easily the compressor wheel spun.

After undoing the clamp, I pulled on the filter coupler and the entire compressor housing disconnected.

BEGi clocks the turbo before shipping it, I guess whoever did that didn't reinstall the beveled C clip correctly. I've been driving the car for a while turbo, it must have been loose this whole time and shook loose over time.

Fortunately, I know what the problem is now.

Unfortunately, the compressor wheel looks like it rubbed against the compressor housing and wore the fins down a bit. Not surprised with how tight the clearances are in there and stuff, but yeahthatsucks.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400346561

You can see the bottom of the compressor housing is also scuffed from the fins. C clip comes disconnected, top of housing falls forward, bottom of housing gets pushed up into fins.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400346561

Garrett or ChinaCharger? I would give Begi a call on Monday and talk to them about it.

Yeah, I sent them an email with some photos and said I'd call on Monday.

It's the Garrett.

I'm pretty confident they'll help me out. They have been 100% top notch so far, and if I can get this resolved I'll be giving them any and all miata related business in the future.

So far they have sent me a brand new stainless line no questions asked because mine was leaking at the crimp, and a brand new exhaust clamp and offered to send an oil fitting I bent but I ended up getting it locally.

New CHRA, new compressor housing.

I also agree that is probably what will be needed. It might be possible to just replace the compressor wheel and machine the housing. Cost on that will probably be close to the new CHRA though.

Good luck finding someone who will warranty the CHRA after you replace the wheel. I've done a few CHRA replacements through Garrett's program, and the only way to be denied is to submit a non-genuine turbo or a turbo that has been disassembled in any way.

You might be able to save the compressor housing, but IIRC they aren't particularly expensive, so it's more economical to replace it as well.

I'm just *really* hoping this is covered under some sort of warranty.

Except that as far as Garrett is concerned, it's installation error since it's from clocking.

And I don't really want to blame begi for it, and I have no idea if they'll be willing to foot the bill, but I certainly wasn't the one who clocked the turbo, and I'm not really sure how I could have foreseen this happening..

Those giant C-clips are such a bitch to install even with the correct tools.

That blows dude. Even if the will cover it you still have the fun job of removing it from the log and dp. How many miles have you put on it?

Holy shit, yes. Trying to get the DP nuts tight took nearly as long as everything else combined, and that middle mani nut.. >:(

About 600 miles or so, lots of them Highway. Drive down to visit my parents with it.

I remember the pain in the ass we had to go through to get my weird ass Tial 2871 through warranty. I was thinking that possibly Garrett them self's could swap out the wheel and keep it under warranty as a possible option instead of changing out the whole CHRA. Would require a call to Garrett to figure out the best/cheapest option.

MLEV just so you know a CHRA exchange with Garrett will run you about $450 or so.

Thanks for the info.

I'm very rarely ever one to complain about a business, or expect huge things above and beyond from a business, but I don't think I'll be paying anything except possibly some shipping charges to get this taken care of.

As far as I'm concerned, I purchased a warrantied and guaranteed part, installed it per the manual and unmodified, and that part failed and caused damage to itself.

I spent nearly an extra grand to get the Garrett over the Shangai--not because I expected It to perform astronomically better, but specifically because of that warranty.

Closeup of the compressor wheel. As you can see, there is even wear on all the compressor inducer fins. :(

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400379385

Just got off the phone with Stephanie, she says they will clean up the fins, and re-polish the inside of the compressor housing, and then send it all off to be balanced to make sure it's working as intended.

Hopefully the little bit of metal missing from the inducer fins wont affect performance too much?

I think i'd be happier if they just send you a new turbo and they can fuck around with repairing this one on the back end.

That is, if they actually admitted guilt. If not, then you pretty much take what you're given.

Yeah no guilt has been admitted by anyone, and I'm not 100% sure where the "guilt" would lie.

