Very thoughtful post, Jedi. Have you ever considered work as an arbitrator or mediator?

In my PM to the seller I simply asked them to offer a solution. Their silence on a solution can only point to their apparent conviction that I am solely responsible here. I don't think they are interested in a middle ground, so to speak.

They obviously have a large fan club. On the other hand, I've not had a single one of my friends come on this thread and tell what a great guy I am. I've attempted to keep the focus on the turbo. That is what I bought - a turbo.

I did examine the turbo sufficiently to conclude that it looked great. As Gabe stated, iA Performance examined the turbo before install. There were no indications of any problems with the turbo. I'm not actually sure how the coolant manages to leak into the exhaust, but obviously it is not an external leak as there were no visible leaks when the car and turbo were running. There was only the white cloud of superheated coolant indicating some kind of internal leak within the turbo.

Thanks again for the effort you put into your response.

 

Cut to the chase.

Have the turbo torn down and find the problem. If it's cracked, which seems likely if you have coolant in the exhaust and exhaust in the coolant, that's not caused by an installation, or by not prelubing, etc. etc. etc.

Not much use in having continued speculation until you have a diagnosis.

 

^^ I totally concur with you. I maintain that the turbo was perhaps partially clogged with something during transportation. Before speculating I would definately open the turbo and have it recheck.

I am giving positive feedback on the shop and the crew that did the installation and I am also giving positive feedback on the seller.

I am inclined to believe that the turbo was mechanically compromised during the shipping.

Carlos

 

Without taking sides, this is the downside of buying used parts..

Regardless of the reputation of the buyer and seller, parts are generally sold "as is, with no explicit or implied warranty" Nobody is really required to make things right, but retailers of used and new parts do these things as a courtesy. Obviously things are different if the parts are sold knowingly defective. This doesn't appear to be the case.

I have had both good and bad experiences selling and buying parts online, in many cases there isn't much you can do if your buying from an individual who didn't knowingly sell a bad part.

In any case, none of the parties will be able to adequately prove they weren't at fault, and enough time had passed that makes things even worse.

If I were the seller, I would do my best to make things right, but I don't think its right for the buyer to expect a full refund.

 

The "fan club" wouldn't appear if you didn't try and drag someone's reputation down because of botched install. Long story short--it worked fine beforehand with many witnesses that can attest to it. Smoked after the install. Logically speaking...what's the most likely scenario here? Simple logic: If it didn't smoke before--it's not going to miraculously smoke upon install either unless someone dropped it, or screwed up the install. Why is that so hard to understand?

The best thing would have been to keep this private since it was no one else's business but yours and Tony's. You made the mistake of airing your dirty laundry and didn't expect that there would be so many witness's to discount your accusations.

However...I do agree that you should have the turbo dismantled and looked at. I also agree that you should probably just have it rebuilt into a green.

 

Just for our education, please detail the mistake in a turbo installation by the shop that you surmise caused a crack in the CHRA that would result in allowing exhaust in the coolant and coolant in the exhaust. I'd love to know, so I can make sure to avoid it the next time I swap a turbo. Guess the last 20 or so I swapped I was just lucky...
As far as dropping it, disassembly will tell the story. I'd guess, though, that it would take some special skill to drop a turbo so as to cause a crack in the center section and show no evidence of it anywhere on the exterior...

 

Once again I will quote this. Does anyone else see a problem here? Why was this turbo installed if it was possibly screwed up? Was the owner notified that it was possibly damaged? If he was and decided to install it anyway, then screw him its his loss! If he wasn't notified and it was installed, then the shop bears some responsibility here. Even though IA stated they don't warrant used parts that they didn't procure, someone should have notified the buyer that there was possible turbo damage. If this had happened then 'Jim' would have had a claim of damage against 'Tony'. IMO, one way or another IA has a hand in this dispute and isn't speaking up!!

 

I'm not going to bother...how is it that hard to understand? Afterall...you've done 20 right?

 

Honestly...this thread needs to be closed right here and now. It provides no helpful resource between either the seller or the buyer, and has resorted to theory and conjecture. The horse is dead--let's stop beating it.

Everyone seems to know more than everyone else...and people who aren't involved in any way are chiming in like parrots repeating the same information over and over.

So mods...I'm sure you've seen this....its never going to end without someone ending it.

 

To me, this is the key detail here. The question I have is, when did this inspection take place and condition noted? Was it before the install, or after?

 

Pah-leeze read the thread from the beginning, Mr. Evo. I did not mention the sellers. They came into my thread and outed themselves. I simply described a transaction and was seeking advice from more experienced members.

 

CLOSED pending review by EvoM staff...///

J.D.