Chinese turbos

[norm75]

Anyone have any experience with turbos made from the finest Cheap. It’s a funny old world, nowadays if anyone mentions the words made in china people lose the plot and discard them as rubbish fit for the bin. Yet pull out a vase and mutter the words Ming dynasty and people happily pull their wallets out.

The Imprezas turbo is rather worn out. Does it’s job but has been making the whole world and it’s son know about it in the process.
Now, the question was raised on a Subaru forum I frequent, about what standard turbo to replace a worn out one with, and various sages were scorning the fact that a link for a maxpedorod turbo had been posted. The words from the wise were to get the original turbo reconditioned, advice that I would go along with.

However, one forum member that works as a mechanic for a living has his doubts. He said recently he had fitted three turbos on a car. The first two were recon original units that failed almost immediately. The third was a Chinese turbo that he had obtained from a reputable source (not eBay) that seemed to be spot on.

So my question is anyone out there that has used one, that has worked as it should, and has lasted the course. Turbo I am looking for is a td04l

[braaap]

Your thread is desperately lacking pictures!

May I help You?

Nov 16, 2022 10:51:11 GMT braaap said:

Nov 15, 2022 14:07:10 GMT grizz said:

At some point I read the term Turbo seller on Ebay.

Sorry, nothing helpfullier to offer, I'll get my coat.

[rapidyellow]

I have used chinese turbos in diesel cars in the past, and also rebuilt an original borgwarner with a chinese CHRA, with no probs at all, they arent difficult to do if you just want to to change the centre, just make sure the housings are ok.

if your car has been mapped, then perhaps a higher quality item might be needed, but if stock then if it was me, I would certainly take a chance. Maxspeedingrods turbos come with a balance sheet for the spindle, you might be surprised on its quality to be honest.


I think nearly everything is made in china now. Even "quality" brands.

[norm75]

May 17, 2023 14:57:37 GMT rapidyellow said:

I have used chinese turbos in diesel cars in the past, and also rebuilt an original borgwarner with a chinese CHRA, with no probs at all, they arent difficult to do if you just want to to change the centre, just make sure the housings are ok.

if your car has been mapped, then perhaps a higher quality item might be needed, but if stock then if it was me, I would certainly take a chance. Maxspeedingrods turbos come with a balance sheet for the spindle, you might be surprised on its quality to be honest.


I think nearly everything is made in china now. Even "quality" brands.

Yeh hence my point about Chinese pottery. Nobody seems to have a problem with that. The only experience I have had with a Chinese item made from aluminium billet is positive so it wouldn’t surprise me if the quality is ok. I bought a set of billet adjustable brake and clutch levers for one of my motorbikes. Quality is fine, only problem was the black anodising faded in the sun to gold but that ended up matching my forks so didn’t bother me.
In fact, for the £17 I think they cost me (was a while ago) there was a known manufacturer over here that made basically the same thing but for £80 and had a few issues with the brake lever jamming on and throwing a few riders over the front forks so you don’t always get what you pay for!

[stealthstylz]

A great deal of the Chinese made stuff coming over now is higher quality than the stuff produced in Europe and the US.

[homersimpson]

May 17, 2023 16:29:19 GMT norm75 said:

May 17, 2023 14:57:37 GMT rapidyellow said:

Yeh hence my point about Chinese pottery. Nobody seems to have a problem with that.

Yes but you aren't trying to spin it at 10,000 RPM

As mentioned above just because its made in china doesn't make it rubbish, what makes it rubbish (or not) is what the people making it were asked to do.  If its an exact copy with materials specs etc. then its probably fine, if its just make something that looks like that and spins then its probably curse word.

The challenge is finding the difference and I would suggest that supplier and price are the things to watch, if it being resold by a reputable UK supplier then its probably worth a chance, if its an old banger and you are trying to keep it out of the scrap yard for a bit longer then a cheap e-bay one might be worth a punt.

Personally I wouldn't put a cheap ebay turbo on something valuable.

[ToolsnTrack]

I have a recon TD04L here, never run. My neighbour is Turbotech in Glasgow and he has overhauled multiple turbos of mine that have had no issue.

Sold my scooby not long ago and have no immediate use for it. Happy to ship to you for the recon cost?

[norm75]

May 18, 2023 10:08:33 GMT ToolsnTrack said:

I have a recon TD04L here, never run. My neighbour is Turbotech in Glasgow and he has overhauled multiple turbos of mine that have had no issue.

Sold my scooby not long ago and have no immediate use for it. Happy to ship to you for the recon cost?

really, how much we looking at, I’m interested.

Edit: got lost a while ago in some of your scoobies vids, entertaining👍 mine is a blobeye though do they mount the same?

[carat 3.6]

don't go with the Chinese turbo, the small saving you make in price will be far outweighed by damage to your engine when it lets go. Have a word with somebody like London Turbos, you can probably get a decent recon unit or CHRA for not much more than ebay junk.

[ChasR]

May 17, 2023 19:51:32 GMT stealthstylz said:

A great deal of the Chinese made stuff coming over now is higher quality than the stuff produced in Europe and the US.

May 18, 2023 18:46:39 GMT carat 3.6 said:

don't go with the Chinese turbo, the small saving you make in price will be far outweighed by damage to your engine when it lets go. Have a word with somebody like London Turbos, you can probably get a decent recon unit or CHRA for not much more than ebay junk.

Both are very good points and worth considering.

Coming from an engineer I know in the field, who works for a big OEM brand, it's not quite so simple. Quite a few turbos on new cars come from China, yes, but

• The checks to ensure the supplier are worthy are very thorough, unless a bean counter of a bean counter team are involved, in which case, cost is king over everything, where the results show this
• As a result, many factories from China get turned down, as the H&S, and Quality control can be non-existant in some factories out there
• The bigger brands do not mess about out there (BorgWarner, Garrett, IHI etc.), and will have proper kits out there. After sales and service however, from what I've heard, is always better closer to home, and it's inevitable that it will be

It's easier said than done, but I'd make a judgement call, and see who is good and proven here. Price isn't always key, but it tends to be a fair representation of what you'll get in this regard.

Like with a PAS racks, there are some refurbishers that I know of, whom I wouldn't touch again.