The car was rocking for a while, I've hit my boost limit of 12psi in the past, and quickly.. These boost building issues seem to have come out of nowhere.

idkwtf.

and yes, I would obviously be happier with a new turbo.. ugh. this whole thing just sucks.

Thats crap, the turbo is never going to be as good as it should be with the mess up fins.

If this was a china charger my recommendation would but to just file that stuff off and clean up with comp housing with some scotch bright and run that bitch, fuck balancing it. But not on a real Garrett.

IIRC its closer to $350 for a 2560, or at least that's what I recall I paid a couple years ago, but I'd have to look it up. I believe I used TurbosDirect.Com Web Site - Home

mlev: Contact one of the vendors listed on the turbobygarrett website and find out what the actual cost of doing the CHRA exchange is going to be for your particular turbo. I have a feeling that if BEGI disassembles that CHRA, chances are Garrett will never, ever accept it on exchange.

Its a shitty situation no matter what, sorry you had to go through this :(

This. You don't want anyone taking that bastard apart but Garrett.

Exactly. I'm guessing this isnt a journal bearing SR20 we are talking about here. Tolerances are a liiiiiitle more important with the BB units.

Also, don't be afraid to call around to the different Garrett vendors. The price ATP quoted me over the phone was significantly more expensive than the guys at TurbosDirect and I gave them them both the exact same information. ATP then started saying something about charging me an inspection fee before sending the unit to Garrett, and our conversation kinda went downhill from there. TurbosDirect was like "Yeah, send it out and we'll get you taken care of."

I also want to second or third this. This is what Savington and I were talking about in the first few parts.

Basically begi is wanting to band aid this "fix" and not have to warranty the whole unit.
In the mean time, you paid retail for a quality product with a warranty and are getting shafted. Pun may be intended :giggle:

I would demand a new turbo. Not a fixed turbo. Not a band aided turbo. Not a re-balanced turbo. A new turbo

Not that I'm going to be in the market for a turbo from Begi anytime soon, but it sounds like this should be an issue between garrett and Begi. Let them sort out who gives you a new turbo.

Turbo is in the mail to BEGi, I insured the living piss out of it. Hoping that the post office does some damage to the box and then I can just cash in on the insurance and buy a whole new setup that way. :-P

I called back to BEGi this afternoon and spoke with Corky. I filled him in on Stephanie and my conversation and he expressed concern about just filing down the fins and trying to make it work.

I let him know that I was 100% in agreement, and that it made me very very nervous just trying to fix this one and to run a repaired bb turbo.

He said it was very likely that it would need a whole new CHRA at least, and I thanked him very much.

Nice guy, funny guy, runs a great shop. He said that he has never ever heard of something like this happening, and he doesn't believe that they've EVER had to send something in to Garrett before on warranty.

There's always a first for everything. Just ask me about the shit that has broken in my presence...

It seems like Corky is better at the customer appeasement part of the business than stephanie. She told me I was dead wrong over the phone about a miss thread on my reroute spacer. I then proceeded to re-tap the hole for the thread spec she said it was guaranteed to be because they test fit all of them before they ship them and took off a whole lot of material with the tap and all of a sudden the coolant sensor actually threaded in.

I don't know the entire backstory of BEGi, but he basically built that company from the ground up, right? That doesn't happen unless you're business savvy, people savvy, and in this case car-tech-engineering-y-stuff savvy.

Sucks dude! I hate those circlips so much. And speaking of BEGi - they messaged me in the past asking me why I dislike them so much.....

In other news, EFR has a ginormous v-band for the compressor housing and I <3 it so much.

Glad they're going to fix it, but it's really just another page in the BEGI incompetence book.

LOL, no.

Much better.

i told you something wasnt hooked up right...

:party:

Haha fact.

That being said, I don't really think "compressor housing" is on the list of things you normally check when checking your "ebc plumbing" :vash:

Also, it's weird, because a few weeks back I was building boost just fine, if a bit slowly, but my EBC set to DC 100% was overboosting me to my boost cut of 12psi.

