The turbocharger is at the heart of many modern sports and economy cars, skimming air into vehicles, boosting power and efficiency, wringing new performance from both engines, and relatively simple designs. Over time, like all good gearboxes, turbos wear themselves into a partial calamity. When acceleration slows and airy whines or intermittent clunks announce new sounds, the replacement clock might start straining, and you begin unbuckling your seatbelt to exit the vehicle entirely. Don’t—your sports car could, in fact, be enjoying a new lease of life. Instead of spending $3,000 or more on a new unit, try turbo reconditioning.

There is no need to make a frantic call to your turbocharger mechanic, as you will soon read about all the benefits of reconditioning and what it can do for your turbocharger.

Turbo Rejuvenation: What is Reconditioning?

Turbo reconditioning – a type of remanufacturing process in the automotive industry – involves the restoration of a badly degraded metal turbocharger to almost new condition. Here is a step by step description of how a typical reconditioning process works.

Inspection and Dismantling: We inspect each turbo and carefully dismantle anything damaged, such as bearing wear, compressor wheel erosion, or shaft play.

Cleaning and Debris Removal: We thoroughly clean the interior components, removing filth, carbon residues, and other debris that may have accumulated over the years.

Replace Worn Parts: We replace any parts so damaged they’re unserviceable with high-quality, brand-new parts specifically designed to fit your turbo. This will usually mean bearings, seals, gaskets, etc., and may also mean replacing the turbine or compressor wheel.

Calibration and Balancing: Once refitted with the new components, the turbo will undergo calibration and balancing to ensure it works at its best, increase longevity, and avoid premature wear.

Tests and Quality Control: We test a rebuilt turbo to ensure it meets certain performance specifications. This requires a quality control review that includes leak checks, airflow, and functionality.

The outcome? The result is a rebuilt turbocharger that performs nearly as well as a new one, but at a significantly lower cost.

Reconditioning’s Allure: A Multitude of Benefits

Choosing to recondition your turbo offers a multitude of advantages over a complete replacement:

Cost Effective: And in some situations turbo reconditioning it can work out at just a fraction of the cost of a new turbo, A cost effective way of extending the life of the turbo you invested your money on. Copying the OE factory specification by rebuilding the unit and replacing bearings, seals, thrust components, and associated parts can provide you with more years of use from the turbocharger that you have already invested in.

Environmentally friendly: Reconditioning reuses a known turbo with less of a raw resource and manufacturing footprint than a brand-new unit, which means a smaller environmental footprint. Choosing reconditioning over replacement is also environmentally friendly. Making a ‘reconditioning’ decision re-uses existing turbochargers and extends their lifecycle, thereby reducing the need for new manufacturing in the first place, reducing the environmental footprint. Reconditioning your turbo is a proactive step you can take to make a sustainable choice that minimises waste and saves resources.

Performance Reclaimed: A reconditioned turbo will restore the engine’s original performance.

Reliability: Where it counts, this reconditioned turbo engine is just as reliable as the original-and probably more, since re-manufacturing includes replacing all worn parts and also fully testing the result. 

Quality Parts: A reputable reconditioning shop rebuilds the existing turbo so that it meets factory specs by using premium-quality replacement parts.

Warranty: The good guys will warranty their work, for better or worse. 

Is reconditioning right for you? Factors to consider

Although the former has numerous advantages, here are some things to consider before deciding on reconditioning: 

• While tedious, reconditioning has many advantages. 

• The conditioning process can last several weeks to months. 

• The extent of turbo damage: Extensive internal damage or a severely cracked housing may necessitate a complete replacement.

• Age of the Turbo – If you have a really old turbo with excessive wear, a recondition might not be feasible, considering that some internal parts are likely to fail in the near future.

• Reconditioning Services – Check with a variety of reputable reconditioning services in your area that specialise in reconditioning your type of turbo.

• Experts must perform turbo reconditioning, which requires expertise and precision. Reconditioning specialists possess expert knowledge, skills, tools, and experience to perform diagnosis and reconditioning processes with high accuracy, evaluating deep-rooted root causes of turbocharger problems and proposing remedial solutions.

• Quality Standards – Reputable turbo reconditioning shops maintain high levels of quality. The product you get back is equal to or better than OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifications. The work you’ve completed is of high quality.

Conclusion – Giving Your Turbo a Second Chance

Advantages of turbo reconditioning: lower cost and eco-friendliness. If your turbo stops working and you’re on a budget, you have options. Consider turbo-reconditioning. It is extremely cost-effective and environmentally friendly to recondition your turbo when it is no longer performing as it should. It is always best to have a certified mechanic that specialises in turbo systems check it out and see what is the best option for your particular needs. If your turbo is failing, they will be able to advise you if you may want to consider engine reconditioning. A happy turbo is a happy engine; a happy engine makes for a happy ride, and a happy ride will likely result in better gas mileage. Why not blow a little breeze into your turbo to get it back to normal?