oh, and if you do go the cheap kit route, i'd still recommend a cast iron manifold like mine, just to play it safe

 

They're still junk. They always will be.

OP: Buy something worth buying. Do it right, or don't do it at all.

The thing is though, a good rated seller isn't going to tell the quality of a car part. People leave feedback either when they get the item or when they install it.

If they leave positive feedback and the next day the turbo oil seals blow, the feedback doesn't change.

That being said, feedback isn't an indicator of durability of a product in the least.

 

my point is that since all the parts are the same, you really don't have to know about the quality from the part they're selling (or more specifically, you don't need to believe their descriptions) but i use the feedback to know that i actually get the part fairly quickly. i always do research on the quality of the item before i order it so the feedback is only for customer service. am i confusing?? i had a hard time getting the wording for this reply.

and the chinese turbos recently have been doing pretty great, oil seals blowin has come down a lot, especially if you use an oil restrictor, which most kits come with one now too.

i won't say "do it right or don't do it at all is a bad saying" but different people have different definitions of right, and i wouldn't call buyin the ebay kit "wrong," i don't regret my purchase at all

 

this isn't meant to sound mean (but i don't know how to word it any other way), i'm just following up on your reply:

you either get lucky with ebay turbos or you don't. you got lucky.
i don't consider your kit junk, because it ended up working for you. i consider the ebay turbos as taking a big chance.

that chance i'm not willing to take and always recommend against people taking the risk. i like my car to be as reliable as possible. that's why i'm building my kit with all name brand proven parts, while still maintaining a budget.