I guess it was just a bit loose and rattled free over time....?

i hate the circlip design. that's why I like the T3s; even if it's loose and can spin freely, it won't come off so long as one of the three brackets hold. plus it's so much easier to loosen 6 bolts and turn if you need to rotate.

I am quickly becoming a part of this camp as well.

id rather have a functioning GT2560 than any T3. :)

Maybe I'll just tack weld the compressor housing to the CHRA......













kidding, kidding

Just got off the phone with Corky again, they got the turbo in and gave it a looking over. He said he trusts two different repair shops that do really good work and he'll be sending the turbo out today to get a new compressor wheel and re-balance, and all that good stuff.

I should have a like-new turbo in my hands in a couple weeks at the most, assuming the repair shop isn't booked way way out or something like that.

I used the 'car-is-up-on-blocks-anyways' situation as an excuse to do some exchanging of parts. Since I won't be driving for a couple weeks anyways, I sold my rev built MS2E and bought a new MS3 basic from him. Also sold my FM 2.25" exhaust and bought a 3" catless midpipe from 18psi, and bought a 3" enthuza XR turbo "muffler" (we'll just call it an axle back... it probably isn't going to muffle much).

I have an autocross on June 29th. Here's to hoping I get everything in time to get her tuned up and on the road before then.

He also mentioned that they beat up the installment guy who made the circlip error, and "buried him on Friday".

Pretty sure he was joking..? :-S

So they admit to it being an install error... I'd be more happy with an 1 for 1 exchange for a new turbo. Now you get a repaired turbo and two plus weeks of down time. But it is what it is I guess.

Maybe it's the good Midwestern-er in me, but I'm having a hard time being too upset about this, aside from the downtime.

Assuming the repairs are quality, it will be just fine. You don't get a brand new phone when you do a warranty exchange either, you get a factory refurb.

They could have told me to go fuck myself, and probably had zero consequences aside from maybe a bit of goodwill loss. There's absolutely no proof that this isn't my fault.

He even mentioned a few times that it sure seems weird that it happened. I just agreed, it sure is weird.

They're making it right, and I appreciate that. They will continue to receive my business assuming the "repaired" turbo performs as expected.

As long as you are happy ;)

Hmmmmmmmmm

Wednesday Morning:
Today:
Today:
Wonder if I'll be getting a new unit instead of a repaired one..?

Beginning to feel more frustrated. I still haven't heard anything despite two follow up emails since, and a call yesterday. I called around 1, was told everyone was OTL, and that they would give me a call upon returning.. May just be the messenger's fault.

I've read the BEGi horror stories, and I didn't really have any of the issues that others had until now. They also have shipped me replacement stuff two-day shipping no questions asked for free (a fitting I bent, a SS line leaking from the crimp, and a new exhaust clamp).

They've been a great pleasure to work with so far, and Corky is an awesome dude who puts my mind at ease every time I talk to him.. but he can't run the ship alone, and that's a shame. Maybe a clone or two would do the trick..

I just want to know wtf is happening. Or even if they just acknowledged my existance and said "dude, chill the fuck out, we're taking care of this for you" or something. I get one vague email that she spoke with the repair shop "at length" and that she needed to check with the head boss (both of which sound ominous) and then nothing for almost a week now.

If they don't get back to you within the next 24 hours or so, shoot me a pm.

Stephanie strikes again?

It took them like, 3-4 weeks to resolve my valve cover powder coating debacle. They eventually made it right but it seemed like it took forever.

Here is hoping it comes out for the best. :beer:

Yep, been there done that, I'm sure you saw my story too. Keep calling. Non stop. Seriously

I'm sure it'll all work out in the end, but I have a race coming up in a couple weeks, and I was really, REALLY hoping to get this car built in time to run it.

