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Hey guys, after lots of back & forth emails with Bryan at BNR, I was offered a deal to consider for rebuilding my BNR Stage 1 turbo. My other option is a DIY rebuild. Below is a description of each option, and the pros & cons of each one from my perspective. Would like to hear the forum's thoughts on which option makes the most sense, and let me know if I'm missing anything here:
BNR Rebuild #2 option: BNR is offering me a discount on the 2nd rebuild for my BNR Stage 1 turbo. It will cost me $300 plus shipping, but will include a new CHRA housing and a new turbine wheel/shaft in addition to all the new rebuild components (seals, thrust bearing, journal bearings, etc.) that come with a Stage 1 rebuild. According to Bryan, he doesn't want to reuse my used turbine wheel/shaft and CHRA housing because (a) New parts result in a better rebuild and (b) cost of new parts is comparable to the cost of labor to dissemble/clean/inspect used parts, and that the cleaning (media blasting) process can sometimes render parts unusable
Pros - Comes with new turbine wheel/shaft & CHRA housing. BNR does the balancing, and this a simple remove & replace turbo job for me. Probably a faster turn-around. Total cost isn't much more expensive than a DIY rebuild, assuming I farm out the balancing job to a local turbo shop.
Cons - BNR is not willing to offer a new warranty, and BNR would not tell me the exact source of the new turbine wheel/shaft & CHRA housing - other than stating he is using an offshore manufacturer. I'm a bit concerned that offshore may mean China made parts of questionable quality.
DIY Rebuild option: As implied, I would do the rebuild myself. Never rebuilt a turbo before, but have done a lot of research on the process and feel confident that I can tackle this. I found a relatively local turbo shop in Wilmington DE that works mainly on diesel turbos that can balance my rebuilt rotating assembly for $100. As for rebuild parts, a "high performance" complete kit for the HT-18 (i.e., w/improved turbine seal plus 360* thrust bearing) costs <$120 from a number of online sources. Will go with G-Pop shop as they have comprehensive customer support and I confirmed that they pack the delicate parts correctly for shipping.
Pros - Costs a less than BNR option. Since it's DIY, I'll learn from doing it, and I'll know it was done right and if it isn't, I only have myself to blame. Well not 100% true, as I'll farm out the balancing task.
Cons - Extra time to perform the rebuild and schedule the balancing job. Potential "gotcha's" if I find out after cleaning & inspection that any of the parts I need to reuse are out of tolerance/specification for reuse. As I've had no luck finding a reputable source that sells new HT-18 turbine wheels/shafts this can become a big problem. And if I do need new parts, assuming I can find them, the additional cost is an unknown.
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