[drdenny1]

How did your 38r come packed? Did you have any covers covering the compressor openings, waste gate valve or turbine?

Mine did not, and I would think that Garret would do that. Turbo was just in a bag that wasn't sealed, set in bagged squish foam, another bag of squish foam and the intake tube just tossed on top of the squish foam.

Also the compressor housing is a dull flat darker finish. I wasn't expecting polished or anything like that, but I would think the housing would look more like a new intake manifold for a gasser...

Just wondering...

 

[NYB]

I'd call Garrett and ask those questions.

Like everything other product that is popular, the GTP38R has been knocked off in China. Fakes are out there in numbers, and sell well to people attracted by lowest price.

Who/where did you buy your GTP38R from?

 

[Radioflyer]

Who/where did you buy your GTP38R from?

This is the million dollar question^

There are ton's of knock offs out there.

The duller finish may be plausable, but pic would be needed to see since they come factory with a cast wheel.

My GTX i got directly from Garrett came with caps on everything except for the exhaust side. Even the oil ports had caps on them and the center cartridge was full of assembly lube. And every GTP38R we've installed I've seen had similar packaging as my GTX. It was surrounded in the Foam like you are describing (most turbo mfg's send them that way) for protection but the layers that was in there was insane.

 

[drdenny1]

I got the turbo from Riffraff, the one with the black ceramic coating. I figured it's got to be legit if it came from them. I will take a pic of it when I get home and post it up.

 

[NYB]

I wouldn't assume that without verifying with the manufacturer first. Internet vendors are often heralded as angels on forums... but it seems they are no more immune to an opportunity to make money than anyone else. Recently, on another forum, a customer reported that John Woods advertised "Genuine Ford" OEM 6.0L coolers for sale. When that customer ordered one from John, he received a Dorman cooler made in China. When the customer called John about it, he reported that John said "Who do you think makes Ford coolers... the same company." This is when the customer asked the community what was what, and was informed that no, contrary to what he reported that John said, Dorman does not make the Ford OEM coolers (Long, a unit of Dana, makes the OEM coolers). John has such a vaunted reputation, the customer figured "it's got to be legit." Yet, John sent a Dorman cooler, not an Genuine OEM Ford cooler as was advertised. Clay has a much vaunted reputation also, but that wouldn't stop me from calling Garrett to confirm that the specific turbo I received was indeed genuinely made by Garrett.