Just missing my exhaust, the turbo, and my new ECU now. Which will all be basically bolt-on at this point, because the car was running turbo'd before, all the lines are run, everything is set to go.. just have to bolt the exhaust on, put the turbo in the middle of it all, and PNP the ecu and tune my VE table

My GF just picked up a super clean Mariner '90 that she will let me co-drive, but blahh. Its soooo slloooowwwww... :(

Why is she discussing things with Corky if you've already been discussing things with Corky? Either she hasn't said a damn thing to him, or they're just talking in circles over a tiny piece of the pie that doesn't truly matter to their bottom line.


You're a far more patient man than myself, friend. The path forward should have been determined and set in motion within 2 days of them receiving the product of their screw up.

Re: chatting with corky, i'm guessing the chat with the repair shop did not go well.

Re: margins, it's tough to say. The turbo is ~$1k new, plus they do some things to tweak it, clock it (lol), change out the actuator, i believe they weld in a divider in the exhaust out so that the separated gasses DP works better. They sell the thing for I think $1,300. I have no idea what dealer cost is on a garrett, but let's assume it's arond 70%, that's $700, plus the free labor of doing all those tweaks, plus shipping it back to me.. it's probably $900-$1000 off their bottom line. I'm not sure what their profit margin is on this stuff either, but I imagine they'd need to sell 4 or 5 kits just to break even on that.

From a business standpoint they should probably tell me to get bent. If/when they make it right it will be for nothing but good-will gain, future business, and just generally corky being a good guy.

This is really what's frustrating for me. I just want to know wtf is happening.

They checked it out and forwarded it on to the shop the next business day after getting it, but it's been there for almost a week now and I don't even know what's happening.

Their turbo kits have steel intercooler piping. Selling one kit more than makes up for them eating this turbo in the name of customer services.

btw - I blame stephanie for not shipping your midpipe yet


LOLJK

I thought about making a joke about it all in that "how long do you wait.." thread in the super private 1337 forum, but I'm still :noob: here.. I don't think I get to make fun of the veterans yet, unless they fail to ship my midpipe out by Friday. ;) ;)

No no... Stephanie's thing is to charge $80 to ship it, then cram it in a flat rate box.




Whatever, Vlad is fair game from day 1.

They only charged me ~$150 total for shipping of my entire kit with DP, mani, turbo etc.. it was two fairly large boxes and they were both quite heavy. I was actually pretty thankful for that, I was expecting total shipping to be closer to $300.

:laugh: don't make me fashion into a giant dildo

Yo dawg, I heard you like packages

So I made your package look like my package so you can box it in your box.

That post was so spectactular that I feel I need to explain it. Besides the obvious xzibit meme reference, it's actually double entendre with a clever dis built in.

You see, "package" could mean something that something is contained in, or it could also mean "penis". "Box" is also something that something else can be contained it. It also means "vagina".

Therefore, the post could also be read as "I made the packaging for your midpipe look like my penis, so that you could stick it inside your vagina."

Hence the double entendre.

However, you're also implying that the other person, in fact, has a vagina. Calling them a sissy girl if you will.

In addition to all of the above clever-ness, you're finally implying that your penis is as large (or perhaps half as large, since it got cut in half) as the midpipe for an NB Miata.

Now that I have ruined the above post by explaining it, I hope you'll appreciate it a little more. Or a little less. Or whatever.

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Where the fuck is my turbo?

They charged $18.99 to ship their DIY re-route stuff. Then stuffed it all in a small $5.65 flat rate box. Companies that use shipping as a profit margin immediately make the shit list.

Charged me $30 to return ship a valve cover. You know, insurance is expensive and reusing my packing materials is expensive and handling fees are expensive and gas is expensive. Yeahhh.....

Just make fun of everyone, It's pretty much the MT way. Nagging the sponsors is even more fun, there is a reason guys like Emilio turned off PM's to their accounts long ago :rofl:

:laugh:

the explanation was redundant, but amusing.