I have a 2000 1.8t GTI. The other day(Thursday) I found my motor making a high pitched noise when going over 1500rpm. Looking at the odometer I believed it to be the timing belt, (I'm at 195k). While changing the belt, I found oil in my inter-cooler that had a heavy gas smell to it. I didn't think of the correlation, but the plugs looked like the motor was running rich. When I put the motor back together, the whine was still there. I am leaning toward a bad oil seal in the turbo now. Is there any way to check/test it? I use the car as a daily driver. No mods done to it. Regular maint done, etc. If I have to replace the turbo, is one better than another I should look at? Better warranty? Better re-builder than new? Oh yeah, no CEL, everything seems to run ok(cept for the noise).
