Turbo actuator fault after cylinder head job – need advice

My Volvo VNL 670 (2017, D13 engine) started misfiring, so I took it to a repair shop. The mechanic told me the issue likely required replacing the cylinder head. The repair was expensive, but I agreed to proceed.

When I received a message that the truck was ready for pickup, I couldn’t go myself, so I hired a third-party mechanic to inspect the truck, verify the repairs, and advise whether it was okay to release the payment.

During the inspection, this third-party mechanic noticed a Check Engine Light related to the turbo actuator malfunction. He concluded that the shop most likely installed or calibrated the actuator incorrectly during reassembly.

When I brought this up with the shop, they denied responsibility. They claimed that pieces of a broken injector had entered the turbo and damaged it — meaning the turbo was allegedly already broken before the truck arrived.

I strongly disagreed and provided the following arguments:

1. There was no turbo-related Check Engine Light before I brought the truck in, and I keep detailed records of all fault codes.


2. The turbo was working audibly fine — both I and the inspecting mechanic heard no unusual noise before.


3. They did a diagnostic before starting any repairs. If the turbo had been damaged, it should have shown up and been included in the estimate.


4. They had to remove the turbo to replace the cylinder head. At that time, if there was visible damage, they were obligated to document it, take pictures, and inform me before proceeding.



Furthermore, the shop never told me about the Check Engine Light or turbo actuator issue before my representative arrived.

In response to my objections, the shop sent me six photographs, claiming this proves the turbo was damaged before they started the cylinder head job.

So, I now have two questions for the respected mechanic community:


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1. Can these photographs be considered reliable evidence that the turbo was already damaged before the shop began work?
How conclusive is this? Would you say it’s clear proof (e.g., 100%), or more of a 50/50 situation? Or does it seem unlikely the turbo was previously broken?

2. Based on the photographs, is it possible that the cylinder head didn’t actually need to be replaced at all?
In other words, could this have been just a problem with one injector or one valve, not a whole head replacement?
To me, the pictures do not clearly show cracks or serious visible damage to the cylinder head.

Thank you for your input!

 

Sounds like you should of hired the mechanic you sent

 

Your truck had a valve seat come apart. That means that the metal from that was sent through the back of your turbo and effectively it’s ####ing junk. End of story.


Now it gets tricky here because where that metal goes out through the rear of the turbo may not affect its calibration. And no shop any where on earth should have put that back together without a turbo. But end of time it does need one and it’s on your dime