To buy a big 16g from a buddy that needs a rebuild? I've heard that rebuilds get expensive and its not worth it. I want to see what you guys think. Btw I'd be picking it up for $50.

My personal opinion would be buy a used low mile big 16g for a reasonable price. After 50 dollars spent and then the rebuild kit then labor its almost overkill but then again it can be cheaper going the rebuild but most likely more time consuming. So just try and see what's easiest do the research most of us guys try and get the best bang for the buck. Good luck!

Quoting OMFGeofffff:
To buy a big 16g from a buddy that needs a rebuild? I've heard that rebuilds get expensive and its not worth it. I want to see what you guys think. Btw I'd be picking it up for $50.



Personally, I think it is hard to make a judgment call on this one until you do know how much it is going to cost. Price up the rebuild kit and find out how much whoever you intend to let rebuild it charges. You may find as suggested it starts to get cheaper to buy a low mileage second hand one, but then again that's always a lottery. I think I'd rather spend $300 on rebuilding a turbo that I was damn sure would give me a good service life if properly looked after than spend $225 on eBay and never know how long it may or may not last. But that's just me.

I think it has alot to do with the condition of the wheels and housing. Assuming that the shaft isn't so worn that it needs to be replaced, if the wheels and housings aren't scraped, cracked, dented, bent, etc... then you can scribe the compressor wheel, shaft, and nut... then disassemble and install the rebuild kit... then reassemble. That means that you're basically in a brand new b16g for the cost of the turbo plus kit. On the other hand, if the finds are damaged and you have to replace the wheel then you'll also have to pay to have it balanced and you may as well just buy a new turbo.

for me, turbos are like motors - rebuilds rarely have the long-term reliability a factory build will.