blown turbo

[Boblong24]

Got a b8 A4, my turbo blew and people think i should also replace the down pipe. well a new K03 turbo and down pipe is $2700, so I'm thinking going k04. Also what else should be done while I'm in there.

[schaefer921]

Unless there is a reason why the downpipe should be replaced, there should be no need. Unsure if the B8's have faulty downpipes.
All i have heard is that they have faulty waste gates.
So i feel a new turbo is all you need.

But if you are going to end up going performance, do whatever you want while its at the shop.

[Boblong24]

They said to replace the downpipe cause the cat usually gets messed up cause the all the oil that gets threw it.

[Smac770]

A new K03 can be found for $800 (and then whatever to install it if you're not doing it yourself), and I wouldn't replace the cat unless you start showing codes or can confirm it's clogged (back pressure test).
I'm guessing Wisconsin probably doesn't do emissions testing, so going K04 would be sweet. But it'll cost a lot more.
There's nothing else on that side of the motor to bother with. All the tedious bs is on the intake side.

[Theiceman]

id imagine if you are going K04 you would need a flash too right ? I'm not sure you can just drop a k04 in place of a K03 and not expect to throw overboost codes amongst others.

But on the question of the cat .. I was burning a litre of oil every 180 miles. it was so bad oil residue was being sprayed on to my garage door when I started it. it had been doing it quite some time .. when I did the tear down to do the repair my inspection of the cat showed it to be pristine ..
not saying do or don't. just another data point.

[old guy]

id imagine if you are going K04 you would need a flash too right ? I'm not sure you can just drop a k04 in place of a K03 and not expect to throw overboost codes amongst others.

I'm not sure with the 2.0T but I know that you can replace the K03 with a K04 on the 1.8T with no issues as long as you are still running the stock tuning. If you try it with a Stage 1 or 1+ you will most definitely create an overboost condition.