The Forensic expert kollegium conducts expertise of all types of turbochargers in both judicial and pre-trial proceedings.
A turbocharger (turbocharging compressor, TCR) is an auxiliary engine unit mounted on the engine and integrated into:
- the engine air supply system;
- the exhaust gas system;
- the engine lubrication system.
As a separate assembly, a turbocharger may be repaired or replaced independently of the engine, or it may be repaired or replaced simultaneously with engine repair or replacement.
A specific feature of turbocharger repair or replacement is that the initial diagnostic work, as well as the removal and installation of the turbocharger, is often carried out by the personnel of one service station (or directly by the vehicle owner or driver), while the actual inspection and repair of the turbocharger are performed by the personnel of another service station.
Cases are not uncommon where the preliminary opinions regarding the causes of the turbocharger’s malfunction or failure, as well as opinions regarding the scope and cost of repairs, differ between the personnel of one service station (or the vehicle owner or driver) and the personnel of another service station.
Thus, in a dispute concerning the causes of a turbocharger malfunction or failure, three parties become involved.
During examinations of the causes of turbocharger malfunction or failure at the Forensic expert kollegium, a complete disassembly of the turbocharger is always carried out. The further scope of examinations in each specific case is determined and performed by the expert to the extent necessary to provide direct and unambiguous answers to all questions posed in the expertise, or, equally unambiguously, to state the impossibility of providing a conclusion. Therefore, the cost of the expertise in each particular case is determined by the scope of the examinations required.
Based on the specific features of turbocharger repair or replacement and the variety of situations requiring turbocharger expertise, experts consider the following principal scenarios leading to turbocharger malfunction or failure:
- after repair or replacement of the turbocharger:
- occurrence of a malfunction or failure immediately after turbocharger repair or after a short period of operation following the repair;
- occurrence of a malfunction or failure immediately after installation of a new turbocharger (replacement) on a previously used engine without engine repair, or after a short period of operation following installation of a new turbocharger (replacement) on a previously used engine without engine repair;
- after repair or replacement of the engine itself:
- occurrence of a malfunction or failure of the turbocharger immediately after engine repair (replacement) or after a short period of engine operation following repair (replacement).
The primary question addressed in turbocharger expertise is: “What are the causes (i.e., why?) of the malfunction or failure (breakdown) of the turbocharger?” No less important to the client is the question of the cost of the expertise.
Based on the expert practice of the Forensic expert kollegium, in a large number of cases involving turbocharger malfunctions or failures, the cause was found not in defects of the turbocharger components themselves, but in the engine systems into which the turbocharger is integrated: the engine air supply system, the exhaust gas system, and the engine lubrication system.
Examinations of turbochargers (turbocharging compressors, TCR) at the Forensic expert kollegium are conducted by qualified specialists in the field of auto-technical expertise. The expertise makes it possible to determine whether a turbocharger failure constitutes a warranty case, and the expertise conclusion, in turn, has legal force and may be submitted to judicial authorities in the resolution of disputes.
You can consult on a turbocharger expertise at the Forensic expert kollegium at: Minsk, st. Zhukovskogo st., 11 A, 4th floor
or by phone +375 (17) 317 04 71; +375 (17) 317 04 72; +375 (17) 317 04 73; +375 (17) 317 04 74; +375 (17) 317 04 76; +375 (44) 588 60 11; +375 (29) 109 60 11