Actually a seized wastegate (open or closed) is far from unheard of. Actually fairly common.
I also do not agree that VNT turbochargers are used to simply cover up for poor engineering. Given a specific engine and standard turbo combo, then there is a VNT that will simultaneously spool faster, give more max boost, flow better at higher rpms, and have a higher efficiency. With a standard turbo, you must take your pick what you want. With a VNT you can have it all.
Again, I couldn't care less what turbo someone else installs, but I will respond to what I feel is misinformation.
Andrew
Well then I will have to respond to what I feel is misinformation.
The VNT has no way of changing the max boost, the vnt is only on the turbine side of the turbocharger, your max boost is determined by the compressor map of the.... you guessed it compressor side. Yes a VNT will spool faster as it has a varible A/R ratio, the problem with this is that you get into a performance application of this turbo and you run into compressor surge, this is already seen as soon as the GT2056V (better known as the VNT-20) which is the common upgrade for the TDI and our motor. If you take a look at the VW motorsports paper it shows this in there compressor map that they did for the race car with a bunch of the first plot points outside of the surge line. With the TDI you can tune the surge out by slowing down the rate of spool, which is the exact reason that you wanted the VNT in the first place. Infact one of the common faliures of the VNT is a broken shaft from surge, where people goto WOT at low rpm's and stall the compressor and break the shaft.
So now on to the effciancy, the compressor effciancy is the same be it wastegated or not, as seen by the compressor map, and seen by the fact they use the same compressor vnt or not.
As far as the efficiancy of the turbine, the VNT is actually far less effciant on this side becuase of the drag of the vanes amongst other things, this is seen in both turbine effciancy maps, as well as in the high drive pressures they create, which cause high egt's, high oil temps, ect... It is because of this that you don't see them being used in gas applications (other then the new porsche 911) as the create the big drive pressures and create more heat, in a gas app there is already more heat, putting it past the fatigue point of most known metals.
As far as flow at high rpm's on the compressor they would be equal on the turbine, it would depend. If you had an a/r equivelent to the vanes at there max postion the VNT would not flow even close to as much, do to drag on the vanes as well as the housing design to hold the vanes.
As far as effciancy I think we have covered that.
I'm not going to get into which one fails easier as I can blow either one up easy.
Now before everyone who is on the VNT band wagon kicks and screams. Here is where they are superior:
Giving a wide tourque band in a specific application, such as a daily driver, or a modest performance vehical. Which is 98% of the builds that I see going on here.
The VNT is NOT the be all end all, and yes it does have some engineering flaws when compared to the newest breed of the VGT's, but this was a starting point to build to that turbo. The VNT is old school in varible turbo's, as such there will always be something newer faster and better.
I will give you a hint as to why the new VGT's are so much better. Imagine varible compressor, and turbine.