How long to replace EGR valve?

[harry vederci]

My dealer is quoting 5 to 6 hours to replace the EGR valve on my Fabia Greenline II Estate, is this normal?  Also, how often do these need replaced? 

 

HV

[@Lee]

find another dealer sharpish!

[awfabia]

What year and mileage?

[harry vederci]

What year and mileage?

October 2011 with 29,600 miles.

HV

[bluecar1]

very early for it to fail

 

not investigated the newer EGR valve, the ones on the older PD engines were vacuum line operated and these did fail , but normally the failure was the diaphragm in the valve

[WaveyDavey]

If it's located in the same place as it is on my Superb CR140 then yes it is now something like a 5-6 hour job to replace the EGR and its related cooling system. Had mine replced under warranty a couple of months ago and it would have cost me in the region of £1200 if it hadn't been under warranty.

 

No longer a quick fix like on the mk1 Fabia etc...

[awfabia]

Surely it's warranty. Dealer should sort it FREE!

[harry vederci]

Surely it's warranty. Dealer should sort it FREE!

It failed on the last day of the warranty so no charge. It just seemed like an awful long time for the job, they've had to keep the car until tomorrow.

Where exactly is the valve situated?

HV

[WaveyDavey]

On the CR140 it's located behind and towards the bottom of the engine so they have to remove it all from under the car hence the longer replacement times. And also it no longer just the valve but the EGR and it's associated cooling system that is replaced..... Or that's how i understood it.

[trundlenut]

On the CR140 it's located behind and towards the bottom of the engine so they have to remove it all from under the car hence the longer replacement times. And also it no longer just the valve but the EGR and it's associated cooling system that is replaced..... Or that's how i understood it.

 

Yes I think it is between the exhaust and the block at the back of the engine, so an absolute pig to remove.  IIRC the EGR is connected to the EGR cooler so you also need to drain the coolant.

[bobjob49]

Mine went at 15k. Replaced under warranty. If it goes again the car is going and I will be getting a petrol car. Thats 7 now estate man.

[GeneralPurpose]

Harry, it's completely normal to quote that amount of time. I've done them on Passats, Golfs, you name it and they are all pretty much the same now. Often depending on the car, you need to lift the engine, or on some drop the engine to gain good enough access. Toyota Avensis is one of the easiest with the valve being on the front of the engine and takes just an hour. 

[GeneralPurpose]

bob, there must be something wrong somewhere. How many miles have you done? What sort of use is the car put to, ie: town work mostly or urban/motorway mix? Do you give it a good thrash now and again to keep the valve clear? Usually, it's the way it's used and driven that leads to early failure but in your case 7 valves sounds ridiculous and I've been looking for other causes maybe. That's not usual at all. Come back with some more on that, maybe pm me or start another thread so as not to bump this one. Unless harry doesn't mind. 

[FLAPPERJACK7]

Sounds about right amount of time. Have you got full main dealer service history? If so ask for factory goodwill. I assume that the warranty period has just expired?

[harry vederci]

bob, there must be something wrong somewhere. How many miles have you done? What sort of use is the car put to, ie: town work mostly or urban/motorway mix? Do you give it a good thrash now and again to keep the valve clear? Usually, it's the way it's used and driven that leads to early failure but in your case 7 valves sounds ridiculous and I've been looking for other causes maybe. That's not usual at all. Come back with some more on that, maybe pm me or start another thread so as not to bump this one. Unless harry doesn't mind. 

 

Don't mind at all.

 

HV

[harry vederci]

Sounds about right amount of time. Have you got full main dealer service history? If so ask for factory goodwill. I assume that the warranty period has just expired?

 

Are you asking me or bobjob49?

 

HV

[FLAPPERJACK7]

Talking to you Harry.

[harry vederci]

Talking to you Harry.

 

My EGR failed on the last day of the warranty so there's no charge to me.  Serviced regularly at the same dealer.

 

HV

[FLAPPERJACK7]

O..k going back to your original post who knows how long they last it's made up of an electronic solenoid plus a vacum plunger plus a cooler so any of those 3 things fail it's time to replace it. A very expensive item.

[jon78]

Make sure you check your coolant when you pick your car up. Had mine replaced a couple of weeks ago and on the drive home the low coolant warning light came on. Stopped to check and the coolant tank was practically empty. The worst thing about this was, when I went back to the dealer the following week they tried to charge me £11 for a bottle of coolant!

[bobjob49]

bob, there must be something wrong somewhere. How many miles have you done? What sort of use is the car put to, ie: town work mostly or urban/motorway mix? Do you give it a good thrash now and again to keep the valve clear? Usually, it's the way it's used and driven that leads to early failure but in your case 7 valves sounds ridiculous and I've been looking for other causes maybe. That's not usual at all. Come back with some more on that, maybe pm me or start another thread so as not to bump this one. Unless harry doesn't mind. 

Sorry I should have been clearer. On another egr thread I commented that I had found 6 other people with fabia 1.6 cr egr failures with a quick search. I have only had one. I think though that car makers should ensure their cars are relible in all situations. If a component fails due to town driving it should have been found out in testing before the car was put on the market.

[GeneralPurpose]

Ah...I see. Had me worried! Well manufacturers do make sure their engines are reliable in normal use. The egr generally is very reliable on all cars and will often last the life of the car. Finding 7 people with failed egr is not evidence of wider problems with that engine component. But as I mentioned earlier, egr's live in a hostile environment and because of this, someone who doesn't "drive" their car but just potters around without exercising the egr valve (by using plenty of revs and throttle regularly to get things nice and hot), and doing long journeys is much more likely to have trouble. A 1.6cr for example is not suitable for lots of town or urban work. The dpf and egr don't like that sort of driving and both components can suffer. That's why manufacturers don't recommend them to owners who do predominantly urban or town work, or just low miles each year. Glad yours is now ok though. 

[awfabia]

Last year, a friend of mine was sold a Yeti Urban diesel and commented on 'poor fuel consumption'. When I checked the Maxi-dot trip computer, it showed average speed of around 20 mph and she said that all it had been used on were short trips to and from work as well as shuffling children around school, friends, clubs etc.

The next weekend, she was going on a 120 mile each way run. I reset the Maxi-dot and suggested she check the consumption after that run. Around 45mpg and a happy user.

During conversation, I enquiried why she bought diesel.

The reply, not surprisingly was 1.Salesman said the fuel consumption was better 2. It was available immediately!

I was diplomatic enough to keep my thoughts to myself but, again salesmen just sell what's best for them. A quick sale is easier on a car that is on their premises rather than risk losing the sale due to waiting for another one.

As above, diesel is UNSUITABLE for a section of car buyers but sales people are NOT prepared to 'talk them out of a sale' because they need sales to ensure sufficient wages.

I have not heard if Urban Yeti lady has had egr or dpf issues but would lay odds that if she hasn't so far then it's only a matter of time.

[bobjob49]

Totally agree with awfabia. I was not warned about the limitations of a modern diesel by the salesman and I doubt many people are.

Edited 18 October, 2014 by bobjob49

[jon78]

My egr valve failed at around 30,000 miles. The car is used mainly for my work commute on dual carriage ways and motorways. It does hardly any town driving/ short journeys, we use our other car for those journeys. The breakdown guy who first came to diagnose this problem knew what it would be even before plugging in his diagnostics, he said he seen quite a few of these valves failing and the cause was due to coolant leaking into the electrics of the valve, not helped by it's proximity to heat from the exhaust/dpf.